This graphic novel was excellent! I had so much fun reading it. The representation in this book is incredible, with transgender, lesbian, etic it was so seamlessly weaved in to the story. It was so refreshing. Also, I loved the coming of age story of Bebe learning to stick up for herself and speak her mind!

This is an adorably sweet queer graphic novel about reconnecting with old friends, exploring new, complex feelings, and learning to deal with the social pressures that go along with being a teenager, but also being a queer teenager.

I requested this book because I was really in the mood to read a fast, fun, impactful graphic novel that would just make me feel better. After reading what this graphic novel was about I knew right away that it was what I needed.

In Cheer Up we follow Annie, a smart, antisocial lesbian starting her senior year of high school who’s under pressure to join the cheerleader squad to make friends and round out her college applications. And we also follow BeeBee, a people-pleaser—a trans girl who must keep her parents happy with her grades and social life to keep their support of her transition.

This graphic novel packs a lot in such a short space however it doesn’t feel rushed or like too much. Everything in the story is properly developed and the themes it touches upon are both hard-hitting and heartwarming. The best part about the story are both the main characters, I loved seeing their character growth and how they used sports and team spirit to find out who they are.

Cheer Up tackles some very hard topics and still manages to make the overall tone light and heartwarming. The art was very nice, it was colorful and dynamic and it pulls you into the story. The story line was cute, fast paced and overall left you wanting to know more about the characters. I was not a huge fan of the romance aspect of the book, it felt a little rushed in my opinion however the friendship and team spirit aspects were everything I wanted and needed.

Overall this was an adorable, important graphic novel that is heartwarming and diverse. I definitely recommend everyone to pick up a copy.

Thanks so much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for allowing me read and review this book.

I was in a three week reading slump before reading this and I think I can finally announce that I’m out of it. It was short and adorable and queer and I loved it. I read the whole thing in about an hour and I would highly recommend this if you’ve been in a slump and want to get out of it.

Cheer Up is a funny and yet deep story revolving around Bebe and Annie, two girls who end up cheering together in the school team while they try to deal with friendship, love and acceptance.

The graphic novel deals with strong subjects like transphobia and sexual harassment, but it also makes you laugh and it’s really a good throwback to high school years, where making friends and being yourself wasn’t always easy.

It’s a great Young adult graphic novel, with two main characters that will make you fall in love (and regret the story is so short!) and that will give you an insight on topics that are now finally discussed more openly.
I loved it and now I’m strongly hoping for a second volume, even if this is a great stand-alone.

Highly recommended if you liked: "Laura Dean keeps breaking up with me", "She drives me crazy".

This was such a wholesome read!!! I love how there's plenty of diversity and representation. While it's a quick and relatively simple read, it explores and discusses lot of important real-life issues. At the same time, it was light-hearted and had a good dose of humour. I particularly liked how the graphic novel highlighted the harmful things people say despite good intentions.

Definitely would recommend this to everyone!

CW: transphobia, bullying

Thank you to NetGalley and Oni Press for an advanced electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Annie needs some extracurricular activities for her college applications, so her mom convinces her to try out for cheerleading. Leading the squad is Beatrice, who recently came out as transgender, and is still learning to stand up for herself and be clear on what she wants and needs. How will this new bond between them play out?

Honestly, this story is so sweet. It's a graphic novel, so it gets to the point, and the illustrations are beautiful as well. This is great for LGBTQ+ rep, and just an enjoyable read overall!

*Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an early copy of this book for review, all opinions are my own*

This graphic novel is the cutest thing I've ever read, it's perfect, the story is full of representation, it has an incredibly cute relationship and strong but different protagonists who learn from each other.
The art style was beautiful and it combined a lot with the story.
I recommend it for everyone to read and for all ages.
I think as a future teacher I would give this graphic novel as a reading for all of my students over 14 years old.

“You look so stereotypically pretty that you’ll probably start a fight with yourself.”

This stunningly illustrated queer romance features a diverse cast of characters and a heart-warming plot. We meet Annie, a prickly antisocial genius with, apparently, a penchant for biting, and BeeBee, a trans girl who feels forced to be a people pleaser to get support for her transition. Annie gets stuck trying out for the Cheer Squad to fill up her extracurriculars for college and when BeeBee actually defends her, Annie finds herself reconnecting with an old friend and making new ones where she never thought she would.

This short graphic novel was funny, sweet and heart-warming. Considering it was short it still included so much and so many fleshed out characters in that short space of time. Annie was so funny and relatable and BeeBee was so lovely, I just wanted to reach through the pages and hug her. Even the families, friends, cheer squad and everyone else has real substance and individuality that screamed through the pages and beautiful illustrations.

I loved the inclusion of not only plus-size characters, but all range of size and shape characters as well as racial and queer diversity. For example, Annie is a lesbian and BeeBee is biracial. It’s so important for young people to see themselves in stories and explore the issues their facing. Growing up I hardly ever read about queer plus size people, and it really touched something in me to see it included here. Especially because it was clear that she was still fit and healthy and she didn’t lose weight when she started cheerleading, as if it were solving some sort of problem. It also raised some really important issues that BeeBee faced in the wake of her transition, and it really made me more aware of the difficulties the trans community faces.

Overall, there were many issues that were sensitively explored and well written. I loved Cheer Up: Love and Pompoms, the characters have stayed with me, and I really hope we get to visit them again. If you’re looking for a new read, and especially if you love the Heartstopper series, I highly recommend this absolute beauty!

This book was adorable and the diversity and representation was on point (not just LGBT characters, but also different appearances). The main characters are a a lesbian and a trans girl on a high school cheerleading team. The story focuses around them and their development in finding their true selves, and accepting themselves for who they are. The story fell a bit flat for me as it seemed to only touch the surface of the character development and was a bit "jumpy", but all in all was an enjoyable and an easy quick read I would recommend to someone looking for an YA LGBT graphic novel. I loved the artwork!

This was a short and super sweet story. In just a few pages, I really felt I knew all the characters and I loved how the story dealt with the pressures of coming out. The art style as well is super nice and overall, this Tory flowed really well. Would I have liked a bit more? Of course! But only because it was so good.

Thanks to netgalley for the. ARC in exchange for an honest review,

This graphic novel is not only fun and screams girl power - it also sneaks in some lessons for allies of the LGBQ+ community. You have a bad ass lesbian who couldn’t care less of what people think of her. A people pleasing trans girl with anxiety and overprotective parents. Both find a safe place on the cheer squad and are able to be their true selves.

I will say at one point I was worried. The team appeared to only let BeeBee join as a token trans girl. Then when she was made captain they did so - for what they would gain, fame and news coverage. They then want to make her homecoming queen for the same reason. It is also revealed that BeeBee is never invited to team functions.

The redemption came when Annie tried to stick up for BeeBee when the team was using language to suggest that BeeBee wasn’t a real girl. BeeBee let it be known that how the team talks does bother her but she doesn’t have the luxury to be aggressive like Annie. That everyone is watching and expecting her to mess up so they can basically go “see”. After this the team and Annie recognize their faults and work to correct them.

This graphic novel is a great read and as an ally - it just reinforces that I need to make sure I do my best to not subconsciously harm my friends. That I need to check in and make sure I am not hurting them with my words or actions. That’s a lot from a fun graphic novel.

Thank you Oni Press and Netgalley for an advanced copy. I receive no compensation other than the free copy for my honest opinion.

This was so wholesome but at the same time it packed a punch with the content. I read this in one sitting and it put a smile on my face the whole time. This graphic novel follows Annie, an outcast trying to boost her extracurricular activities for her college applications by joining the cheerleading squad per her mom’s request, and Beatrice, a recently out trans-girl who seems to have found her place in the same squad but still finds attention bothersome. The relationship that builds between these two girls as well as the difficulties that they face together were both beautiful to watch. I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a nice, wholesome slice of life!

I was grateful enough to get an advance copy from @netgalley it comes out August 10th. This was so cute! It reminded me a lot of Heartstoppers. The main character BeBe is transgender trying to figure out how to step up for her self and he old best friend Annie needs to be in a team for college applications and they end up getting close again. It was so cute I wanted more of the story! There was many LGBTQ+ representation in this I loved it!!!

Such a cute sapphic graphic novel! I loved Beatrice so much <3 The topics shown were important and real. The way that Beatrice addressed the transphobia and other hurtful comments from her friends was inspiring and I think this is a great read for young people looking for a sapphic graphic

Characters

Oh, my goodness I fell so hard for these characters. The story follows Annie, who is a senior and needs to get some more extra circulars for college. I adored how no non-sense and how much Annie cared about her best friend Beatrice. The supporting cast of other cheerleaders was also excellent, and I enjoyed getting to know them in this novel. The graphic novel might be short, but the characters really pack a punch. I also loved seeing all the representation in these characters. All the characters being so much fun to read about, and how much they cared for each other as friends is why I added a star in my review.



Plot

This plot might seem like something you’ve seen time and time again. A senior needs more extra circulars or credits, and so they suddenly need to do something they might not want to do or enjoy. Where this story takes a turn is that Annie is a character who didn’t really have many friends, and she was sort of distant from her peers. The cheerleaders become Annie’s friends and she ends up really enjoying cheerleading in the end. Another part of this story was finding yourself and finding who you love. I loved both plot elements in this story, and both of them weaving so well together is why I gave a star in my rating.

Writing & Art

Writing in a Graphic Novel is tough to rate because you need to look at the story along with the art, and separate it from the art. The writing in this graphic novel is simple and easy to follow, which is fantastic because it doesn’t take away from the story. When reading a novel or graphic novel, the writing needs to help tell the story, and not take away from the art. In that same vein, the art can’t take away from the writing and needs to help tell the story along with the writing. The art style in this novel was so cute and it really helped to tell the story. Both the writing and art working in tandem earned a star rating in my review.

Romance

The romance in this book was so sweet. I loved Annie and Beatrice and how they grew to love each other as the story progressed. I don’t want to spoil the book for anyone, but there is a heavy emotional scene in this novel that was really handled with care and I loved that. The sweet romance, especially the prom scene, is why I added a star in my review.

Enjoyment

I’m going to keep this short by just saying that this novel is just a good time. The story is both funny and heartwarming, and it will just cause you to have so many feelings. Pleasure of a story for me means the perfect balance of light and fun with heavy and real topics. This Graphic Novel has a balance of those so I knew I needed to add a star in my rating.

this book was so sweet, i was smiling the whole way through reading it. i loved the characters so much and i hope that there will be more books in this series. so much great representation and so so perfect.

Writing reviews for graphic novels is a new experience for me, but a welcome one. Graphic novels, in my opinion, have a tendency to be forgettable. For example, I read at least eight “The Walking Dead” graphic novels last year and couldn’t tell you a single thing about them.

Fortunately, there have been a few that have really stuck with me, and this will probably be one of them. I really loved the representation in this novel. Our two main characters include a transgender girl and a plus size lesbian. There is also a non-binary secondary character and a multitude of characters of color throughout the novel.

One of the things I liked the most about this novel was the fact that, although it barely passes the 120-page mark, the character development is remarkable and full of depth. Each and every one of the characters on the page has obvious flaws, which is something that full length novels tend to lack, and I adored it.

One of the main characters, Annie, struggles with socializing and stepping out of her comfort zone. At the beginning of the novel, she’s friendless, stand-offish, and downright rude most of the time. Although she’s a great student, she realizes she needs more extracurricular activities on her college applications, hence the title of the book.

The other main character, Bebe, is a recently transitioned transgender girl, struggling with acceptance from her parents, her cheer squad friends, and most importantly, herself. Her friends make jokes about her transition behind her back, her parents rarely let her leave the house by herself for fear of Bebe being the brunt of an assault, and she rarely sticks up for herself because she wants to avoid being the “unhinged transgender girl”.

We get to see Annie and Bebe confront their flaws head on, using one another for support. Annie begins to blossom into her new role as flyer on the cheer squad, while Bebe starts setting boundaries with her friends and her parents. (That’s as much as I can say without spoiling it!)

This novel is something I could easily compare to the Heartstopper series. The illustrations are beautiful and the content is obviously similar, considering the LGBT and Romance genre they’re both categorized in. While I feel like this book is a tad more juvenile than Heartstopper, I could easily see this book being of great importance to young, LGBTQ+ readers.

Not only does Cheer Up preach acceptance, diversity, and love, it also teaches its readers to value themselves as they navigate life, social media, and rape culture in a very intolerant (but progressing) world.

Thank you to Oni Press and NetGalley for an arc of this graphic novel for an honest review.
This was so cute, funny, adorable and fast read! Its discussing serious topics like gender, transphobia, fat shaming, harassment, etc. while it have a lighthearted feel to it, with beautiful and enjoyable illustrations. I really loved the art style, and there was a variety of body types and races represented. I liked the characters too, and I think its an important read for everybody who wants to grow and learn. I hope there will be a next book! :)

This was my first time reading a graphic novel and I totally loved it! The book has both heartfelt scenes as well as heavy themes such as transphobia. I liked how the author dealt with Beatrice's struggle with being a trans teen; she is incapable of saying "no" to people cause she doesn't want any trouble; if she stands upto people, they'll say that all trans girls are rude and bitchy; she thinks she should be ultra-feminine otherwise people will invalidate her identity as a girl; she feels pressured to be flattered when a creepy guy gives her attention, cause she should be grateful that guys are attracted to her. Her parents are overprotective because they fear transphobes will attack their daughter,and also threaten her to "make her go back to being a guy" if she does not score good grades. Through just 100 pages, we see Beatrice transform from being timid and shy to a girl who stands up for herself and does not need saving. All this really strung a chord in my heart and I could relate to Beatrice's struggles despite being a ciswoman.
Annie is the best girlfriend ever! Annie asks for Beatrice's consent before kissing her! She stands up for BeBe when she is harassed by a classmate. Annie backs down when she realises that Bebe is the one who should voice her own story, instead of Annie taking over BeBe's narrative. I loved their romance, it was so wholesome. When BeBe asks if Annie likes her cause BeBe is "not a real girl", Annie responds by saying, " I like you because you are a girl. I like girls, BeBe." This is undoubtedly one of my favorite moments in the book.
This book also subverts stereotypes of popular girls/cheerleaders being mean; Annie is an anti-social nerd who's mean to most people until she befriends Bebe. I loved the way girl friendship is portrayed. In one scene, someone prohibits BeBe from using the locker room (and BeBe having become used to this discrimination says nothing). All the girls in the cheerleading squad stand up for her and refuse to use the locker room. This moment was really heartwarming and hopeful.
Also, Annie says "chai" instead of "chai tea" (which just means "tea tea"), which my Indian heart loved. Annie's mom is the best and I wish everyone has a parent like this.