This was the perfect mix of heart and humor. The art style was comforting and fun. And I cried like four times while reading this - definitely a book I would recommend to friends. So tender

This was so cute I could die. This is a fun LGBTQ graphic novel about two girls building each other's strength and finding love and acceptance along the way.

Representation tags: Trans, nonbinary, wlw, people of color, plus size.

Babe goes through some trying times, and finds it harder with overprotective but well meaning parents trying to shield her from everything. It might bring up some tough memories for people who resonate with her story, but rest assured there is a happy ending.

Oh My God Yes girl yes. I have to say this and it might seem early to say but this is by far my favorite book for the month of June. This book is about Annie who is a geek and wanting to get into a great college once she graduates. But she needs to do some extracurricular activities like like sports and clubs. she learned her mother was on a cheerleading team when she was in high school. so she promised her mom that she would give it her best shot. well she made the team. and it only goes up hill from there. be on the look out for my monthly wrap up at the end of the month to hear me gush all about my favorite book of the month Cheer Up love and pompoms.

I loved this so much! ‘Cheer up’ is a graphic novel about a sapphic, biracial trans girl as she falls in love with a plus-size lesbian when they become close through their cheer team. So there is quite a lot of representation and it was handled with such care and accuracy. It dealt with many of the transphobic micro aggressions that exist within society, which most people don’t even realise are bad, and highlights exactly why they are offensive. This allows for trans readers to feel seen and like they don’t have to put up with discrimination whilst simultaneously educating cis people on how to be more inclusive.

And despite this touching upon some hard topics, there was a constant lighthearted and fluffy feel which I really enjoyed.

Another thing I think was done well was fitting so much into such a small book. Nothing felt under developed and I couldn’t spot any plot holes. It was fast paced but never too much so where the plot became confusing; I found it very easy to follow.

I think it’s now one of my favourite sapphic stories I’ve ever read and really hope that a sequel is written! I loved it so much.

I finished this in one sitting and I loved it! It's a short but impactful comic about standing up for yourself, friendship, and being sapphic. The romance aspect does feel a little rushed but I still enjoyed how it turned out. I'd love for this to be a series and see where BeeBee's story takes her.

I love the book so much. Bebe is so inspiring. She learns to be herself and to be truly accepted by people. The characters are growing up together and are sticking up. They learn from their mistakes and truly try to do better. Bebe's friends and family learn to listen to her, how she wants to deal with aggression.
It's not centered on the transphobia, more on hope, love and acceptance.
You need to have this book in your bookshelf for the youngsters!

Artwork: 5/5
Story: 3.5/5

This short comic is about friendship, team work and how the words can hurt and heal someone.
Annie doesn't have friends and in order to get into a good university, she must apply for an extracurricular activity. Beatrice is the captain leader of the cheerleading club, she came out as trans not so long and her team, who is very supportive, wants the best for her. Soon, Annie and Beatrice will became friends and some feelings will show up, but Beatrice has a lot going on at home, at school and inside her.

It's a beautiful comic which has a strong message.

Representation: trans, bisexual, lesbian and non binary.

This was such a cute book! I haven't read a graphic novel in a while and I forgot how much I enjoy reading them. I loved the drawing style and the speech was easy to follow. The story was short and sweet but handled some sensitive topics. I loved the representation in this book with one of the main characters being transgender, a main character and side character being plus-sized, and a side character being nonbinary. I loved how they handled transphobia and how even those who support you can hurt you unintentionally. I also loved how the main characters grew throughout the story and learned from each other. Plus the sapphic romance was really cute! I can't wait to read more from this author in the future!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

What a cute and inclusive graphic novel centred on two teenagers and their experiences at school and the cheerleader team.

I really enjoyed the main character who is a transgender girl who is trying to fit in at school and trying to differentiate between their real allies and the people who are just being inclusive for their own benefit.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy .

This was such a cute little book! The two girls in the story were so cute together and it dealt with transphobia and homophobia beautifully. I adored this GN and definitely would check out more by this author!

Gracias NetGalley y OniPress por enviarme una copia de esta novela gráfica a cambio de una reseña honesta.

Empezaré hablando de los personajes y es que todos se hacen querer.

Bebe es una chica transgenero cuyo lugar seguro es el escuadrón, al que un tiempo después se une Annie, la chica más lista de la escuela así como la más problemática, situación que le complica hacer amigos. Los padres de Bebe así como la familia de Annie son la cosa más tierna y comprensiva del mundo, por otro lado hablando del escuadrón ven a Bebe desde un punto egoísta buscando sacar provecho de que Bebe es una chica trans para darse publicidad como equipo.

La trama es sumamente dulce, y ver a todos los personajes evolucionar durante la historia me dio tremenda satisfacción, leanlo porque se están perdiendo de una obea extremadamente tierna.

Para finalizar me gustaría hablar sobre el arte que es sumamente hermoso, los colores utilizados dan paz y hace toda la novela ver super linda y dulce.

The only word I can use to describe this was: adorable! The relationship between the two mains was adorable, the characters themselves, adorable, the art, adorable. I loved especially the body diversity -- fat cheerleaders exist! I also loved the way the two mains related to each other, and the lesson at the heart to try something new and not lock yourself into any one way of interacting with the world. Totally appropriate for my middle schoolers; something I'll definitely be adding to the classroom library!

I didn't enjoy a comic book so much since Runaways and Paper Girls .
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It's like a mix of two of my favorite writers Rainbow Rowell and Alice Osman.
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Annie and Bebe, and the cheerleaders team are amazing, from one vignette to the other the characters show different situations with the point of view of each protagonist and the most beautiful scenes about family and friendship take place
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There are so many things to create recognition in favor of not just being allies and creating a more equalitarian world for all of us and with our differences.
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The story of two friends who distance themselves and then meet again until they develop another type of relationship based on trust, respect and love is so well written or drawn
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Cheer Up is a precious, sweet and beautiful story that teaches us how to conduct ourselves with respect, contemplating of the feelings of others
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I don't know what else to say, it's a beautiful graphic story which it would be great to see a second volume soon.
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Thank to Oni Press and Netgalley for give me this Beautiful book in exchange for my honest opinion

I absolutely loved this! I hope it’s a series! Amazing rep all around, beautiful art, and a great story. I love the characters! My only complaint is the moment outside the concert with her dad — it seemed VERY rushed and convenient. I think I would have extended that acceptance because it just seemed like her dad did a full 180 in 30 seconds,

It's June! Happy Pride Month, y'all.

I started off my June with this *adorable* own voices graphic novel that I got from Netgalley. It doesn't come out til later in the summer, but it's definitely one to put on your radar, especially if you're a fan of the sporty/teammate aspect of Check, Please! and/or the sweet romance of Heartstopper. (Spoiler Alert: I was a fan of both, haha.)

CHEER UP: LOVE AND POMPOMS has:
- a shy & sweet trans cheerleader (with a crush on her friend)
- a grumpy & spunky lesbian cheerleader (crushing right back)
- friends to love trope (no sex)
- cheerleading action scenes
- characters standing up for themselves
- parents learning to listen and be supportive
- friends learning to listen and be supportive
- transphobia & microaggressions being addressed
- diverse cheerleading squad: multiple races, fat rep, nonbinary character
- absolutely lovely art

I honestly really enjoyed this one, and I'm hoping there's a sequel because I'd love to continue the story! Scoop this one up for free on Netgalley if you're able, and if not, keep an eye out for it when it comes out & ask your library to pre-order! We need more sweet & queer graphic novel romances.

P.S. This is a YA, but it would totally work for middle grade readers too.

😍😍 cute and quick, I loved the romance and the art style so much. This definitely has some heavier moments and touches on transphobia, bad allies, and fetishization. One thing that confused me was Bebe’s parents - they seemed to really care, don’t seem to be misgendering her, so the idea that they are treating it like a carrot to dangle in front to keep her on her best behavior seems incongruous to me.

This book has everything! It’s sweet, delightful, and charming in every way possible. I fell in love with each and every character, the journey each of them were on in the name of self-discovery and being true to yourself. The story has so many wonderful LGBQTA+ characters and positive messages for younger audiences and I think it would be genuinely impossible not to love what this book is about. The art is stunning and dynamic, the action sequences with the cheer squad is wonderful. The colours are outstanding and help set the atmosphere and tone throughout the story. This is a must-read!

I LOVE THIS SO MUCH!

I didn't think I needed to read a sapphic cheerleader comic, but I'm so glad I requested this! I expected a personal journey for both of the main characters because Annie was super rough and antisocial in the beginning and I didn't even know Bebe was trans when I started. The weren't even friends anymore in the first few pages.

But slowly, they found themselves in positions they also didn't expect to be: Annie's in the cheering squad and Bebe was voted cheer captain. They spend a lot of time together, helping and learning to know more about each other. And of course, ROMANCE! I'm not gonna say more about that bec I want you all to read about it and how good it was written!

The thing that made me love this more was the nuance it brought to the characters, all of them. Annie's bitchiness is dealt with compassion and softness by the people around her. Bebe's fears, insecurity and confusion is handled with care and was not treated as a plot point, just a fact of life. Her overprotective parents are also given more depth than just being difficult and overbearing. And the whole squad learns how to be a true ally.

It's a fun and warm graphic novel that didn't shy away from the harsh realities of being queer at a young age. It also didn't romanticize queer experiences, it just laid them out as it is and gave the characters enough room to earn their happy ever after.

I highly recommend reading this book! Definitely one of my fave books this year!

What a super fun read. I absolutely loved this one. We have Annie the sassy gymnast with a heart of gold and Beatrice, or Bebe who is a trans girl who's still finding her way. And they're both on the cheerleading squad.

There were so many sweet moments in this story and I would have loved to have seen even more. This reminds me a lot of Heartstopper in the best way.

They way the author tackled certain issues was so interesting.

Bebe's parents, in particular her dad, are having a real hard time with her transition and honestly acting so awful. They do come around at the end but I felt so bad for her with some of the things they said and did. I don't have any personal experience with that but as a parent myself I feel like it's so important to have an open mind when it comes to our kids and their feelings.

And then there was Jonah, the absolute douchebag. It was so good to see Bebe stand up for herself.

Really great graphic novel and would love more.

This is a really cute graphic novel about finding your voice and finding where you belong . It is a little short and reads a little young, but I love how unapologetically queer it is.