I thought this was such a cute and fun graphic novel. Once I got started it was hard to put down. I love all the characters and the plot of the story. I love how BeeBee is a trans girls who came out in her high school and she has a great support systems from her parents and the cheerleading squad and she gets her friend Annie to be on the squad even though she is only there at try outs to please her mom. Overall I love the friendships and the lessons the story has about accepting people and standing up not only for yourself, but to be able to know that you have great support in your friends.

Annie is a top student, but her anti-social behavior makes the guidance counselor think she'll have trouble getting into college and recommends she tries some extracurriculars. Mom convinces her to try out for the cheerleading team. Through cheer, Annie reconnects with an old friend, Bebe, who has recently transitioned. Their friendship rekindles and blossoms (and maybe something more?) as they help each other - Bebe helps Annie be more kind and friendly, and Annie helps Bebe stand up for herself and be more confident.

This was such a cute and sweet graphic novel! Annie is hilarious and Bebe is inspiring. Their relationship was so adorable. I really loved the artwork too.

I haven't read Check, Please! which is what this book is being compared to, but now I need to. This book is so perfect. I love the messages it sends and the educating it does on LBTQ+ issues. We need more of these stories, and even better when they are accompanied with such cute and sweet illustrations.

This is such a cute, lighthearted story, I really enjoyed it! The graphics were really pretty and I loved the vibrancy of the colors, as well as the contrast in scenes that were more serious than others.

Bebe is a sweetheart. The novel shows her struggle with speaking up for herself and learning when to say no because she doesn’t want the label of “that trans girl”. Her growth is beautiful to see.

Annie is the opposite. She’s very opinionated, has no problem speaking out and shutting people down, but her delivery methods usually make her come off as aggressive and mean. I really loved her character and the fact that she took the time to listen to Bebe, so she didn’t overstep on boundaries.

Their relationship was so adorable. Ugh I’m a sucker for fluff.

Cons:
Some of these aren’t too big, but just stood out for me.

Bebe and Annie’s progress from friends to lovers was a little fast, but the novel is pretty short so that was understandable.

The lack of resolution with the transphobic comments made by some of the cheerleaders. I felt it should’ve at least been addressed in some way.

Bebe’s father suddenly being really understanding, which like yeah good for Bebe, but I think it conflicted with the way he was originally characterized. Do I think development was necessary? Yeah absolutely. But I just think it happened too fast.

Overall, I really did love this. I think it’s the perfect sapphic romance for anyone who needs a pick me up. I’ll definitely be recommending this to friends!

Final Rating: 4.5 ⭐️

Thank you Netgalley and Oni Press for the ARC.

Rep: trans, wlw

TW: transphobia, harassment, misogyny

Cheer Up: Love and Pompomps was such a sweet and fun read, but it still managed to talk about a lot of different important issues like sexual harassment and transphobia.

Our main characters Annie and Bebe are ex best friends, who start talking again after Annie joins the cheerleading team. The story follows their friendship that develops into something more, as well as the issues Bebe faces every day being a trans woman.

The main characters were really likeable and I thoroughly enjoyed this book! But I wish that the side characters who had awful transphobic remarks towards Bebe would’ve seen their actions have consequences and were punished, instead of it being kind of brushed under the rug.

I also really wish we would’ve seen more of Annie and Bebe developing feelings for each other, their relationship felt a bit rushed.

Overall, this book was such a delightful read and I highly recommend it.

Thank you NetGalley and Oni Press for allowing me to read this in exchange for my honest review.

sweet sapphic story that ends in triumph.
Appeal Factors:
Character: Awkward, LGBTQIA diverse, Likeable, strong female
Storyline and Pace: Character-driven and fast-paced
Tone: amsuing, impassioned
Illustrations: cartoony, charming
CW: Transphobia and sexual harassment

The Art:
I'd totally recommend this graphic novel! I've included a few parts towards the beginning (feel free to skip over them if you want!) Visually, it is so colorful and appealing, and the paneling is excellent! I've included links because I am having trouble uploading the images. Goodreads needs to get in the 21st century.

Here is the first example

The Book:
I do feel like the romance was a bit rushed, the pacing with Bebe's family and their feelings towards her were resolved super quickly, and some of the negative comments made by the squad were never fully apologized for such. This graphic novel explores themes like tokenism and acceptance.

Here is the second example: https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Jzk...

I'd totally read more about the squad as well as Annie and Bebe! I think the chemistry between all the characters was palpable and I enjoyed every minute of it.

Honestly, Adri summed up a lot of my thoughts perfectly.

I totally am getting this for the library!
~Net Galley ARC~

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Cheer Up! Love and Pom Poms

5/5 stars. Spoilers ahead and as always check trigger warnings

This is one of my favourite novels I’ve ever read. Not even favourite graphic novel, favourite novels. The illustrations, the plot line, the handling of tough topics like bullying, sexuality, harassment, feeling alienated in school, was discussed so well and wasn’t brushed over at all. I flew through this so fast and I am going to reread this asap.

As a lesbian, I can’t imagine how impactful this would have been for younger me. I hope that lgbtqpia teens read this and feel represented and seen. I hope they know that they deserve the cute, sappy, puppy love romance.

I won’t be commenting on the discussions of transphobia because, as a cis women, it is not my place. Please read and support reviews by trans reviewers.

If you’re a fan of Heartstopper by Alice Oseman or Check, Please! By Ngozi Ukazu then you’ll love this.

We follow Annie as she joins the cheerleading team at her moms urging. Annie is an anti-social lesbian, who finds herself alienated from her friends. We also follow Bebe, a trans cheerleader who is a people-pleaser. Together, Annie and Bebe rekindle their friendship, face micro-aggression and harassment, but realise there is more to their friendship. I adore the grumpy x sunshine pairing. Watching them grow and learn from each other was so sweet.

I’m going to this review here because I want to go reread this book.

If you’re still hesitant, I don’t know what to tell you, but listen: wholesome wlw cheerleading romance with a focus on friendship? Come on!

This was a super sweet graphic novel that was easy to follow the storyline. The characters had depth and a variety of expressions. I think this would go over well in the library.

I WANT MORE ANNIE AND BEEBEE
This comic was so cute - but more than that, it was important! The amount of representation alone in this comic was enough to make it both relevant and meaningful. But adding to that was the gravity of the subject. BeeBee and Annie are complete opposites in many ways - Annie doesn't care what others think of her, BeeBee cares perhaps a little too much. Being transgender, BeeBee is forever trying to not draw negative attention to herself in any way, which often ends of with her being taken advantage of in one way or another. This story is about standing up for yourself, about speaking up without speaking over, and that even good intentions fall flat when you don't listen. Very important and very sweet - I hope to see more of these two characters!

This was a super cute and super easy read. I felt like there could have been more to it, I was expecting it to be quite long but it was actually really short which made it easy to read but also kind of disappointing. Loved the characters and the representation. Annie was super relatable and I loved how the cheerleading team was so diverse with race, size and those in the LGBTQ+ community.

I loved this graphic novel! It was so beautifully crafted and it is exactly what high schoolers need. I feel like kids can relate to a variety of different characters depending on where they are in their life. I love the inclusion of the characters, it was so queer and so precious. The art style was also really beautiful and cute and quirky. I don't usually purchase physical graphic novels, due to how expensive they are (understandably) but this one might break that rule!

This is a wholesome sapphic graphic novel with a trans main character that emphasizes the power of friendship, self-love and standing up for yourself.

In an attempt to have an extracurricular activity to make her college applications more appealing Annie promises her mom that she'll join cheerleading. The squad reluctantly accepts her and she's reunited with her old friend Bebe. Bebe is the first trans girl to be on the cheerleading squad and she's also been elected cheer captain. The two rekindle their friendship, learn from each other, and slowly become more.

The character development of both Annie and Bebe and the entire squad was lovely to see. Bebe's overprotective parents learn a lot along the way as well. This graphic novel deals with some heavy topics: transphobia, fatphobia, harassment, microaggressions but it's presented in a way that's accessible and it's so heartwarming.

I enjoyed the art style. I adored the characters and would love to see more of this world.

Thank you to NetGalley and Oni Press for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

An absolutely delightful graphic novel that is perfect for my library's Young Adult Graphic Novel collection.

This was adorable!!

If you’re looking for something sweet and queer with themes of the real struggles trans youth go through, I highly recommend checking this out! This follows Annie and Bebe, old friends reunited through cheerleading, where Bebe is the team captain and Annie is being forced to participate in order to have an extracurricular. Annie is antisocial and enjoys picking a fight while Bebe struggles to stand up for herself, afraid to come off as an “aggressive” trans person. As the season progresses, Annie and Bebe learn from each other and grow their relationship with each other. It’s a super sweet story that is fluffy while also packing a punch. The art is absolutely gorgeous too!

Thank you to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book! I recommend pre-ordering it, I think could be the next big queer graphic novel!

Starting her senior year, Annie is told she needs to join a team or club to make her more appealing to colleges. The cheer squad reluctantly takes her on board.
As Annie gets more and more involved with the cheer squad, she rekindles a friendship with Bebe, the newly elected cheer captain.
Annie is full of strong opinions and protective instincts towards those she cares about, as Bebe learns more and more.

This graphic novel is super sweet. The journey of each of the characters is lovely to see. Everything about this makes my heart melt.

This is so so cute!!!! It talks about an issue our society has been facing for so long but it doesn't feel heavy at all. It got me heated at some point but the satisfaction of seeing people supporting other people and people standing up for themselves!!! The graphics definitely added to how satisfying everything felt. I was a little hesitant to read this one because of my experience of being underwhelmed by graphic novels but Cheer Up showed me that I just haven't found the perfect graphic novel to read!

A sweet and quick read. I didn't expect nuances or a really big plot and I didn't get it - but it still managed to raise quite important points about people's expectations towards trans folks.

(Thanks Netgalley for the opportunity.)

This one is an adorable and fluffy sapphic graphic novel with a trans main character that will definitely make you feel warm and fuzzy.

It gives me the same feels that the Heartstopper series gives me in the best way possible.

The friendships and relationships were so heartwarming and the character growth was amazing to see.

There were some serious topics dealt with in this graphic novel as well, like transphobia, microaggressions, fatphobia, harassment and controlling parents but I think they were properly dealt with .

This is a lovely sapphic graphic novel with truly diverse representation.
I really hope we get to see these characters again because I’m in love!


Disclaimer: I received a copy of Cheer Up in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Thanks to NetGalley and Oni Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I did not want to put Cheer Up down. It was so engaging and thought provoking. It's also a book so many of us need right now. It's so easy for us as people to center ourselves in our support for others, and Cheer Up shows that it's not the way to do things.

It addresses many social issues that are very timely. I also really appreciated that cheerleaders, often portrayed in a negative light, are a source of light for folks who aren't heteronormative or cisgender.

This book will be so good for so many people and I can't wait for it to be published so I can share it with everyone. Oni Press has another big winner on its hands!

This was an incredibly adorable queer story with both fragile moments and witty humor. There is loads of great representation in this graphic novel as well as correction when people were acting wrong despite good intentions - something I really appreciate. The characters are fun and relatable and stereotypes like "the typical cheerleader" are completely crushed. Also, parents were actually present! What a change of scenery in YA.

I was entertained throughout the entire story and while the illustration style might be a little too cartoony for my usual taste, it fit so well with the theme and atmosphere that it didn't bother me at all.

I wish this was a series cause I could no doubt keep reading volume after volume of Cheer Up.