This was so adorable and wholesome! There’s a lot of good LGBT+ rep, and lessons about fitting in and what it means to support a friend. I would love to see this become a novel. Annie and Bebe are a precious couple and I loved reading about their journey.

Thank you NetGalley, author and publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Such a good powerful story. It’s about accepting who you are, learning to better yourself, and stand up for yourself and others. This book managed to pack a good punch without feeling bogged down or slow.

I love the characters, there’s some good diversity and rep. They learned from each other and listened which is so important.

The artwork was gorgeous. It’s colourful and I really enjoyed it.

Highly recommend this graphic novel.

Cheer Up! is adorable and wholesome and it gave me all the feels! The romance is lovely, there’s so much character development and the drama feels so realistic!

First of all, about the characters, Annie is too annoying and headstrong in the first part, but throughout the story, she managed to win my heart and realize things about herself and change for the better. I also like that she is called out for her behavior. Also, all girls of the squad are flawed and even with good intentions, they make mistakes. But they’re open to listen and learn and this is very positive.

And Bebe! Bebe’s problems seemed so realistic that I wanted to cry at times. There’s so much worry, confusion, sadness, and anger with all these new situations. I’m surprised how this short graphic novel tackled this world of emotions and difficulties she has to go through in few pages!

In order to balance all the negative new aspects, Bebe receives lots of support from her cheering squad. The scene in which Bebe and Annie got together is so cute, there’s a lot of care and respect. And consent is cute, guys.
The cheer squad is interesting and diverse, the cheer part was so cool I wished I could see a cheer team live! Made me want to make part of it. It looks so much fun!

The only thing I not enjoyed about this graphic novel is that some of the problems got solved too fast but due to the size of it, I understand what needs to be done.

Overall, I loved Cheer Up! The character’s development is amazing and the struggles are realistic, but all the support and love Bebe receives makes this story lovely. Bebe and Annie’s relationship is adorable and I just want to see more couples like this one!

Be sure to add this to your TBR!

A friend had recommended this book to me and I was expecting a cute, queer graphic novel. And while you do get that with Cheer Up, you also get so much more. This book looks at issues of fitting in, societal expectations, and agency with such compassion. Fraiser did an incredible job portraying the issues faced by a trans teenager, from her parent's ideas and expectations to friends treating her like a mascot. It was interesting to see a story where a queer person is accepted, but even that acceptance comes with its own binds. A truly moving book.

Thank you Netgalley and Oni Press for an ARC of this book.

The art is beautiful, the characters are relatable, and the message is perfect. The only thing bad I have to say about this is it's too short! I love how the cheer team is a group of diverse body types who seem more like the misfits of the school than the stereotypical popular crowd. I would definitely recommend this to my queer students and anyone looking to become a better accomplice to LGBTQIA+ individuals.

Annie is the smartest girl in school but doesn’t have the social skills so she’s forced to join the cheerleading squad where she reunites with her friend Beatrice, a trans girl who's finally getting to be herself. This story of friendship, confidence and love will warm your heart. I absolutely fell in love with the characters and would love to see more from this author. Thank you to Oni Press for providing the ARC to me via Netgalley.

I enjoyed this book. It was a cute, fast read that still managed to pack a punch, speaking on some very important issues and topics. TW for transphobia in this one. I appreciated the diverse cast of characters and the growth that was shown as some of them grappled with the way they may have unconciously mistreated someone.

The writing/art style were both great. There was also an adorable romance. My only issue was that it felt a little rushed. It seemed like everything happened very quickly and that this needed to either be twice as long, or split into more volumes and done as more of a series instead.

"Me transitioning put so many people out... my mom, my dad, the school... and even the people who are nice get so much angrier when I get upset than they did before. Like they're all just waiting for proof that I'm 'one of the bad ones.' And no matter what I do, everyone is always looking at me. I'm always the center of attention. And they think if I screw up or freak out, it's because I'm a trans girl... never because I'm just not perfect."

This is one of the best graphic novels I've read this year. I absolutely loved every minute I got to spend with Annie and Bebe. Annie is socially awkward and often lets her temper get the best of her. To help round out her college applications, her mom pushes her to join the cheerleading squad. One of Annie's friends from her younger years is Bebe, the new cheer captain. Life isn't so easy for Bebe though; she's trans and not every team is as welcoming as the cheerleaders at Crane High School. Bebe and Annie rekindle their friendship and navigate the struggles of both cheerleading and being trans in a world that doesn't always accept you the way you are.

I loved this graphic novel. The characters were so relatable and endearing. The artwork is stunning and I spent so much time just marveling at how detailed all of the panels are. The plot is perfect pacing wise. Never once did I feel like the plot was rushed or lacking. I loved how supportive Bebe's parents were. I loved the open and honest conversations about what it's like to be trans. The only thing I didn't like is the book was over far too soon and I have no idea if there will be a sequel (Yes, please?!) so I may have to settle for reading this book over and over.

Despite this graphic novel featuring older high school characters, I would be completely comfortable putting this book in my middle school classroom library. This is such an important topic that needs to be represented.

TW: transphobia, microaggressions

Thank you to Netgalley and Oni Press for an advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to netgalley.com for providing me with a free copy of Cheer Up in exchange for an honest review.

Bebe is a shy cheerleader whose not looking for the spotlight. But as the first transgender cheerleader in her state, her well-meaning teammates keep trying to put her there--nominating her for cheer captain against her wishes. Her first act as cheer captain is to allow her former friend Annie, a gruff, often troublesome, lone wolf onto the squad. As they rekindle their friendship, BeeBee shows Annie the benefits of being part of a team, while Annie shows Bebe that it’s alright to stand up for yourself and your identity.

This is a very cute graphic novel with beautiful artwork. I loved the diversity of characters represented in height, weight, skin color, and gender expression. I liked Frasier’s choice of cheerleading as the backdrop for the graphic novel--showing that a traditionally feminine sport can be a place of community and acceptance for a diversity of people, and not the catty, gender-stereotypical sport often represented in media.

I think this graphic novel does a great job of portraying the life of a teenage trans girl. Bebe experiences that which all teens experience--struggles with school, participating in sports, preparing for college, attending school dances--but also must deal with the harsh reality of microaggressions (and overt aggression). Throughout the story, Bebe often experiences microaggressions even from those who accept her identity. Several times throughout the GN, her classmates treat her as a “mascot,” as Annie refers to it, putting her in leadership roles or involving her in school events to seemingly prove their progressivism in being inclusive of a trans girl. I think illustrating this was extremely important, to show that it is not just the most hateful, and can actually be those who are trying to be helpful, who can do harm to the trans community. Another complicated topic covered by Frasier is how parents balance the desire to protect their transgender child from harm and validate their child as trans. One of the more difficult parts of the graphic novel is learning that Bebe’s parents predicate her transitioning on keeping up her grades. They also deny her a social life, in fear that she will be harmed if out in public. While the latter ends up being resolved, I do wish more had been done to address the former, as it goes beyond just fearing for their child, which I can understand. However, the former suggests Bebe’s parents do not take her transition completely seriously and do not appreciate the negative effects of having to present oneself as the wrong gender, so I wish this had been addressed more. Notably, Frasier also covers several other important topics, including the fetishization of trans people and bathroom/locker room issues.

Balancing against these harsh realities is a cute, feel-good story of friendship and queer romance. In Bebe and Annie’s relationship, the reader can see what it means to acknowledge someone’s trans identity but also see them as the person they always were prior to transitioning. This graphic novel shows how powerful a supportive community can be, how it can not only protect you but show you how to protect yourself.

I loved this graphic novel. I’d recommend for those who already love queer stories but also those who want to know more about what it is like to be a trans teen.

"Cheer Up: Love and Pompoms" by Crystal Frasier is one of my favorite work of this year.

No one should ever have to be afraid to be who they are. That's the message of this graphic novel and I completely support it.
The protagonist is Annie, a plus-size, angry and lesbian girl, and her ex-friend Bebe, a biracial trans girl.
How we can see, the plot follows their experiences with cheer practice, their friendship, their daily problems and issues, their feelings and bravery.

I liked how a bad ended friendship can reborn and be a new, joyful beginning. The teammates' support is another thing that I've appreciated: you can be yourself and don't change only because there are some "standards". You can be a PonPon Girl and don't modify your body (eg: weight).

The transphobia is a topic that starts in a corner and reaches the center of the "canvas"- there are even microaggressions and harassment.

The illustrations of this graphic novel were absolutely gorgeous! I loved the details and art style. Hope to reading soon another work of the author!

this was so cute and fun!!! just so heartwarming and i loved all the friendships, all the relationships, all the support

Cheer Up was an absolute joy to read, it was such a lovely heart-warming story about two queer girls figuring things out. I particularly loved the cheer element of the story and how this involved the team members trusting each other and building bonds of friendship between them. The discussions on what BeeBee was comfortable with were so important, it was amazing to read such honest and encouraged decisions. If I was ever in need of a comfort read, I think Cheer Up would be perfect!

I loved this cute graphic novel! It had lots of representation which I appreciated. (sapphic, trans mc, plus-size mc) Even though it was a short read, I think that the character development was well done and I loved their relationship. I really liked the art too! I love that the plus-size character did a sport and wasn’t trying to lose weight . Overall, this was a very cute, sweet and fun graphic novel that also discussed some very important topics.

First of all, thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Oni Press for providing me with this arc, which I wanted to have as soon as I saw it.

I must say that this story was very nice to read, I liked the characters, they had a good development even though the story is very short, it makes us empathize very well with the feelings of trans people who, I think, are the ones that people have less empathy for; this book is a good example of how important it is to give trans people a voice, to know what they think and feel because sometimes we take certain things for granted, when they are not.

I really recommend it to everyone who loves graphic novels, to those people who have been hurt by the words of others, to those who struggle to have friends and to all those who love lgbt books, I think you will like this story too much.

Cheer Up was such a fun read! It was sweet, wholesome, and adorable! Plus, the representation was great. It felt lighthearted, but had some heavier topics. The art style was great and I really enjoyed this!

"Seeing you go first let me know I could do it, too!"
Cheer Up is an adorable and heartwarming graphic novel that make my heart flutter with joy the whole way through! As a young queer teen this is the exact book I would have needed and adored. The messages within the story about consent and girls supporting each other is presented so well and beautifully. I was rooting for Bebe and Annie the entire time and I outwardly cheered and awwed throughout this book. The book is filled to the brim with representation and presents every possible type of way to be a teen with a wide variety of body types, identities, and ethnicities. I especially love seeing Annie's journey as a plus-size flyer and having that arc correlate with her trust in her team and with others in general. I adore this graphic novel and I recommend this book to any queer teen (or adult) that needs to see some queer joy with a side of makeup and pompoms.

Such a sweet and fun read. I would have loved it more if this was a series. But nontheless, the story is a very good and sweet coming of age school girls story. Annie is smart and a lesbian. BeeBee is struggling with keeping her image in the school. Both the characters are so different yet they bring joy when come together. I will definitely recommend this book if you are looking for a short and sweet feel good book. The ending was much needed. This is what we need to see in schools further on and be socially acceptable of everyone's views and choices.
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Thank You Oni Press and NetGalley for eARC in exchange for a honest opinion.

I loved this for so many reasons, the story and characters, the artwork. I loved that it had plenty of story to tell but despite this being relatively short it didn’t feel rushed.

It’s really easy to applaud Cheer Up for representation and showing, rather than telling, readers how different characters feel in this story. What I liked best though is that this is a really fun and nice story about friendship and growth.

SO cute - I loved this. I'm such a fan of this art style, and the characters were so lovely and believable. Perfect for young LGBTQ+ folk, and those who are in school and feel they don't fit in. A lovely story.

This was one of the most wholesome things I've read in my life. I've not read many graphic novels in my time but I see now that queer romance is my go to genre. I thought this mixed a great art style with a great plot, characters and message. It was sweet and made me audibly "aww" out loud while also portraying a realistic portrayal of being transgender and bringing attention to the microaggressions and struggles transgender people face.
My only complaint is that it's not longer!!