I'm so grateful to NetGalley and Oni Press for giving me the opportunity to read "Cheer Up" in exchange for an honest review!

"Cheer Up" was so cute and I will definitely recommend it to my book club! Readers get to go on a short journey with the main characters, BeeBee and Annie, from the start of the senior school year to an October Homecoming. Annie joins the cheerleading team as a strategy to get into college, but rediscovers BeeBee, a former friend, and they get closer as the school year progresses. "Cheer Up" is the perfect blend of heartwarming and impactful.

It is the delve into BeeBee's character that makes it a fantastic read. I loved her!!! Her story was explored with plenty of care and nuance: queer and trans readers will feel seen and allies will learn a new thing or two. Allyship in particular was explored quite a bit, as BeeBee's well-intentioned but at times indelicate teammates learned how she wishes to be supported. The graphic novel understands exceptionally how to put the person first, but also what it takes to support them in their trans identity best.

If you’re looking for something short and possibly the most wholesome graphic novel there is, I’d highly recommend Love and Pompoms! Despite being a relatively short story the pacing didn’t feel off which I find is the case a lot of the time in graphic novels. The illustrations were beautiful and I especially loved the coloring choices and how different colored backgrounds fit different feelings. I thought the two main characters were characterized well and I loved the different sides of each other that they brought out. My only gripe was that I felt that Beatrice’s resolution with her father was a little sudden and I would’ve liked to see her express more that her transition shouldn’t be seen as a choice.

This may include some small spoilers, so proceed with caution! :)

This was so cute! I really liked having a trans main character. There's lots and lots of different representations in this graphic novel, which makes it so good. Like I said, I loved the trans main character, but I would have loved to learn more about one specific character that identifies as non-binary.

Also, can I say that this really makes me want to try out cheer? Even though I can't do handstands, cartwheels and all of that stuff? I just really like it and it's always interested me, but that can also be because we don't have cheerleading and all of that extra school stuff over here in the Netherlands.. :( But nonetheless, I quite enjoyed this one and it reads really fast. I wasn't a huge fan of the artwork, but that didn't necessarily make me enjoy the story any less. Would recommend this one!

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for giving me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Super cute and adorable. I loved the inclusion and diversity and the over all message. I'd be happy to read more from the author and the artwork is gorgeous!

4 out of 5 wine glasses.

I received this book as an eARC from NetGalley in exchange for a review.

YES! A million times yes! Cheer up features our two main characters, Annie and Bebe. Annie is an outcast, who needs an extra curricular for her college applications. Bebe is the first trans girl at school and also a cheerleader. Cheer up follows the two friends growing back together and fighting some of the stresses of being different in high school.

I LOVED the rep in this book. The art style was gorgeous. I want more ASAP

Super cute and wholesome story queer cheerleading romance. I really hope there’s a sequel because this was amazing.
ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Just read #CheerUp by Crystal Fraisier, a brilliant high school graphic novel.
Packs in LGBTQ+ characters, friendship a sweet romance, social pressures, parents, tests and grades, & being a cheerleader!
One for the wish list not out until August.
Thanks #NetGalley

A queer cheerleading romance? A million times yes! Readers of the series Check Please! will be familiar with this level of charm and wholesomeness in a queer sports story.

Thank you to the publisher for giving me a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

I am in love with this comic, this one is going straight on my favourites shelf becasue OMG!
The general story reminded me very much of that "Work-it" movie where there is one person wanting to go into college but having no clubs and such to show "Personality" so they have to get into one.
But when that happened in the comic I was shook with the other main character Bebe, the fact that she was trans was so interesting. When looking at the art style the artist was smart enough to give her a feminine and masculine face when it came to face shape so it was so interesting how you could still see "The man" in her since she was transitioning.
I loved everything in this comic so much and I think it's such a worthy read.

This is only my second graphic novel, but I loved it. The imagery was exactly what I'd expect from a graphic novel and was really well done. I love the storyline and the way the story tackled some complex issues around gender and sexuality and thr process of discovery. As an ex-cheerleader I also loved the cheer aspect.
I would recommend this for secondary school kids as I think it teaches some important lessons.
I'm really hoping this is a series because I want to hear more from the main characters!

This is such an adorable graphic novel! It felt really reminiscent of Alice Oseman's Heartstopper series and Check Please! It's a wholesome story exploring gender, friendship and love. The story has so much heart, it's adorable! Such an uplifting story about being your authentic self and uplifting others, this is definitely one to look out for. I want more from these characters. It's so short and sweet, there has to be a sequel!

It was such a cute and sweet read! I loved the character representation and the relationship between the main characters. The book is really diverse, which I absolutely loved - you could see people trying to explore their sexuality and gender identity. Apart from that, the art was really beautiful and the character designs were amazing too! The plot was in a way like slice of life, it wasn't one with major plot happening but rather of self-discovery and forming relationships. Totally loved it!

Trigger Warnings: Micro aggressions, Transphobia,

"Cheer Up" manages to discuss difficult topics with ease and emotion! The cast of characters is very diverse and realistic, with most characters being both flawed and lovable, and the relationships (romance, friendships and family) are all very wholesome and evolve with the progression of the story. I also enjoyed how cheerleading is portrayed, liberating it from the more typical idea of the "clicky-famous-girls-only" high school sport that most media tend to show. The art suits the story really well, I really liked the style and colours. Overall, a very diverse, light hearted read that still discusses serious topics with lovely art, highly recommend!

This was an incredibly sweet little graphic novel! It was a very quick read and I highly recommend it.

This was one of the best graphic novels I've ever read. It follows Annie, an anti-social lesbian, and Bebe, a trans girl. Annie ends up joining the cheerleading team that Bebe is the leader of and the story goes on from there. It is filled with so much sweetness, joy, friendship, and love. Bebe unfortunately has to deal with transphobic microaggressions but the overall vibe of the book is so sweet and joyful.

I absolutely loved the friendship aspects in this book as well as the romance that starts to develop in here which is SO SWEET. This book is just so beautifully queer and wonderful, and I'm craving the next volume already (I hope there is going to be one because I don't want to live without it!!!).

I love graphic novels but it's sometimes hard for me to get fully invested in the characters in them. In this book, however, I was invested immediately, and I rooted for them since page one. I absolutely recommend this to anyone and everyone. This book is filled with so much goodness that you need in your life. I also really love the art style in it.

This book is so dang sweet. It's a sweet little story that is so perfect for fans of things like Fence but make it sapphic. Honestly this is the kind of book I'm going to buy and read over and over again just because it fills me with so much glee. My whole heart is with these characters. Such great representation and story telling in such a short amount of time but it works so well. I would read ten more in this series.

Oh my! This story is just so sweetly adorable. Bebe is a trans cheerleader, and loner bookworm Annie joins the squad under protest because she needs to round out her transcript for college. It's not easy for either of them -- Bebe has to deal with transphobia and Annie encounters social challenges trying to fit in with the squad. But they renew their previous friendship and both learn things from each other.

This is a feel-good story that shows realistic interpersonal conflicts and plausible resolutions. I got very caught up in the twists and turns, and was happy and excited to see the personal growth that various characters exhibited. All of the cheerleaders end up learning some things about real solidarity.

I think both of my teenaged kids will enjoy this comic, and I'll be happy to have them read it, since it showcases values like getting along, supporting each other, and being yourself. I'll definitely be buying a copy!

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a free advance PDF!

I thought this book was super cute. With a great amount of diversity shown, I was super proud to see that YA Graphic Novels are allowing themselves to stray from pure CIS-White-based novels and delving into handfuls of diverse themes.

Though the story had some stereotypical clichés, there were more than enough feel good moments to bypass the moments. The story had enough realistic issues to seem like it could've been a true story, which I appreciated.

I'll definitely be purchasing this for my library, and promoting it as much as I can.

A sweet short story about American highschool life and the subverting of common tropes.
We got complex characters, building friendships, finding love, and overall growing stronger together. The themes are clearly established and the story is careful not to overwhelm you with its messages.

This book was so beautiful. This is the first graphic novel I have ever read and it surpassed all of my expectations. I found myself crying halfway through at how beautiful the relationships and character development was, and crying yet again at the ending!

I loved how this story had trans rep and a sapphic romance which I always love. I also found myself hooked from the very first page. This book is truly unique, and is a very quick read, I think I read it in about 30-40 minutes. This is the perfect story if you need something to cheer you up, and a light read that won't take too long.

I also think that this book accurately described what high school is like and how microagressions present themselves in day to day life as a highschooler. I think it takes a truly amazing book to be able to portray this in such a respectful yet raw way.

Overall, I would highly recommend this book to anyone who likes cheerleading, sapphic books, romance, and LGBTQ+ rep!