If you loved titles like Bloom and Heartstopper, then this is the title for you.

The cover was what first drew me to this title, which is funny, considering I was not the cheerleading type. Nevertheless, since I was given the opportunity, I thought this would be a great title to download and give a read to.

Boy, am I happy I did.

Under pressure to bolster her college applications with a more well-rounded selection of extracurricular activities, Annie joins the cheerleading squad with her former friend, Bebe. The problem? She's somewhat antisocial, and would as soon fight a person as look at them.

Bebe, a trans girl and all around people-pleaser, finds herself struggling to keep her grades up while she continues to trip over herself to help others and keep them happy. Her biggest problem is that she loses herself, and her needs, amidst those of everyone around her.

In a very real way, this comic grapples with a number of issues facing the world today. Transphobia (both casual and overt) and sexual harassment are two that are perhaps the most obvious, but also societal expectations and the boxes that people put us in, no matter how well-meaning or unaware they might be of it. The graphic novel manages to treat them all with a level of truth and maturity that's inspiring.

Annie and Bebe find themselves, each other, and their true voices in these pages, and I cannot recommend it enough. It's the sweet, sapphic, coming of age story we all need to see more of.

Thank you Netgalley and Publishers for this Arc copy of the graphic novel.

I thoroughly enjoyed this short novel of relationships between Annie, BeeBee, and the whole cheerleading team. BeeBee has recently come out as transgender and is still battling her way through bouts of transphobia including from her parents. This seemingly light-hearted graphic novel dives into heavier topics like transphobia, negative social cues, and sexual harassment. Those heavier topics explored in the graphic novel weren't too dark that it ruined the overall enjoyment. In fact, it instead added depth to what otherwise would've been too simple of a plot.

I thought this was really cute!! I finished this book super quickly, and I loved every minute of reading it! I loved the art style, the story was really cute, and it was overall a very enjoyable read. Fans of heart stopper will love this! I think this is a good alternative to Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me :)

I didn’t expect to fly through this one so quickly, but it was such an enjoyable and important graphic novel. I loved the art style and the subject is so important. There were different kinds of diversity and the story showed me what it is like/could be like to come out as a trans. It really sucks that people have to go through all these kinds of bullshit. Even though I’m not an own voices reviewer, the representation seemed really accurate to me.

This was so sweet! I absolutely loved it. It was fantastic to see a diverse group of people supporting each other in high school. I'm glad there wasn't much cattiness, and the characters who were mean at the beginning learned and grew by the end of the story. I'll definitely be looking for more of this author's work in the future.

eARC supplied by Netgalley.

Cheer Up: Love and Pompoms is a sweet love story that tackles big issues of transphobia, being brave and loving yourself. It’s the perfect pick me up to a bad day with it’s bright engaging art style and feel good, girl power storyline.

I really enjoyed seeing Annie become a part of the team and learn to trust her new friends whilst maintaining her feisty individuality. Bebe was extremely relatable as she navigated ignorance about her transition, familial pressure and that one guy who just can’t get a clue.

TW: Transphobia, harassment

This was such a fun, quick read! I loved the story, characters and the art style was really beautiful too!
Despite this being on the shorter side I felt that Annie and BeBe’s characters were well developed and it was great to see their relationship develop from friends who hadn’t spoken in a while to more. I also really liked that we got to see BeBe gain more confidence to stand up for herself as the story continued.
Overall I really enjoyed this!

Awwww, this was a really quick and fun graphic novel about a sorta troubled girl who joins the cheerleading squad to spruce up her image. One of her former friends, Beatrice, is also on the team. Beatrice is a trans girl, and this story is just kinda about what Beatrice goes through being trans at school and on the team, and about Annie (or Ginter, her last name) and reconnecting with not just Beatrice, but with people in general.

It was cute and sweet and about real issues and I just really liked it and recommend it. Also I'm not sure if it's a standalone or there's meant to be more, but I'd love to read more about this cheerleading squad!

There honestly needs to be more LGBTQ affirming books aimed at teens like this. It's one giant "awwwww" from the first to last page.

#CheerUp #NetGalley
This is such a cute and adorable graphic novel, if you enjoyed Check, Please! you will definitely enjoy this one.

Thank you to Netgalley and Oni Press for providing me with an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Cheer Up: Love And Pom Poms was an adorable, quick read that is perfect for anyone looking for some good, LGBT media.

If you know me, you know I love a good sports romance book, and this graphic novel was no exception. The two main characters are on the cheerleading team, and have to navigate their ways through the complexities of high school, gender, and sexuality. Despite a few heavy topics and scenes, the story was cute and fun, and the characters were loveable. I’m always looking for some new sapphic characters to love, and Cheer Up did not disappoint.

This graphic novel has a plus-size lesbian main character as well as a transgender main character (written by a transgender author), and the romance between the two was heartwarming. The only reason I rated it 4 stars instead of 5 is that I wish the relationship between Annie and Bebe had been a little more fleshed out. Other than that, it was a wholesome, romantic book, and I would recommend it to anyone, young or old.

If you would like to see more of my book reviews, make sure to check out my channel ‘Lipstick & Literature’ on Youtube!

4.25/5

***Special thanks to NetGalley and Oni Press for providing me with a coy in exchange for an honest review***

I really liked this sweet graphic novel. I read it in a little over an hour and enjoyed every second.

This GN follows two girls who are on the cheerleading team. One of them is an angry, smart, and passionate girl who does not like the idea of cheerleading (due to the media's portrayal). The other girl is a sweet and kind transgirl who works on finding her voice and being true to herself.

The rep in this book was AWESOME. I loved the characters so much. In addition, I found the representation of the friends and parents great. BeeBee's parents allow her to start her transition (hormone blockers, stereotypically feale clothes, and makeup), but give her conditions such as keeping her grades up. This complex relationship between the characters is presented, but never really explored (but that is pretty common with GN). BeeBee's friends on the cheer team can tend to say hurtful things about BeeBee (without malicious intent), and BeeBee has to learn to stand up for herself (in case you cannot tell BeeBee is my favorite character).

I would definitly recommend this !

This was SO CUTE!!!!!! The trans and queer rep was so well done and genuinely made me smile. This is a quick and wholesome read that covers being trans in high school, queer relationships, and familial reactions to coming out in a way that doesn't feel overdone or exploitative. I loved that we got to see some nonbinary rep as well, and how fun all of the cheer scenes were. If you're looking for something sweet and heartwarming, pick this up asap!!

This was a very good graphic novel with so many important messages. I got promised a similar novel to the Check! Please graphic novels, and it delivered, although I did not like this as much. The illustrations were gorgeous, and I loved how good the representation was with the body shapes of the girls, because they were so varied.

The plot was interesting, but it was not as focused on cheerleading as I thought it would be, which makes sense since it is a super short book. It deals with very heavy topics such as the struggles of Bebe after coming out as transexual and having to deal with people treating her differently and even sometimes unfairly.

Also it was interesting to see how sometimes the people we love can hurt us even when they don’t mean to, such as the cheerleaders not really taking Bebe’s feelings into account and deciding what was best for her instead of simply asking, or Bebe’s parents wanting the best for her but not realizing they were hurting her and not listening to her needs.

This was SO CUTE. I'm not typically a fan of graphic novels, even when I enjoy them I often find them lacking, wishing I could read them in prose form instead. That wasn't the case with Cheer Up: Love and Pompoms; the format felt perfect for this story. I adored both of our main characters, Annie and Bebe, and the relationship between them was so strong, I loved the way they were both always quick to defend the other, but also able to share their vulnerabilities with each other. I love that Bebe's experiences as a trans girl were so central to the story and although it was uncomfortable at times I was really impressed with it highlighting some of the microaggressions she faces even from people trying to be supportive, such as her parents' controlling behavior in an attempt to 'protect' her, or the cheerleading squad being so vocal in their support for her because they know it will make them look good. It felt like there was so much packed into such a short book, but it was paced really well and never felt rushed or overcrowded. The art style is absolutely adorable too, and matched perfectly with this cute, fluffy story.

This was such a wholesome and fluffy book, I really loved our two main characters, especially Annie. The representation was amazing and I really enjoyed the conversation about how transgender people feel.

This queer graphic novel had great art and was well written but was a little short for me. I think the author did a good job of mixing fleshed-our characters with interesting action but I think there was too much going on for so short a novel. I really wish this was a little longer. However, there is a great mix of fluff and hard-hitting subject matter. It was also nice to read a sapphic graphic novel for the first time in a while. I feel like they are less common than I would like. I think if you already like queer graphic novels or even queer contemporary fiction you’ll enjoy this.

ahh! what a pleasure to read this. a really cute and wholesome story, the ones that will always stay in your heart!

Wow! This cute graphic novel does a lot in a short amount of time. There was discussions around what it means to be a trans teenager, being a good ally, what it means to stand up for yourself, lessons on consent, not judging someone based on their past, etc. Plus the fun cheer team aspect and a cute romance. I wish it was longer. I hope it turns into a series because I need to know more about all the characters.

I loved this so much!! Such a sweet, fluffy, sapphic graphic novel. I already can’t wait for more and hope this becomes a series 🥰