Member Reviews
What a beautiful Graphic novel. I love both of the characters. I love that it features a lesbian girl and a trans woman. I love the artwork. The story is amazing. Definitely recommending to all the students that come into my library. And definitely belongs on my shelf at home.
This was a wonderful little graphic novel! Not only was this a sweet sapphic romance at its core, but it also tackled issues of being queer in high school. Really my only complaint was I wanted the book to be longer! As someone who was similar to Annie and Bee in many ways in high school it was nice to see these two opposites come together. Annie has great character development over the course of the story and goes from a feral cat like character to a cuddly kitten.
One of my favorite parts is the way they handle Bee's storyline. She isn't in the closet and everyone knows that she is trans, but that does not stop complications. I like that they showed that even the most well intentioned people make mistakes and talk over marginalized voices.
I think this is a great example of trans and sapphic representation and I will definitely be recommending it in the future!
3.5 rounded up. This was a quick cute graphic novel that also touched on a lot of heavy topics! The art was great, and I loved the representation in this. I do wish that the characters could've been more developed. There was definitely growth from beginning to end, but I felt like there could've been so much more. I would've loved to read more pages of this because Annie and Bebe were STELLAR characters!! Basically, my only complaint is that it was too short -- I would one hundred percent read more of these characters!
Such a cute and fun romance! I loved the storyline, the illustrations, the relationship, the characters, and basically everything else about this graphic novel. So thankful I got to read this one!
Cheer Up is a wonderful graphic novel with a powerful message. The story focuses on diversity and friendships built through the tryouts and training of a cheerleading team. The dynamic characters are relatable and well rounded. Featuring beautiful artwork and LGBTQIA+ representation throughout I found myself wanting the story to continue in additional volumes.
Special thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Thank you Netgalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review!
This was a beautiful graphic novel with a powerful message - no one should ever be afraid to be who they are! I'm a sucker for the grumpy/sunshine trope so this had me hooked. The artwork was beautiful and each character is so well built and very detailed.
Please please check trigger warnings and be careful as there are moments of transphobia in this book that could be damaging.
A very cute graphic novel focused on highschool, growing up, and women loving women. This is the perfect graphic novel to read if you love the grumpy/sunshine trope. There is also lesbian, trans, and non-binary rep which is amazing to see.
This was everything I wanted but never knew I needed. Cheer Up was an adorable, insightful, and lovely graphic novel that had me grinning the whole way through. The way the author handles sexuality and identity was really nice, especially because it consistently kept a lighthearted mood. The only real complaint is that this could have been longer. The art style was A+ as was the characterization and plot. It’s a perfect 5/5 for me!!
This was such a cute feel good story. Really left me smiling and feeling all fuzzy inside. Truly enjoyed reading out of my comfort zone with this one in the graphic novel format.
This was such a cute little sapphic read. I love the art style as well as the friends to lovers storyline. This reminded me of Fence but better?
this book was so much fun! it was such a beautiful portrayal of queerness and overall i loved reading it.
4/5
Quality of writing: 4
Plot development: 4
Pace: 4
Characters: 4
Enjoyability: 4
Ease of reading: 4
This was so sweet and nice!
Review copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This was really cute, and I loved that it touched on microaggressions ("she's like a real girl," not being able to express anger in fear of being seen as masculine) in addition to blatant transphobia. It was also so sweet to see former friends reconnect and become something more.
Thank you to NetGalley and Oni Press for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I loved this book so much I think I'm going to struggle to explain why. Whilst it was short it packed a huge punch of emotion and had a good balance of serious and goofy with gorgeous artwork.
Cheer Up follows Annie, an antisocial lesbian, as she joins her school's cheerleading team to bolster her college applications. A fellow teammate is Bebe, a recently out latine trans girl. The two used to be friends but drifted when Bebe rocketed to popularity following her transition.
This story managed to be so impactful whilst still being lighthearted and full of adorable moments between the two mcs. I loved that Bebe was popular and widely accepted among her peers and that the focus of her story was on her learning to stand up to her friends and family. I loved the dynamics in Bebe and Annie's relationship and the HEIGHT DIFFERENCE.
I rated this book four stars, it was a quick and easy read but still so full of emotion and meaning, I'd definitely recommend it.
This is an absolutely stunning graphic novel about two best friends muddling their way through high school whilst enhancing their self-confidence despite numerous hurdles along the way.
I really enjoyed the cheerleading setting, the realistic friendship, the love for food and most of all the amazing graphic depictions that brought the whole story to life 🤩
4 stars!
A very cute + diverse romance/coming-of-age graphic novel. I really enjoyed how distinct the character's voices were and how many supportive characters were there. It has a lot of nuance surrounding identity and what friendship/allyship/support can look like which I really enjoyed.
I thought it was a little too neatly tied up in the end and rushed which is why I took a star off. I'd definitely recommend it and we might even end up reading it for my uni's pride book club!
Cheer Up was a terrific, queer rom com with a focus on building healthy found families and learning to set boundaries. It was start to finish such a positive story!
Cheer up! by Crystal Frasier is about Annie an intelligent lesbian that everyone seems to dislike because of her attitude and Bebe a trans woman that is a people’s pleaser trying to navigate through highschool and the cheer team. It might be compared to Heartstopper and check, Please. I like the whole trans, queer representation in this comic. I think there needs to be more of that in books. I loved the way Annie stood up for Bebe and how at some point Bebe started standing up for herself as well. However, the only disappointment I have is that the book ended. My favourite character is Annie because she really showed that she cared, she developed herself as a true character in the end. But I did not like the parents at first because they seemed very overbearing in the beginning. I’m glad that they had a little redemption coming to the end. Overall, this book was cute, fun and heartwarming.
Cheer Up! is a beautifully uplifting story of two teenage girls competing together on their high school cheerleading squad. Anti-social lesbian Annie is made to join the squad in order to improve her teamwork skills, where she rekindles a friendship with transgender girl Beatrice. Although Beatrice’s parents supported her transition, she is under a lot of pressure to perform well at school and in the squad, where she also faces outright discrimination from some, and more subtle micro-aggressions from others. Cheer Up! tells a really interesting story about the challenges trans youth face today, even those who have support. The sweet, gentle romance is adorable, and the dialogue sparkles with humour.
Annie is a smart senior who needs to join a team to boost her college applications. Joining the cheerleading squad, she reunites with her former best friend BeeBee who has since come out as a transgender woman. Ever the people pleaser, BeeBee agrees to be the head captain of the cheerleading squad, but there is trouble around the corner with her team's transphobic remarks, wanting to use her as a way to stand out among other cheer squads, and having to pull together her team to compete in competitions.
This book was okay. Just okay. I had a real problem with BeeBee being overly emotional about everything. It was a little draining to watch her cry again over the smallest thing for the fifth time. The biggest problem of this graphic novel is that it completely skips over the best plots of the story. How did BeeBee get everyone to work together? How did training go? How did BeeBee's and Annie's relationship blossom and grow? I just feel like everything that was cut would have made a stronger story.
I would recommend this of course, we all need trangender youth representation! But it falls flat for me.