mehsi's review
5.0
I received this book from the publisher/Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.
I am soooo soooo delighted that I got the chance to read this book early (it is now March) because oh boy this was just SO CUTE and so wonderfully written. I am going to try and write a review, but bear with me as I just have so much feelings!
I will just do a what I like/what I wasn’t always a fan of, because I have been trying for 20 minutes to get something typed. Haha.
What I liked:
I am soooo soooo delighted that I got the chance to read this book early (it is now March) because oh boy this was just SO CUTE and so wonderfully written. I am going to try and write a review, but bear with me as I just have so much feelings!
I will just do a what I like/what I wasn’t always a fan of, because I have been trying for 20 minutes to get something typed. Haha.
What I liked:
cozybec's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Annie is antisocial and kind of an outcast, but when she learns she has to add in an extracurricular to get scholarships for college, she's forced into trying out for the school's cheerleading team. Bebe is used to being in the spotlight, as much as she absolutely hates it, and everyone is constantly waiting for her to misstep or fall out of line just so they can blame it on her recent transition. When Annie and Bebe reconnect, both girls discover their own voices.
This was such a cute graphic novel! I picked it up on a whim because it was on KU and had a blast tapping through it. I loved the art and the fat representation, there was SO much diversity between bodies, skin color, and sexuality. I thought the plotline was adorable, though a little rushed, but it's definitely a cute graphic novel that deserves its place on the YA shelves.
Content warnings: Transphobia, Sexual harassment, Fatphobia, Body shaming
This was such a cute graphic novel! I picked it up on a whim because it was on KU and had a blast tapping through it. I loved the art and the fat representation, there was SO much diversity between bodies, skin color, and sexuality. I thought the plotline was adorable, though a little rushed, but it's definitely a cute graphic novel that deserves its place on the YA shelves.
Content warnings: Transphobia, Sexual harassment, Fatphobia, Body shaming
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia, Fatphobia, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Body shaming
thesebookdelights's review
5.0
* Thank you NetGalley & Oni Press for sending me this E-ARC in exchange for an honest review. *
Before we jump into the review:
TRIGGER WARNINGS: fatphobic language, overbearing parents, sexual harassment, transphobia, bullying, microaggression
Oh. My. God. This was such a cute, sweet and adorable graphic novel. I loved it so much, it had me tearing up a little and going "awe" every other page.
Cheer Up! is a young adult LGBQTIA+ romantic comedy that follows Annie as she tries out for her school cheerleading team and Bebe, a transgender girl who is struggling to stand up for herself because of the fear of how people will view her. Whilst Annie knows who she is, Bebe doesn't and so Annie, with some help from the cheer team, helps Bebe not only find herself and step out of her shell but also to stand up for herself against, notably, her parents and *sigh* Jonah. Jonah. God I hated this dude so much. He was only in a small portion but I wanted to punch him so many times.
Romance wise - I really enjoyed it. It's no spoiler that Bebe and Annie fall in love. The only thing I will say is that I think it could have been developed a bit more. It seemed a little bit rushed but not rushed to the point that it was messy and all over the place. I would have maybe liked to see them talk about their feelings about each other a little bit more.
This graphic novel definitely had the potential to be even more amazing if it was longer and spread over multiple volumes (like Heartstopper by Alice Oseman). This way we could have gotten more development and had the plot a tiny bit more detailed. It would have also given more room for conversation about being a transgender teenager, the overprotective parents that sometimes accompany coming out as a young person and general conversation around being part of the LGBTQIA+ community and the struggles that come with it.
Finally, let's talk about the art work. It is gorgeous. The colours are amazing. The panels weren't overcrowded which made it appealing to look at and the text was super easy to read.
I highly recommend this book if you're a fan of Heartstopper and Check, Please!.
Before we jump into the review:
TRIGGER WARNINGS: fatphobic language, overbearing parents, sexual harassment, transphobia, bullying, microaggression
Oh. My. God. This was such a cute, sweet and adorable graphic novel. I loved it so much, it had me tearing up a little and going "awe" every other page.
Cheer Up! is a young adult LGBQTIA+ romantic comedy that follows Annie as she tries out for her school cheerleading team and Bebe, a transgender girl who is struggling to stand up for herself because of the fear of how people will view her. Whilst Annie knows who she is, Bebe doesn't and so Annie, with some help from the cheer team, helps Bebe not only find herself and step out of her shell but also to stand up for herself against, notably, her parents and *sigh* Jonah. Jonah. God I hated this dude so much. He was only in a small portion but I wanted to punch him so many times.
Romance wise - I really enjoyed it. It's no spoiler that Bebe and Annie fall in love. The only thing I will say is that I think it could have been developed a bit more. It seemed a little bit rushed but not rushed to the point that it was messy and all over the place. I would have maybe liked to see them talk about their feelings about each other a little bit more.
This graphic novel definitely had the potential to be even more amazing if it was longer and spread over multiple volumes (like Heartstopper by Alice Oseman). This way we could have gotten more development and had the plot a tiny bit more detailed. It would have also given more room for conversation about being a transgender teenager, the overprotective parents that sometimes accompany coming out as a young person and general conversation around being part of the LGBTQIA+ community and the struggles that come with it.
Finally, let's talk about the art work. It is gorgeous. The colours are amazing. The panels weren't overcrowded which made it appealing to look at and the text was super easy to read.
I highly recommend this book if you're a fan of Heartstopper and Check, Please!.
laroris's review
4.0
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Oni Press for giving me early access to this book.
In this book, we follow Annie who in order to impress colleges on her applications joins the cheerleading squad even though she maybe is not the most cheerful person. Her former friend BeeBee a transgirl is also on the Cheer team and through the trial and error of cheer, they rekindle their friendship.
I really enjoyed this book but I thought it could have used just a little more backstory to the characters. I really loved reading a graphic novel about a transgender girl as this is something I haven't read before. Overall I think this was a well-rounded graphic novel, the illustrations were beautiful and the story itself was great.
In this book, we follow Annie who in order to impress colleges on her applications joins the cheerleading squad even though she maybe is not the most cheerful person. Her former friend BeeBee a transgirl is also on the Cheer team and through the trial and error of cheer, they rekindle their friendship.
I really enjoyed this book but I thought it could have used just a little more backstory to the characters. I really loved reading a graphic novel about a transgender girl as this is something I haven't read before. Overall I think this was a well-rounded graphic novel, the illustrations were beautiful and the story itself was great.
warandpeace's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
so cute!!! made me cry. the art is divine and the story is adorable.
vilmaiita's review
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
nightyvaqs's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
kaynova's review against another edition
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Annie and Bebe are cute together, I adore how Annie immediately stands up for Bebe and listens to her when she has thoughts and feelings. I didn't really like the cheerleading squad (except one, but they were a new squad member), I know they were still learning how to navigate their friendship with Bebe because of her identity, but the way they went about it struck a nerve. They isolated her from events or spoke for her to do things because she's the tran girl. It was rude and I didn't like it. And don't get me started on Jonah, a real creep. Annie and Bebe are the ones who made this bearable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia
Moderate: Toxic friendship and Sexual harassment
hadeschariots's review
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
a very fast and cute read, we need more books featuring trans fems
micaelacccc's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Transphobia and Sexual harassment