Cheer Up!: Love and Pompoms Love and Pompoms

4/5 Heartstopper, Fence, Check, Please! and now Cheer Up - I guess I really enjoy graphic novels with queer people doing sports? Cheer Up was an adorable graphic novel about an angry, lesbian, fat girl and a shy, trans girl falling in love with each other. Annie and BeeBee are so cute together and I loved that Annie learns how to be more gentle and BeeBee learns how to stand up for herself - they balance each other out perfectly. They used to be friends, grew apart and then develop feelings for each other after Annie joins the cheer squad and I really enjoyed their dynamic. This graphic novel is not always super fluffy though: themes such as transphobia, fat shaming, controlling parents and harassment are addressed in a sensitive and thought-provoking way. I think that especially the way it talked about how transphobia can come in form of outright transphobic comments but also microaggressions will make readers rethink their actions towards trans folks (without being too preachy).. The art style was cute, colorful and really fit the vibes of the story. I loved how cheerleading routines and some info about the sport were included. I highly recommend this graphic novel!