Cheer Up - by Crystal Frasier (Paperback)

About the Book

Annie is a smart, antisocial lesbian starting her senior year of high school who's under pressure to join the cheerleader squad to make friends and round out her college applications. Her former friend BeeBee is a people-pleaser--a trans girl who must keep her parents happy with her grades and social life to keep their support of her transition. Through the rigors of squad training and amped up social pressures (not to mention micro aggressions and other queer youth problems), the two girls rekindle a friendship they thought they'd lost and discover there may be other, sweeter feelings springing up between them.

Book Synopsis

2021 Goodreads Choice Award Finalist
2021 New York Public Library Best Books for Teens
2021 Cybils Award Winner
2022 GLAAD Media Award Winner
2022 Lambda Literary Award Finalist

A sweet, queer teen romance perfect for fans of Heartstopper and Check, Please!

Annie is a smart, antisocial lesbian starting her senior year of high school who's under pressure to join the cheerleader squad to make friends and round out her college applications. Her former friend Bebe is a people-pleaser--a trans girl who must keep her parents happy with her grades and social life to keep their support of her transition. Through the rigors of squad training and amped up social pressures (not to mention micro aggressions and other queer youth problems), the two girls rekindle a friendship they thought they'd lost and discover there may be other, sweeter feelings springing up between them.

Review Quotes

OUT MAGAZINE, 18 New & Upcoming Queer Comics We Love

BOOK RIOT, "20 Must-Read LGBTQ Comics for Teens and Young Adults"

BUZZFEED, "28 New LGBTQ+ Young Adult Novels That'll Add Sunshine To Your Summer"

EPIC READS, "The 16 Most Anticipated YA Books to Read in August"

LAMBDA LITERARY, "August's Most Anticipated LGBTQ Literature"

THE NEW YORK TIMES, "8 Comic Books in Honor of Pride"

THE SEATTLE TIMES, "A Seattle-authored graphic novel and long-listen audiobooks"

"Cheer Up! is joyful and insistent in its portrayal of queer teens like Annie and Bebe as worthy of love and respect, imperfections and all."--Alanna Felton "Shelf Awareness [Starred Review]"

"In the vein of Ngozi Ukazu's Check, Please! or C.S. Pacat and Johanna the Mad's Fence, this peppy yet angsty graphic novel irresistibly reclaims sports for queer and trans audiences. Recommended for all teen collections."-- "School Library Journal"

"Readers will root for these girls as they navigate the waters of self-confidence, love, and cheerleading."--Sarah Rice "Booklist [Starred Review]"

"Showing that everyone has more to learn, and that embracing others is often the best way to do it, Cheer Up is a wonderful graphic novel."-- "Foreword Reviews"

"Sweet without being saccharine, this short work is a wise, funny look at the distance between queer rights and real acceptance."-- "Publishers Weekly"

"Wholesome and heartwarming."-- "Kirkus Reviews"

About the Author

Crystal Frasier is a girl from small-town Florida who now has twenty years' experience writing for comics, fiction, and games. She has contributed to major brands like Pathfinder and Dungeons & Dragons, as well as small-press projects and anthologies, but she got her start self-publishing transgender-focused webcomics. Today Crystal is the proud mama of two energetic corgis, Calamity and Adamant.

Val Wise is a cartoonist originally from Clearwater Beach, Florida. He's contributed to a handful of anthologies, including Dates! and Wayward Kindred, as well as projects like Rolled & Told. He currently lives in the Southern U.S. with his husband, two best friends, and two talkative cats named Biscotti and Ciabatta.