when riley is forced to attend church camp to avoid suspension from school, she decides she will not go down without a fight and takes the week's theme of teaching them about the seven deadly sins as a challenge to commit them all.

but she doesn't do this out of pure obstinence, she does it to try and show her community that heavy influence of the church in their town is not always for the better. their pastor is controlling, unaccepting, and sometimes hypocritical. his intolerance of riley's queer identity is why she quietly left the church a year ago, but when her sister is also cast out for having an abortion, riley returns with a vengeance to tear the pastor from his place of power. jenna voris beautifully balances riley's light-hearted refusal of church camp's themes with this undercurrent of real anger and hatred for a broken system. i instantly fell in love with her character who you really can't help but root for even when she's making...questionable decisions. decisions like dragging her friends (and enemies) into "sin" with her and DEFINITELY not falling for her childhood best friend, who also happens to be the pastor's daughter.

altogether, it's a heartwarming book about being yourself against all odds and, through that, giving other people the courage to be themselves too. and despite it being a fun, contemporary read, it touches on a lot of really current themes that are becoming increasingly relevant in today's society. i would definitely recommend this to any fans of becky albertalli or casey mcquiston who want a story about angry girls--queer and not--banding together to stand up to an outdated, hypocritical system.

and one last minor thing to mention, if you are a fan of funny chapter titles, this book will definitely give you a giggle or two. huge thanks to netgalley and penguin young readers for providing me with this arc in exchange for an honest review. all opinions are my own.

I received a digital ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Say A Little Prayer immediately caught my eye when I first saw it announced. The main character and her experiences overlap way too much with my own for it to not. Books like this one are the books I desperately needed when I was a teenager, to know that there is more out there and that my experiences were not isolated. However, these books were not available to me, so being able to read this now at nearly 30 was honestly cathartic.

Say A Little Prayer tells the story of Riley, a teenager who leaves her church after coming out. Through a, at times heartbreaking and others humorous, series of events, Riley is forced to attend her former church’s week long camp. Riley is flawed as hell, but also very much a teenager just trying to figure it all out. There are a lot of other interesting characters including Riley’s sister, friends, and fellow campers, along with a classic fire and brimstone pastor and a set of truly heartwarming parents. The depiction of being a queer teenager in a church like this is very on the nose, down to the exact words spoken from the pulpit and the little details like Church Camp Guitar Guy. Of course, everyone’s experience is different and that is not being denied at all. But for many people, this will feel all too realistic. This isn’t a therapy session so I won’t get into it all, but I really appreciated feeling like my experiences were validated through a story reflective of many elements of my own.

The writing was at times cheesy, and I’m definitely not used to reading much YA that isn’t horror these days. However, a line that made me cringe would be followed by a chapter title that would send me into a fit of laughter because of just how good it was. This book made me laugh and cry. I am so glad I was able to read this ARC! I rated it 4.5 stars.

I recommend this for anyone who wants a unique YA queer rom-com and isn’t bothered by religious critique and the jokes that tend to come from being sarcastic and having religious trauma. I especially recommend this for anyone who grew up in an extremely religious environment, feeling like you wouldn’t escape alive and that there was no other future, and especially for all the queer kids. This is for you.

Coming out (no pun intended) March 2025!

In this delightfully hilarious novel, we follow the spirited teenager Riley, who is forced to attend church camp—a plot twist that's easy to overlook when you dive into her camp antics. Furious with the church for excommunicating her sister, Riley concocts a daring plan to humiliate the minister responsible by committing the seven deadly sins, directly opposing the camp's lessons on the seven virtues.

But there's a catch—Riley is hopelessly in love with the minister's daughter, who also happens to be her best friend and neighbor. Throughout the story, Riley’s journey reveals the complexities of teenage life, as she slowly comes to understand that everyone has their own battles and the world doesn't revolve around her.

This is a sweet, relatable tale of a girl’s fierce love for her sister and her fight for justice. Even though Riley is part of the LGBT+ community, her story resonates with anyone who's been an unsure teen navigating the turbulent waters of growing up.

Say a Little Prayer is a salient novel that explores how we respond when those we love hold on to their rules so much that they can't see past them. Riley is being sent to church camp after she reacts to a fellow classmate saying awful things about her sister. Resulting in her inability to hold her anger in and hitting said classmate. But Riley left the church a year ago, before they kicked her sister out and now she has to return to a place full of people who've judged her sister, her family and herself.  

Riley knows who she is and hates how vindictive people were to her sister, so she sets out to expose the Pastor for all his misaligned preaching and lessons. However, her best friends happen to be the Pastors' kids. Also, she may have a crush on best friend and pastor's daughter Julia. 
This book weaves in the very real anger you can feel when your church decides that you don't fit the model and when you fight back against stricter ideals. I loved reading about Riley's exploration of the rules and sins and how that impacts her friendships and journey. 

Pick this up if you loved the movie Saved, if you like sapphic stories, and you value strong friendships. It's absolutely worth the read! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book.

4.5/5 Stars rounded up to 5 Stars

I honestly adored this book! I finished it in less than a day, that’s how captivating it was. I only have one negative that I can think of, that there weren’t books like this when I was a teenager. I would have come out long before 40 if that were the case! It was the perfect blend of reverent and funny for the topic, and I really enjoyed Riley and Julia. The whole cast of characters were pretty great, but they definitely made the story. This was so well written and engaging, I couldn’t stop until it was all finished. Great job and definitely read this book!

MORE QUEER BOOKS IN 2024!!!! I was kicking my feet giddy the whole time I read this book. You have to read it. The queer representation tugged at my heartstrings the whole time I read

This was described as “Saved! meets Casey McQuiston” which left me a little uncertain of what to expect. I think the Saved! comparison is a bit more accurate, but everyone wants to compare books to Casey McQuiston’s right now.

After an issue at school, Riley’s only option to not miss the school musical is to spend spring break at church camp. The same for the church she left after coming out and that kicked her sister out after having an abortion. Riley wants nothing to do with the people who have treated her sister so poorly, but if she must go she’s going to take advantage of the time with her best friend Julia and try to bring down Pastor Young.

Voris did a great job of quickly building up the bond between Riley, Julia, and Ben. This might work as a disadvantage later in the story as I don’t think we as readers get to know enough about all the side characters by the end. The bond they form is meant to be stronger than the teachings of the church and a bit more insight into them would have helped make this point. We get just enough of these secondary characters to pique our interest but not enough to really know what drives them all.

The ending was very cliche and predictable in how their friends support Julia. I would have liked to see more retribution for Pastor Young. The other thing I think was missing was a conclusion on the musical storyline. If we’re to believe that the musical is so important to Riley that she’s willing to suffer through what she expects to be a miserable church camp, then we absolutely need to know if that paid off.

Overall, this does deliver a similar vibe to Saved! where friendship triumphs over hateful rhetoric. This is worth a read if you enjoy that type of story.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!

I almost expected me to think Voris' third book was going to be just good, but I cannot help to think a little part of me wanted this to be great

As someone who grew up, and out, of the church (Catholic. It's Baptist here, but the fundamentals are still the same), I really connected to the themes here. Church people who make themselves holier-than-thou as they shame and belittle others are part of the big reason to why people leave church, and Voris really hit the nail on the head in that portrayal here. From the outside, it's really funny that a grown man is beefing so hard with a teenage girl, but, in truth, pastors do really have it out for them simply for existing. I think Voris did a great job portraying that.

As for the characters, I have mixed feelings about them. Riley and her friends can be pretty funny and relatable, but there were some things that grated me. Such as when Riley was confronted with the fact that, gasp, the mean girl isn't a one-note mean girl but is complex and has problems of her own?? I know Riley is a teenager, and teens tend to think everyone's but them is perfect and put together, but something about it just irked me the wrong way. I dunno, the book's main lesson is that not everything is black and white, but that really doesn't apply to the characters, despite Voris' best efforts. There are a few other girls in Riley's group who didn't get all that fleshed out like Torres or Delaney, and the ones who are given that time still feel flat to me. This is a tendency I've noticed in the last Voris book I read, and I'm kinda bummed there wasn't much of an improvement on that front.

Which leads me to the romance. Despite them being friends forever, I never really felt that. The growth from friendship to romance was underdeveloped; I was more interested in the pastor dad conflict in their relationship than the goo-goo eyes they kept giving each other. It doesn't help that they fight immediately after their first kiss, then they immediately reconcile a chapter or so later (The narrative says weeks went by, but it does not feel like that).

All in all, this is a fine read. I think this would be a good book to recommend to a teen, but, despite the enjoyment I have gotten from Voris' works, I think this is where I stop. Unless her next book has a good premise, because those get me very easily.

Thank you NetGalley for sending me this arc in exchange for an honest review.

The reviews were so good, so I was really excited to dive in. Unfortunately, the ARC copy I received is barely readable—there are so many typos, formatting issues, and odd spacing that it’s hard to follow the story. Plus, it is unfinished. I might give it another chance once the finished version is published since I can see the potential here. I’m hoping it’ll surprise me because, honestly, I wasn’t a fan of Jenna Voris's previous book, Every Time You Hear That Song. Here’s hoping this one turns out to be a better read when I try again.

I absolutely loved this book. It was so charming and entertaining and had the funniest chapter titles. Jenna Voris is becoming an author whose books I will always pick up. This is my favorite one of hers so far and I’m excited to see what she does next.

Say a Little Prayer by Jenna Voris is a heartfelt and moving novel that beautifully explores themes of love, faith, and the power of hope. The story follows a protagonist grappling with personal challenges and the impact of their relationships on their journey of self-discovery. Voris’s writing is both lyrical and poignant, drawing readers in with vivid descriptions and emotional depth. I appreciated how the book thoughtfully addresses the complexities of life while weaving in elements of spirituality and resilience. This novel is a touching and uplifting read that encourages reflection and reminds us of the strength we can find in ourselves and others.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group for accepting my request for an ACR of this book!
3.5/5
“There are lots of reasons why I prefer the indoors, and most of them, I realize, have to do with the fact that I've never once encountered a bear in my house.”
For the pros of this book, I loved the chapter titles and the plot as a whole. For my cons though… I found Riley to be a little stubborn, so much so that it made it a little difficult for her to be likable. But the way she told the story made it more lighthearted in a way to where her voice was the choice I would have picked to tell this story. Her character was different then who you would usually read in the perspective from. I will say as well, the climax was phenomenal.

I really enjoyed the book! As someone who spent most of my life in the evangelical church and someone who felt the bitter sting of rejection from that church when I came out, I was reluctant when I picked this one up. But the author navigates the story so well it quickly became one of my favorites. Low angst and low steam but good character development and a solid plot line to follow. If you liked the Miseducation of Cameron Post, this one's for you. 5/5 stars for this one! Special thanks to @netgalley for this advanced copy.

I really enjoyed this read! Blew through it in one day. I did just want to note two things because I dont think the book was represented well in the blurb.

1) the blurb makes it sound like the "falling for the pastor's daughter" will be a gradual process over the course of camp. But from the beginning, it's already clear that Riley has a strong attraction to and interest in Julia so I just felt like that "wow I like this person" moment wasnt really there, and I wouldn't say it is the biggest part of the plot.

2) the blurb makes this book sound a lot more lighthearted than it is. The book deals heavily with abuse of power, weaponization of religion, use of religion to manipulate, and emotional abuse. I think those with any level of religious trauma, particularly within the Christian faith, might want to be aware of that going in.

Overall, would definitely recommend, but want folks to go into it with a full picture!!

Ok a PK growing up this book was amazing and made me feel all the feels. I love the idea of messing stuff up and causing a stir. I give this 5 stars

I received this book as an ARC.

This was a fun and quick read. The story follows Riley as she is essentially forced to attend church camp after getting into a fight with a classmate who insults her sister. Riley's best friends are the children of the local church's pastor. Riley and her family are estranged from the church following her sister's abortion. Riley and the siblings are still friends regardless of their father's attitude towards Riley and her sister. While attending the camp, Riley attempts to prove to her friends that their father is wrong by committing every deadly sin within the course of a couple days and not getting struck down.

I liked that this book did named chapter titles. I was confused on how important Riley seems to think her role in 'Shrek the Musical' is, but maybe this is because I was never a high school theater kid. Overall, I liked it. 4/5

Having never had a sleep away camp experience or any direct experience with religious homophobia, I went into this read with a pretty open mind. Written in first person & in YA format, this story was a really good time with great pacing & development.

Although the resolution of the primary issue (the horrible pastor who treats anyone who doesn't bow & scrape to his religious perspective) leaves me wishing I could march into the pages & throw some punches, I think it's actually a more realistic ending.

Those years of late adolescence are rough for anyone, throw in some sexuality grappling & religious intolerance & it becomes a powderkeg. The struggles & triumphs are really well captured here by Jenna Voris. Recommended!

Thanks to Penguin Group for this ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley & PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group | Viking Books for Young Readers for this ARC! Say a Little Prayer by Jenna Voris is a heartfelt and evocative exploration of love, longing, and the power of connection. The narrative beautifully captures the emotional landscape of relationships, illustrating the moments of vulnerability that define our experiences. Voris's writing is both lyrical and relatable, drawing readers into the characters' journeys as they navigate life's challenges and triumphs. With its poignant themes and rich character development, this book resonates deeply with anyone who has ever loved or lost.

This book was so relatable especially with taking place at a Baptist camp, which was really nostalgic to read. I absolutely loved how awkward and REAL Riley is, even painfully at times. This is a must read for young queer teens dealing with religious trauma, as this would have helped me a lot in my teens!

Jenna Voris the woman you are <3 When I say that Say A Little Prayer was SO MUCH FUN you know that I mean it! The chapter titles were HILARIOUS and Shrek The Musical Representation that made me giggle and kick my legs (and immediately listen to the cast album again) The aspects of religion and how queer people are treated in religious spaces were done very well and Riley’s experience with the church hit me in a lot of places and felt to earnest. I loved the funny and realistic cast of characters and strangely I loved Greer (I am a Paris Gellar fan first and a human second)