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)

Voris explores the intersection of queerness and faith in this delightfully messy sapphic romcom, which sees one girl doing everything in her power to break the rules at church camp, while falling for her best friend, the pastor's daughter. The result is a thought-provoking yet entertaining romance filled with heart, soul, and a fair share of righteous rebellion.

Having grown up in the church and experiencing these kinds of things myself, it was scary how accurate and on point it was. Voris captures perfectly how it feels to be anything but obedient and the perfect religious girl in the church and the conflicting feelings of wanting to be a part of the church "family" and still being themselves. So glad that the Riley was able to find her way in the end and stand for herself without losing any of her determination, personality, or steadfastness.

This hit me in ways I wasn’t expecting as a queer former southern Baptist youth group kid. There were moments that had me laughing out loud and moments that made my chest hurt so bad that I had to put the book down and walk away for a while. I loved all of the characters and felt such kinship to all of them. This book has so much heart and I really enjoyed it.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

After an incident at school, Riley has a choice: either be suspended or spend spring break at the local church's youth camp. The same church that drove her family away. Riley has no desire to reenter the church's grip, but she decides she can handle it. One week at camp. Only once she has taken the bus two hours away from home and from quick escape, she learns that they will be made, every single day, to learn about the seven deadly sins and how to avoid them. But Riley makes the decision to prove that the pastor's teachings can't always be right — she decides to find ways to break every single deadly sin while at camp, in a positive way. Her plan just gets trickier when she has to face the fact that she is falling for the pastor's daughter. 

As someone who grew up in the church, and had some uncomfortable experiences at church camp, this was a healing read for me. I was nervous in the beginning, wondering what direction the book would take. While the book was sometimes irreverent, it remained respectful, and therefore powerful. It never trashed the characters' experiences, similar to the experiences that I've deconstructed but that defined so many years of my life. I cried over multiple sections of the book, as it acknowledged and worked through a lot of what I've dealt with. This book prods and examines definitions of faith & care & manipulation & fear & love. Thank you for putting into words an experience that is sometimes hard to step away from and examine. 

This is a fun and heartfelt teen camp story, at its heart, with a lovely LGBTQ love story. It is worth a read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the editors for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Say a Little Prayer was a fun read that covers serious topics. Riley and her family left the town church about a year ago, after her sister was vilified for having an abortion. Riley is bisexual and that also isn't well-regarded by church leader Pastor Young. While Riley doesn't regret the decision, it does feel complicated: her best friend is Pastor Young's daughter and a lot of the town's social happenings are tied up in the church. When Riley gets in trouble at school, her way out of suspension is a week at church camp.

The book follows a somewhat predictable arc with Riley as a likable protagonist, despite her missteps. Riley's journey in learning about herself, the layered complexities of humans, and a vindicating ending make this an easy read. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Recommended.

A bisexual junior is forced to spend her spring break at church camp with the congregation that rejected her family. Instead of living by the seven virtues (one virtue for each day of camp, of course!) she decides to go after the seven deadly sins instead…while also maybe falling for her best friend, who happens to be the pastor’s daughter.
This book has such a fresh voice and is genuinely hilarious without trying too hard or being over the top. Everything from the chapter titles to the comedic timing of the dialogue is spot on—smart, quick, and truly funny—which is so hard to do. There were many times while reading I thought, “this would make a great teen movie.” I’d love to see Say A Little Prayer adapted because it is just THAT good. Sweet, irreverent, and nuanced. Ex-church kids will feel so seen by this!

This book was absolutely incredible and something I didn’t know I needed someone to write until I read it. Growing up around the same type of setting and situations, down to the camp and games, this book really struck home for me and it was fun reading about an experience I am all too familiar with. I really really loved it. It was snarky and fun and relatable and cute.

There were parts of this book that resonated with me so, so strongly (especially as someone who grew up with church--but thankfully got out before high school). The way the author depicted the little hypocrisies of those who claim to worship God while projecting an holier-than-thou image was spot-on. The way the church and those in it rely on methods of guilt and fear to make their messages stick; the conflict that a young person faces when coming up against the wall of reality versus faith; how it's difficult to stick with faith when parts of the church believe you or your loved ones are "wrong"; but also how there's a sense of kindness and community inherit to faith that often gets lost because of some bad faith (ha!) actors. All of this was just really spot-on and spoke to an author who Gets It.

I think, though, where I struggled a bit was the romance didn't quite feel as fleshed out as I wanted it to be. I think the ending of the book both came on a bit too suddenly and also seemed to smooth things over too quickly to be satisfying.

I definitely appreciated what the author was trying to do (and what they did well), I just wanted and needed a bit more to really make it hit for me. Still recommend it, though, especially if you're someone who struggles or struggled with faith and the community surrounding it.

This book is so relatable and laugh out loud funny. Truly fantastic. Growing up in a small town church I totally relate to this book. The feelings of anger and resentment... Why does one small town pastor get to decide who we are? If we're good people?

This book met all of my expectations!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book! Summer camp excitement is present, but it strikes a balance between serious content and lightheartedness to keep the topic approachable. People can relate to and believe the characters. I was a little concerned that it would be a biased tirade about everything religious, but faith is not demonized; instead, difficult problems are discussed and considered. This was a well-written, entertaining, and captivating story!

I loved basically everything about Say a Little Prayer, to be honest.
First of all, the chapter titles hooked me from the jump. I usually don't pay attention to chapter titles at all, but these were hilarious and I couldn't wait to see what each one was.
I loved the dialogue. It felt real and was equal parts heartfelt and hilarious. I literally laughed out loud on multiple occasions. Riley's voice felt so true and authentic to me, and I found the struggle she and her friends faced about their church community and wanting to belong and not get kicked out -- to be so honest and real. Riley's family was amazing and I love her parents. We don't often get great parents like them in YA, or if we do, I'm not reading the right books, but I loved them so much. I loved the nuance imbued in every page of this book. I am definitely in the "Good Book Afterglow," but I can't think of anything I didn't love about this book right now.
Thanks so much to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

Riley is a teen struggling with her faith. She left the church after feeling like there truly was no room for a girl like her in the congregation. When her sister is removed from the church for getting an abortion Riley is questioning faith even more.

After getting into a fight at school and being given an ultimatum: attend church camp and write an essay or no spring play (she's worked really hard on this play) Riley is headed to church camp for spring break.

Once at camp she is reminded of the fact that nothing has changed with Pastor Young since her family left the church. He is still preaching sermons that are aimed more at harboring fear, guilt and shame than really spreading the joys of faith to the young people in the congregation. This is where Riley's great idea comes into reality. Seven days, seven deadly sins for her to commit, this essay is going to be great!

I loved this book! It is my first read by Jenna Vortis and I truly enjoyed it. This is truly a story of putting yourself out there, finding yourself, standing up for what you believe in and making friends along the way. The way the teens came together in this was so heart-warming. I found myself rooting for the characters.

Althought I wouldn't classify this as a HEA ending I am very happy with how it ended and would love to see a follow up on these characters in the future!

there is a phenomenon that happens in some young adult novels in which the author is trying to “connect with the kids” and fails miserably. Say a Little Prayer is a perfect example of this phenomenon. i can tell that the author has good intentions with this book, but it just comes off as cringe instead. the amount of times variation of the phrase “Daddy Christ” appeared was WAY too many. i simply couldn’t take it anymore. yet another book delicious sounding premise ruined by millennials trying to connect to gen z 😔

Jenna wrote this beautifully from the perspective of a queer teen navigating so many heavy feelings and also church trauma. I laughed out loud a few times, but mostly just wished this book existed 20 years ago when I was navigating those feelings and church trauma myself. She nailed the heavy and lasting effects that the church can have on so many people and did it by simultaneously telling a great story. Would highly recommend this read to any person, queer or not. Loved it!

This was really well written, I was invested in what was going on with the story and characters. It had a fun concept that I was hoping for and enjoyed getting to know these characters in this setting. Jenna Voris does a great job in writing this and I can’t wait for more.

UGH. this was SO GOOD. and that says a lot because i’m not usually on the friends-to-lovers bandwagon. but this was EVERYTHING - even though i’m biased because i did get an ARC 🥰 the only critique i really have is that i would want to see more of riley’s story wrapped up at the end. overall i’m so lit for this to come out so i can buy a physical copy 💖