Thank you to Netgalley for the free arc!

High school student, Riley, is a bisexual teen who left her Baptist Church last year when she no longer saw a place for herself there. When her sister was shunned, she was even angrier at the church and at the Pastor. Now, due to an incident at school, Riley must return for church camp being held during school vacation week. The theme of the week is the seven deadly sins and how to resist their temptations. Riley, however, is out to prove that the Pastor is wrong and that it is okay to partake in them.

Along the way, Riley encounters complications with her best friends (twins of the Pastor) and other campers. Throughout the week, Riley and the other campers contemplate their relationship to the church and to each other.

Not having grown up in a church setting, it is interesting to me to learn about what the Baptist Church environment is like. And always fun to read a book with a feel good ending:)

I really loved this. I'm not usually a YA reader, but give me something with Saved! vibes featuring a pastor's kid, and I'm game.

Riley Ackerman doesn't really have a choice: after slapping Amanda Clarke in the hallway at school, she can serve detention which means missing tech week for the musical OR she can go to the church camp on her spring break and write an essay about its impact on her. But we all know Donkey is the most important character in Shrek the musical, and musical theater is Riley's lifeline since she left her church a year ago, so it's not really a choice. Besides, her best friend Julia, pastor's daughter, will be there, too. But Riley left the church when she came out as bisexual a year ago and didn't agree with Pastor Young's preaching, and the rest of her family left when her older sister was kicked out of the church for having an abortion, so it's going to be a challenging week of reflecting on the seven deadly sins.

This was really well done. I really don't read much YA, and this is truly YA, but it felt authentic, complicated, and thoughtful. I love that we are in Riley's head (first person present, again, surprising that I loved it!!) but she's a relatably angsty and angry teen. The fact that it's her older sister, Hannah, who had the abortion and not Riley, gives us a more nuanced lens. The girl Riley hits to get detention used to be one of Hannah's best friends, and she feels like she has to defend her sister all the time. But we aren't in Hannah's head, which would make this a very different book.

All of the characters in the book are really well developed - I got nervous as I started and saw so many names, but they're well-defined and easy enough to understand. All of the side characters have something else going on in their lives, too, some of which doesn't reach resolution in these pages (much I like the unresolved nature of junior and senior years for many teens...)

This will resonate with a lot of readers who grew up with Evangelical Christianity. I had brushes with church camps like this with friends as a kid, but truly the whole book had me thinking, "Thank goodness for Mainline Protestantism, and Episcopal-priests-for-parents who raised me very differently than poor Julia." I think this is a good book for young readers to engage in the critical act of questioning faith, and also to recognize that being gay is not a sin.

This book hit very close to home as someone who was raised in a traditional church who left because she was bisexual along with my cousin being kicked out for being trans. All of this also happening in a small community really felt like this hit me over the head.

The book had some predictable moments, and the pastor being the “villain” of the story was a little too on the nose. I would have liked to see more of the internal misogyny that occurs in church and have Ben see the blatant favoritism shown towards men, but with 300 pages you can only do so much. It did feel a little too wrapped up in a bow at the end.

It was a good afternoon read, and I’m likely to recommend it to any of my teens who may be questioning.

3.5 stars

We follow Riley as she grapples with her relationship with her local church after her sister has been shunned. Making matters even worse are her feelings for her ex-pastor's daughter, Julia. When Riley has no choice but to attend church camp, tensions rise, friendships fall, and new feelings prevail. To show other campers, and maybe even herself, that sinning isn't the end of the world as the pastor would have it seem, she sets out on a quest to commit all seven deadly sins. What could possibly go wrong?

As a lesbian who grew up in the Catholic Church and went to catholic school, this really hit home. Seeing Riley grapple with feelings of guilt and loss for her church community was very touching and very real. Riley is clearly, and rightful so, going through a lot and experiencing a lot of emotions, both for herself, and on behalf of her older sister, Hannah. I loved Riley and Julia's relationship as we saw them each working through so much religious guilt and finding new paths forward. I wouldn't say that this book has a 100% happy ending, but it has a very real, nuanced ending that feels right for these characters.

Jenna Voris is exceptional at balancing so many characters at once, but not overwhelming the story with them, They all have their places, but fit within the story so well, and all come together perfectly to form a lovely friend group that helps to deepen all the characters. Ben, Torres and Delaney are all standouts here.

The camp setting was so vivid and idyllic that it almost made me forget the cold Ohio winter I was reading in. I love books with a camp setting, and this was a fun play on that genre, with the few required nods to horror movies included. The bulk of the book takes place at camp, but even the scenes in other settings, like church, school or Riley's house are all very well described and feel lived-in.

The plot did feel a bit predictable for me, but I don't think that's a bad thing. This is not a book you pick up looking for twists and turns. You should pick it up to feel something. To bask in the anger of teen girls who have their every action and thought policed by someone (or a group of someones) that they never asked the opinions of. Riley as a character is a great vessel for exploring the double standard and hypocrisy within so many religions, and calls attention to how many religious leaders use their positions to push their own views rather than those of the religion they claim to follow so closely. There are great discussions about still having faith, just having it on your own terms not predetermined by someone using religion to spew hate.

Overall a lovely read with wonderful characters, setting and messaging. The plot itself just fell a little flat for me, and left me wanting a bit more.

“Yup, sounds about right.” Me the entire time reading this book having spent every Sunday at church, catholic school through 6th grade, youth groups, vacation Bible school, terrified that if I ever stepped out of line I was going to hell 😂.

I laughed out loud at so many parts, and related to so many of these girls as they struggled with their faith and what they were being taught and what they actually believed was right and wrong and how they were interpreting things differently than their Pastor.

I felt Riley’s rage, and how despite everything, there were aspects of the church that she missed.

I really enjoyed reading this, I thought it was well written and relatable on a lot of levels, and I’m looking forward to attending an event with the author this Friday to hear her chat about it!

Thank you @netgalley and @penguinteen for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

First, and always, thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the movie Saved, so I was immediately interested when I read the premise for Say a Little Prayer. While Saved is satire, this is a more earnest story about young women in a conservative evangelical community. Riley, our protagonist, hasn't attended church in over a year since her sister was publicly excommunicated and Riley came out as bisexual. Her best friend is the daughter of the influential pastor, who is determined to see Riley return to the fold during her week at bible camp.

This story has a lot of excellent character development. Riley and her cabinmates deconstruct what being part of a religious community means. There is also a lot of discussion about forgiveness, loyalty, and being true to oneself. Overall this is a sweet YA story.

I adore everything about this book. From the beginning to the end, I was on Riley's side, ride or die, all in, all the way. I love the way Jenna handles the really uncomfortable scenes between the characters. There is so much youth and innocence, even in the "sins" that makes me wish I had read this book when I was sixteen and realized I was queer, but couldn't leave the church. I wouldn't walk away until almost a decade later, and reading this book was like holding the hand of 16 year old me who LOVED camp and LOVED my friends and HATED the way they talked to us and talked about gay people and threw people out of the church because they were on a power trip. She nailed the nuances, and the guilt, and the shame, and the tension and the moments of girlhood and joy that make you wonder if it's all as bad as it seems. I love, love, love, love, love this book, and I cannot wait to share it far and wide with everyone I talk to, ever.

Thank you Penguin Teen for a digital copy of this book to review!

Awry, heartfelt tale of a teen who's taking her church camp by storm—one deadly sin at a time.

^from the publisher!

This book was so great. As someone who grew up in a religious environment and has spent YEARS deconstructing what I was taught, it hit home on so many levels. The constant discussion of hell and sin and gay people being bad and abstinence and guilt and the 7 deadly sins. Some of the things Riley describes were EXACTLY what I remember which is so wild. The religious trauma was trauma-ing, 🫣😂.

I absolutely ADORED Riley. She was so witty and funny and she had the best sense of humor. I loved how protective she was of her sister and her best friends. The camp element was truly fantastic and I can’t describe how much I loved each day at camp.

I thought Ben was such a good brother to Julia and Hannah was such a good sister to Riley. I LOVED Riley’s parents and their unwavering love and support for their children.

The ending was SO GOOD and so well earned IMO. Give me a strong friend group any day of the week and I’ll eat it up. An absolutely wonderful book. Fully recommend!

Right off the bat I have to say that this book relies pretty heavily with religious trauma, while it is done in more fun way it is definitely something to be aware of before you dive in. That being said I absolutely love the main character and her plan to get back at the pastor who decides to shame and basically exile her family from their community. Her fight and drive is inspiring. As someone who has attended churches like the one in this book that the pastor straight up calls out and shames individuals in the community during their sermon. It as breath taking to see this young queer woman stick it to the pastor. It is definitely worth a read, if religious trauma is not too intense of a trigger for your.

You only have to read the first chapter title, and I swear to whoever or whatever you believe in you will be hooked, and you won’t unglue yourself from this book until you’re done.

Riley is an easily likeable and awkward teenager with a vengeance against anyone who speaks ill of her family, particularly her older sister. Her best friend Julia is the daughter of the very pastor that ostracized and cast out Riley's sister. When Riley is stuck at church camp for a week after an incident at school, she dedicates her time to unraveling the fragile authority the pastor has over the other teenagers on the trip and the congregation as a whole.

This story deals with a lot of religious trauma and religious guilt and how that stays with you, even after leaving the church. But it also discusses friendship and love and community in a way that parallels with the real ideas of religion.

And the love story between Riley and Julia? Absolutely beautiful.

If you love the movie Saved and are a fan of sapphic YA romance, this book is for you. For anyone who has felt judged or outcast because you or your family didn’t fit the perfect mold, this story will resonate with you. The sense of humor is very Saved-coded and had me laughing out loud!

This story follows a reluctant Riley as she attends a church camp for Spring Break as punishment for acting out at school. But Riley isn’t just angry to be there - she has a lot of anger towards the church, pastor, community, schoolmates, and even God because of how her family, especially her sister, were treated by the community they once belonged to.

As the week progresses, she learns a lot about herself, her crush (who happens to be the pastor’s daughter and her best friend), and what it means to mourn something and reject something at the same time.

I would say that while this book is romantic, there is also a large focus on religious trauma, friendship, and family as well.

I can’t wait to read more of her work!

--Queer Rep -- -- Summer Camp vibes -- --women supporting women --

In this new, worrying era of censorship, book bans and increasing attacks on LGBTQ+ rights, this kind of book is more important than ever.

'Say A Little Prayer' follows Riley, a queer teen who has been alienated from her church and her community by the bigoted views of the town's Baptist pastor. Riley's life is complicated further by the fact that she's also got a big gay crush on her best friend Julia -- who just so happens to be the pastor's daughter.

After an altercation at school, Riley is forced into a week of church camp and comes to see that friendship, solidarity and community can be both more and less complicated than she'd ever known.

This novel was a delightfully funny and subversive take on teen religious rebellion in the style of Saved and But I'm A Cheerleader. I was immediately captured by the humour of Riley's inner life, her warmth and her empathy. She's queer and she's prickly and she's very likeable.

Throughout the events of the novel, we see how Riley is loved and supported by her family and her friends. It's amazing to see such queer-joy balanced so well against a depiction of what is to many, very real bigotry. I hope any readers who need that particular reminder when they pick up this novel will take that message with them, you are loved.

The resolution felt perfectly in keeping with the YA genre, hopeful and charming but still allowing a sense of the unfolding narrative ahead for the young characters.

All in all, a really funny, cute, queer book

4.5 stars. You're going to read the description and think you know exactly what's going to happen. You'll think it'll be a cute, fun read with a lot of stereotypes and obvious lessons. And you would be wrong. This novel really goes so far beyond. Riley is very 17. And very angry. And sure, she is a queer theater kid who ends up at a Baptist camp. With a plan for revenge. But it doesn't go the way you would think based on the plot summary, and Riley definitely learns some unexpected lessons. This is a funny, wry, heartfelt book about finding your way and learning to be true to yourself.

"Riley quietly left church a year ago when she realized there was no place for a bi girl in her congregation. But it wasn’t until the pastor shunned her older sister for getting an abortion that she really wanted to burn it all down.

It’s just her luck, then, that she’s sent to the principal’s office for slapping a girl talking smack about her sister—and in order to avoid suspension, she has to spend spring break at church camp. The only saving grace is that she’ll be there with her best friend, Julia. Even if Julia’s dad is the pastor. And he’s in charge of camp. But Riley won’t let a technicality like “repenting” get in the way of her true mission. Instead of spending the week embracing the seven heavenly virtues, she decides to commit all seven deadly sins. If she can show the other campers that sometimes being a little bad is for the greater good, she could start a righteous revolution! What could possibly go wrong? Aside from falling for the pastor’s daughter . . ."

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers Group for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinons expressed herein are my own.

4.5 stars. Irreverent, goddamn hilarious, and containing a nuanced exploration of religion through the lens of a flawed but lovable queer protagonist, Say A Little Prayer was an excellent YA contemporary that resonated with me in ways that I didn't expect.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!!

Books about religious trauma just always hit. As someone who left religion behind a long time ago, these books feel so real. The fact that you can actually get kicked out of a church is crazy to me. I was so mad at all of Hannah’s friends but honestly I’m really glad with how it ended. Sometimes fear overtakes everything and we can’t be ourselves anymore. I kinda hate the trope where all the childhood friends have to get together, but I’ll let it slide. This had a lot of moments in it that got me and I’m glad that books like this exist for people to learn that there’s not just one way to be. I have to read more from this author now!

I absolutely loved this YA novel about a high school junior, Riley, forced to go to church camp over spring break. (She got into a fight with her sister's bully and the school principal allowed her to "volunteer" at the camp instead of serving an in-school suspension.) But camp ends up bringing together Riley's friends in a way that's not exactly church-approved...

There were so many great elements in this book. There's a lot of important backstory about Riley's relationship with this particular church (she left about a year ago when she came out as bi; her sister was thrown out after having an abortion; but Riley is still best friends with the preacher's twin children). All of this is organically shared with the reader, and feels natural instead of exposition-heavy. The book is written in first person, present tense, which works perfectly for a typically developing self-centered teen. Riley is not a mean kind of self-centered, but she's learning to interpret the world around her with the only lens she's got: her own.

YA is generally not my thing, and neither is first person present tense POV, but this book makes them work. Why? The book presents nuanced, complex characters all learning that the world isn't black and white. Riley is justifiably upset with the pastor who publicly shamed her sister, but she's also maybe even more upset with the community she lost when she left the church: her sister's former best friends have all abandoned her; and Riley may still be BFFs with Julia, the preacher's daughter, but they haven't been able to have a conversation about Julia's complicity with her father's behavior. It's difficult for Riley to see that Julia has other concerns than what's happening to her best friend's family. And all of the kids at the camp are navigating purity culture, the possibility of losing their community, and a social structure that upholds both. (Yes, Riley's public school principal is the one who sent her to church camp. No, I don't think this is outside of the realm of possibility, sadly.)

This is what felt the most YA to me, and in the best possible way: these teens are all learning how to live their ideals and with the consequences of their own actions. We'd all love to stand up to injustice the first time we encounter it, and in the right way to support everyone, but sometimes we need to look out for our own safety. And sometimes, we just need practice.

Come for the queer awakening at church camp, stay for the complex characters and really fun plot. This was a winner for me.

This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.

so much fun! great cast of characters and loved being in riley’s head - she is delightfully chaotic and i found her flaws endearing. jenna voris’ writing flows very naturally and she is hilarious :) need to pick up her 2024 release asap!!!

"Last week , there was a chapter in our camp workbook about the virtue of humility in opposition with the deadly sin of pride. It made it seem like pride was a bad thing, something to fear, but as I stand here now, I think Pastor Young was just afraid of what we could do with it. Of what would happen to the church if everyone looked up and thought no, I like who I am."

Riley hasn't gone to church in a year. She decided it wasn't for her after her sister was basically ex-communicated for having an abortion, and Riley came out as bi and no longer felt welcome in a place where the pastor preached that homosexuality was a one-way ticket to Hell. After getting in a fight at school, Riley ends up choosing to go to a church hosted by her former church and write an essay about what she's learned as her punishment so she can still participate in the spring musical.
When the theme of the week is announced as the seven virtues/seven deadly sins, she has a brilliant idea. She will commit the seven sins and write her essay about how things aren't black and white and Pleasant Hill Baptist, more specifically Pastor Young, are not the final say in morality.
As the week goes on, Riley has to face feelings she's been ignoring for the better part of the year, and confront the fact that people shed written off as holier-than-thou might be more complicated than she thought. She realizes that many are operating from a place of fear and need a push to be brave enough to stand up against Pastor Young's moral rigidity.

This was a really beautiful coming-of-age story. As someone who grew up Baptist in Kentucky, Riley was extremely relatable and her experiences really hit home. She works through things I probably didn't until college, if not my 20s. I really resonated with her feelings of wanting nothing to do with the church world, but also feeling left out and missing that thing that had been such a huge part of your life and growing up, feeling like everyone else was just in on something that you couldn't understand. Even though she believes she's on the right side of things she still has moments where she can see how she could get pulled back in by the desire to belong. Parts were maybe a little on the nose, but especially in a time where the country feels to be regressing socially, stories like these feel especially important.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group for the eARC for review!

YA lightly romance mostly religious trauma drama.
It was enjoyable.

Riley is angry at her church friends for the way everyone has treated her sister after Hannah was excommunicated. Riley gets in a confrontation and her punishment at her religious school is to spend spring break at bible camp with all the people she is angry at.

I don’t have the same religious trauma as Riley but do have some and this was healing in ways I didn’t expect. I loved Riley’s firey Scorpio attitude and quipping snarkiness.

Thanks to netgalley and penguin group for an eARC.

As someone who grew up in christianity and is now very gay and very much not a believer, this book is everything I was hoping for. I also hate that the pastor, for all his intensity and drama, is all too true to life. five stars, will buy this for both myself and for my homophobic mother.