I picked up Say a Little Prayer hoping for a fun, rebellious read, and it didn’t disappoint. Riley’s sharp humor and the whole “sinning for a cause” vibe at church camp made me laugh and cringe in the best way. It’s a messy, heartfelt story about finding your voice when the world wants you to stay quiet—and I loved every page of it.

3.5-3.75 stars
A queer girl is going to a religious camp in order to try and change the system from inside out, she was forced into going vs being by suspended. Could anything go wrong?

My whole entire heart loves this book, feels seen with this book, wants to thrust this book into the hands of every young kid who feels so lost amongst their classmates. I adored my church experience growing up, I wouldn’t change it, but I have friends who would have and there’s so many of us that have come out later in life. Kids who didn’t fear their beliefs, but feared being ostracized by the very community that says they love them, but only if… ugh, I tear up just thinking about it. I’ve reckoned with my religious beliefs and I’m good with them, but reading Riley’s story took me back.
Through Riley, her best friends Julie and Sam, her sister Hannah, and her church cabin bunk mates, we see how challenging the hard set rules of her local church are for her. How they’ve hurt, how they’ve separated, and how they’re holding them back from their true selves. We see Riley be brave, we see her question, and yes, we see her mess up. But along the way, we see her find forgiveness, growth, and comrades in those she previously judged. It’s such a beautiful story, a coming of age story that my gosh I wish I’d had sooner.
Jenna Voris’ Say a Little Prayer is realistic, relatable, and so well written.

Say a Little Prayer completely captivated me—heartfelt, intense, and impossible to put down. The emotional depth of the characters felt so real, and the romance hit all the right notes without ever feeling forced. I loved how every twist kept me hooked, making it a beautifully immersive and unforgettable read.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this eARC. All opinions are my own.

This was an enjoyable reading experience. It reminded my millennial self of that movie with Mandy Moore.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book; I especially loved the chapter titles - they literally had me laughing out loud. This book is perfect for anyone who went through the teenaged stage of watching the movie, Saved!, weekly. I found this story to be heartfelt, truthful, silly, endearing, and aggravating (religious trauma), This is a wonderful YA read, I think many people will be able to unfortunately relate to this story; BUT the camaraderie and bravery displayed by the teen characters is so wonderful, I hope many relate to that aspect too.

I LOVED Jenna Voris' last book, so I was really looking forward to reading this one. I think it was even better than her debut and it brought up a lot of really important themes. It was really funny, but also emotional at the right moments. I felt like the central romance was cute and believable, and I just always love a good sapphic book. This was no disappointment and I can't wait to read even more from Jenna Voris!

I can imagine this being the kind of book a super religious or conservative parent would burn if they caught their kid reading it. The premise focuses on Riley, a queer teenager who left her church after feeling displaced there for being bisexual. She later became truly disgusted by the church when her sister was shunned for having an abortion. Needless to say, she’s totally done with the entire religious space, so she’d never willingly go to church camp. Except now, she’s being punished for slapping a classmate - so it’s give up the play she’s been so invested in or go to church camp. So off she goes, and decides that during that time, she’ll commit each of the Seven Deadly Sins to prove God won’t turn his back on her - even if the church will.

At first look, it certainly seems sacrilegious, but the whole point is to explore the fact that it’s not God that hates gay people or even sinning. It’s religious groups, and oftentimes church leaders, who exploit others and shun anyone that lives differently than they do.

I’m not super religious but I grew up in a strongly Christian household. We’ve said grace before meals as long as I can remember, and prayers before bed, but we lived in such a rural area, our church only met once a month. I was reprimanded for bringing a Harry Potter book with me to choir practice, and later, the choir director was removed from church when his daughter came out as queer. Even within the past few years, I went to a church service with my family where the entire sermon focused on how the sins of gay people caused earthquakes and wildfires in California.

So the themes in this book are prevalent today. I never went to church camp but my friends did, and I wasn’t at all surprised in the situations in this story.

Riley was strong-willed with an incredibly supportive family, and friends that cared for her and loved her even when the church didn’t. The gender inequalities seen throughout the story are also things I’ve seen IRL and found myself shaking my head at the ridiculousness of those things.

I found Julia frustrated me more but that’s just because it was harder to connect with her. But realistically, she grew up in a household with an uber religious zealot whereas everyone else was just getting him at church. So I understand why she would act the way she did, but truly it was just masked homophobia. Overall, I would have liked to see more development for her character. I felt like even Amanda (the girl Riley slapped) had stronger development than Julia and she was a side-side character.

I appreciated the big moment of solidarity towards the end of the book, but I did feel like the overall ending couldn’t been a bit longer because the ending felt more abrupt than I would’ve preferred.

But overall, I really enjoyed this story and the book as a whole.

This was honestly such a satisfying read. I was expecting a cute bi awakening rom com and instead got a crisis of faith power movement.

I was raised Baptist and was kicked out of my church for losing my virginity because they didn't want one bad apple to spoil the whole bunch. Also due to religious oppression, I didn't realize I was bi until much later in life. So I related heavily to the characters in this book.

The characters in this book are so badass. Standing up to the adults in their lives was so brave and grown-up of them. It honestly healed something in me. I love that our main character questioned authority and stood up for herself and her personal values. I will be recommending this book to everyone!!!

Riley left the church over a year ago after her church's leader condemned her older sister for having an abortion, and Riley feeling there would be little acceptance for her when she came out as bi. After slapping a classmate, the principal gives her an ultimatum - attend church camp during spring break, or miss the spring theater performance. She reluctantly agrees to the camp, as her two best friends (who happen to be the pastor's children) will be attending - and there might be a bit of a conundrum - Riley has a crush on her best friend, Julia, so this is the perfect opportunity to spend more time with her. While at camp she decides to break the seven deadly sins, which just happen to be the theme of the camp. As she works to undermine the teachings of the camp, she begins to examine her own faith as she questions the church and how it espouses the teachings of Christ, and the judgmental nature of the pastor. I thought this was an excellent examination of Riley's motivations, her hurt, and her desire to protect her older sister, who has been deeply depressed since she was cast out of the church (while the father of the baby is still an "upstanding member of the flock") I would recommend this to any reader who enjoys contemporary fiction with a hint of romance. It is neither preachy nor judgmental but leaves the reader to come to his/her own conclusions.

This was an interesting read as someone who did not grow up in an Evangelical religion - I think those who did would find it very relatable. For me, some characters felt evil to the point of being far fetched, but sadly people like this probably do exist. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

I first read Jenna Voris last year with "Everytime You Hear This Song" and loooved it! I received the ARC of this book so I'm sure the published copy changed a little bit. My main issue is that I wish there had been a little bit more character development between Riley and Julia. This book is also probably more YA than other books I usually read but I did like it overall.

(rounded up from 4.5 stars)

"𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘰 𝘸𝘦𝘪𝘳𝘥. 𝘐 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘣𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘨𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘥𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬."


Seven Days. Seven Deadly Sins?

Woah. There is some traumatizing religious nonsense going on in this church group 😅

I've never personally gone to a Midwestern Baptist church, so I've never witnessed stuff like this, but I know people who have.

And it truly breaks my heart that people like this exist out there in the world.

Thank you to @penguinteen, @vikingbooks and @netgalley for the early copy of this book in exchange for this review!

🙏🏻 Spring Break Church Camp
⛺️ LGBTQ (Bi) Teen
🙏🏻 Religious Trauma
⛺️ Questioning Organized Religion
🙏🏻 Pastor's Daughter/Best Friend
⛺️ Seven Deadly Sins
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#bookstagram #booksta #books #booksbooksbooks #avidreader #ilovereading #thetwistedlibrarian #professionalbookworm #sayalittleprayer #jennavoris #whatsnikkilisteningto #whatsnikkireading #book22of2025 #lgbtqiap #lgbtqteen #churchcamp #religioustrauma #sevendeadlysins #penguinteen #vikingbooks

I really wanted to love this book, and while there were definitely moments that made me laugh out loud, I found myself having a hard time staying engaged and fully connecting with the story.

That said, I also recognize that not relating is, in many ways, a privilege. This story wasn’t written to reflect my experience, and that doesn’t lessen its impact. I think it’ll be a powerful and affirming read for the right audience—it just wasn’t quite the right fit for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Viking Books for the eARC!

This was a fun book. Riley’s loss of faith is understandable after the way her sister was treated by people who were once their friends. She doesn’t want to go to church camp, but she doesn’t want to be suspended either, so hello church camp!

As with all stories, our plucky protagonist goes into her endeavor with the intention of causing havoc and taking down the establishment from the inside. But of course, she also learns some valuable lessons along the way. The journey is familiar, but Voris brings a fresh perspective to the trope. There is even some romance to be found with the preacher’s daughter, although it’s certainly not something Riley sought out. What’s more important is that Riley realizes that everyone is imperfect and that everything is not always as it seems and that challenging the status quo might yield results, but not always in the way we anticipated.

I hate to be pedantic, but there was one little thing that stuck out to me. Riley’s sister says something about Crocs being a fashion disaster. I work at a middle school, and not only are Crocs common footwear—even in a New England winter!—but these kids wear Crocs WITH socks!

I would recommend Say a Little Prayer. This contemporary YA has a big heart and while some parts are predictable, there is enough whimsical spontaneity to make this book appealing.




I received a digital ARC of this book from Penguin/NetGalley.

Short and sweet! I feel like Riley was a realistic character with both likeable and unlikeable qualities. She’s just a theater girl living for the dramatics of life and I get her. I enjoyed scenes that showed different sides to all of the characters but of course I liked the romance. Lots of yearning, my favorite! I really enjoyed how Julia got to explain her perspective because religion is complex. Especially when your father is the pastor.

As a child of the Bible Belt, I know these people. I was surrounded by these people. I went to Vacation Bible School and after school programs with people because it was the only way to make friends. What I'm saying is that I saw myself in this book.

I also saw quite a bit of the plotline turning out how it did, even though I liked the concept anyway. I still enjoyed it quite a bit and hope that it finds the right readers who need it!

I was hooked on Say a Little Prayer from the first chapter. Right away I noticed the spunky, strong voice and connected to the main character. I loved all the little details used to subtly bring the characters to life. The book was so funny, making me laugh at least once every chapter.

The book was framed around the idea that the main character grew up in an oppressive church, and I think Voris did a great job of showing this without implying the entire Christian faith was problematic. Any jokes about Jesus or the church/pastor were, I thought, done tastefully while still being funny, especially coming from teenagers. As the main character helps herself and others heal, I think the reader can find comfort in the journey, too.

This book is YA, but adults can definitely enjoy the book, too. Anyone who likes a good laugh and a cute sapphic storyline will absolutely love this book. I would recommend anyone sensitive to religious trauma be cautious while reading, since it is a subtle theme in the book.

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

As someone who went to multiple sleep away church camps and came out as bi later in life, this book felt like a healing experience to read. Say A Little Prayer gave a very accurate portrayal of the highs and lows of church camp; of the fine line everyone in a more “traditional”church community walks while trying to live the life expected from them from the community and one that it’s realistic, modern, and, more importantly, authentic. I loved reading Riley’s complete disillusionment with her church while also struggling with missing the community and sense of belonging and certainty that space provided. To me, the romance, while adorable. in this book felt very much like a subplot to the examination of faith as a queer person and in the present day—and that is not a complaint at all.


I would absolutely recommend this book, but especially to anyone who loved the movie Saved! or who is still seeking some healing from being part of the “pray the gay away” and purity assembly trauma.

Yes! Give me all the sapphic books!! This one was just so fun. I loved every minute of it. This book had everything I want in a YA romcom