Say A Little Prayer is a charming, cute and heartfelt YA queer romance. I was really invested in the story and the plot. I am in no way a religious person and found myself truly enjoying the dynamics of this book. It is a story with a lot of religious talk, but it was not preachy in any way. Don't let that scare you off! The book felt real, reflecting the reality of the hardships of being queer, young and part of the church.

Riley is definitely a frustrating character at times but she is still young, discovering and being a “kid”. She makes some questionable decisions which are in true fashion for the audience the book is directed for. I liked how she stood up for herself and the pastor by writing her essay on the seven deadly sins and how hypocritical he is. I liked the message the whole story brought, how it progressed and how addictive it was.

Overall, this was a great fun and emotional YA romance that I couldn't put down. I truly enjoyed Voris’s writing style and how she told this story of religion without it being preachy. Will definitely be on the lookout for more from this author.

✨ Thank you to @netgalley, @penguinyoungreaders & @jennavoris for my gifted ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If Jenna Voris’s books have no stans, I’m dead.

In all seriousness, I loved this book. I knew I was going to love it but the process of falling in love with it was wondrous all the same! I grew up going to both Christian and church camp (there’s a difference), and Jenna really manages to capture the highlights and lowlights of both. There is also something deeply refreshing about the main character going in and saying it’s all bullshit, and her getting to learn and grow and perhaps accept some gay feelings, while also not having to back down from calling out the completely harmful shit that is happening in suburban churches all across the country.

The book itself is witty and funny, and the characters that we learn to love throughout get to be multifaceted teenage girls with feelings and hopes and dreams, and that doesn’t automatically make them perfect but it makes them human beings we can forgive. There is wit and snark but there is also genuine feeling, and this wholehearted exploration of sin and virtue and why they’re even being seen as the way they are. I think that this book would have completely changed my life as a teenager curled up in a bunk reading gay books by flashlight, and it still managed to change my life a little bit because of how much I loved reading it.

The kind of book that reminds me why I love reading so much. Go read it now!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Penguin Group for this much anticipated ARC!!
Are you a bi girly with religious trauma who’s possibly in love with her bestie? If so, look no further and get those tissues ready!! Say A Little Prayer follows Riley and friends at church camp, where Riley is determined to make a difference, in an unexpected way. I sobbed at the relatability of queer struggles that are given to us unnecessarily by hateful religious men. I sobbed at the beauty of girlhood and queerness displayed in this book 😭😭😭 I hope Ms Jenna is writing a sequel bc that bittersweet ending needs a continuation!! I need to know what happens to adult Julia 😭😭😭

If I could go back and give my teenage self anything, this book would be at the top of my list.

Riley, a bi theater kid who stopped going to church after they shun her sister for having an abortion, is forced to go to church camp over spring break. The only positive thing is she's going with her best friend Julia, who also happens to be the pastor's daughter. When she finds out the theme of the week is the seven deadly sins, she decides her best course of action is to commit each of the sins to prove they aren't as bad as they are made out to be.

I cannot express how much I loved this book. I adored most of the characters (with an obvious exception). It was so relatable to me in so many ways. It handled a lot of heavy topics but with humor and compassion through out. It captured a lot of complex emotions, from coming out to a conservative community, to the anger of seeing someone you love being shunned, to the grief of losing a community and missing the small things like the powdered donuts before Sunday school, to the confusion of how people you love can just go along with the hate, to defiance that wrecks through your whole body, to the fear that it could be you next who is targeted, to the joy of finding your real community.

As an adult who is still coping with my religious trauma, I wish I was the Riley when I was in high school. The one who saw the flaws in the system and called out the hypocrisy. But I was more of the Julia or the Greer. I was sitting in the shame forced on me for the secret "sins" I was committing. I was the one terrified of taking a stance worried I'd be the next one called out and shamed and exiled. I had my doubts for sure, like when we separated into girls and boys in youth group (where we all knew what was coming) and had similar purity talks to this book. Or when I saw people shame the girl I knew in high school who got pregnant. And I did stand up sometimes, but looking back I wish I had done that more. But ultimately it took me going to college and meeting so many people unlike those I grew up with to figure out what I truly believe vs what I'd always been taught in church.

On a lighter note, the chapter titles are perfection and had me absolutely giggling maniacally.

Tropes
* Camp Setting
* Friends to lovers
* Neighbors to lovers
* Found family
* Journaling
* Religious Deconstruction
* Queer love

5 stars

You could not pay me all the money in all the world to go back in time and live my 17-year-old life over again — but if some wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey vortex forced me into that situation, this is the book I would be taking back in time with me. It is everything I ever needed to read when I was a teenager growing up in a conservative religious community just like the one Jenna Voris writes about so gloriously in Say a Little Prayer. I'm also a camp kid, and am happy to report that Voris also absolutely nails camp culture!

Say a Little Prayer is aggressively sacrilegious (complimentary), while holding space and "punkhope" for people who are still on faith journeys. It's unapologetic in pushing against backwards ideas that things like abortion and queerness are sin. (No "love the sinner, hate the sin" here! It's straight up "Not sin, actually!") It's sweet and cringey in exactly the way it feels to be 17 and falling in love with your best friend. And it's completely unimpressed with the power structures that keep people like Pastor Young in their positions. Nearly all the chapter titles had me giggling. I especially loved ""What If We Kissed in the Church Camp Chapel? Haha, Just Kidding. Unless...?" and "Anyway, Here's Wonderwall (The Lord's Version)" and "God Gives His Toughest Battles (Surviving Church Camp) to His Gayest Soldiers (Me)."

I can't wait to hand this book out to all my Exvangelical friends like the You're Going to Hell pamphlets we were forced to hand out at the mall all those years ago.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Young Readers Group / Viking Books for Young Readers for the opportunity to read this book and provide an honest review.

This book made me feel so seen. Religious trauma? Never heard of her.

Riley left the church after coming to terms with being bisexual. Six months later, her sister was kicked out in front of the entire congregation for getting an abortion. Her family never looked back. The only problem is that Riley's best friend is the pastor's daughter. And they are next door neighbors. Riley's sister has been bullied by her former friends for months, leading Riley to get into a physical altercation. In exchange for keeping her role in the school musical, her punishment is to spend spring break at church camp. When she gets there, she learns that the theme is the 7 deadly sins. So she decides to spend the week committing those sins in an effort to prove that things aren't as black and white as they seem - and maybe take down a corrupt pastor in the process.

The first thing that I have to say is that the chapter titles in this book are perfection. Immaculate vibes. No notes. This book was shockingly hilarious at times, despite the circumstances. Riley was essentially blackmailed by a public school administrator into attending church camp, and then further blackmailed by the pastor into complying with what he wanted to make sure he didn't give a bad report to the school.

So much of my own experience with religion was similar - everything was black and white, and no one was allowed to question authority. I absolutely loved the way Riley was turning everything around to show them that these "deadly sins" weren't always a bad thing.

And of course, we can't forget about the absolutely adorable friends to lovers plot. Queer friends to lovers just hits different, especially when you throw in queer awakenings. Their friendship was adorable, and their romance was even sweeter.

Thank you NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review!

As a queer ex theater kid, who grew up in a baptist church, I ate this up way to quick.
I cannot explain how reading ya that is also queer heals my inner child and on top of it the main character riley. reminds me of a little version of me -i cannot stress the importance of representation for children. This is my first book by Voris but it will NOT be the last.

This was a very entertaining read, and did a good job with the characterization and character dynamics, despite there being a lot of characters and not much time spent with each of them.
It’s a good commentary on religious trauma, friendship and the ways in which it’s the people involved who influence a religious organization’s culture the most. There’s even a part where the pastor’s daughter recounts having gone to a friend’s church and noticing how much more open-minded it was.

This story was even funnier than I anticipated with a good dash of heart thrown in. Growing up Southern Baptist (pastors grandchild) and coming out as a lesbian in high school made so many parts relatable for me. The humor in this one was perfection! I caught myself laughing out loud multiple times. I also really appreciated the friendship dynamics in this story. Yeah, there is a lot of bad mouthing and such but there is such a strong bond between both Riley's friends and Hannah's former friends. The resolution was well done I believe and I loved the bit of romance.

I loved this book! I found the authors writing voice to be humorous and engaging. My heart hurt for Riley and all the characters in this story. I know violence is never the answer but I wanted to give the pastor a good throat punch and protect every one of these teens at all costs.

This is Riley’s story. I get that. And I liked it. I liked the author giving her character the space to grow on page. I absolutely loved her story arc and the way her character grew and how she processed her feelings. I just also wish I could have had Julia’s story. I see myself in both characters, but especially Julia. And I just wanted to give her a hug so bad.

Say a Little Prayer is a charming sapphic rom-com with a unique premise, blending faith, rebellion, and romance in a fresh and engaging way. Jenna Voris delivers a fun, heartfelt story that, while light in tone, might feel a bit heavier for readers familiar with strict religious upbringings.

The relationship between Riley and Julia is sweet, but it feels like much of their emotional development happens off-page. From the very beginning, there's already a strong mutual attraction between them, despite their long-standing friendship. This isn't necessarily a flaw, but it does make their romance feel more like an established fact rather than something that unfolds naturally throughout the book—likely due to space constraints.

The biggest weak point is the resolution of the main conflict. Given Julia’s father’s extreme and rigid religious beliefs, the way things wrap up feels a bit too easy. If she hadn’t been the pastor’s daughter, the stakes might have felt more believable. As it stands, the tension is there, but the outcome is less dramatic than one might expect considering the situation. However, it’s clear that this novel was never meant to be a deep dive into trauma or religious oppression—it’s a rom-com at heart, and it delivers a satisfying happy ending.

Overall, Say a Little Prayer is an enjoyable, well-written book with a fun premise and lovable characters. While the resolution feels a bit too neat, it’s still a great read for anyone looking for a sweet, queer romance with a unique backdrop.

Riley is a smart, independent, and stubborn teen. She has an altercation with a more popular student and is given the choice between a week of suspension or a week at a Christian camp. She chooses the camp because she doesn’t want to miss helping with the school’s latest play production.

Riley’s plan is to do the bare minimum and get through the week without being noticed. This plan goes awry, however, as she meets fellow misfits and the pastor’s daughter who becomes increasingly harder to ignore.

This book is an excellent coming of age story! We follow Riley on her emotional evolution, as she becomes more comfortable in her skin and her sexuality. I was pleasantly surprised the supporting characters are their own people instead of characters who show up occasionally. I also really appreciated the snark throughout the book. There is some angst as you would expect, but it’s perfectly lighter moments.

This is 100% the book I wish I had as a teenager. This book would have helped not feel hopelessly alone and feel more comfortable in my own skin. I highly recommend!

This perfectly hits the spot between heartfelt and irreverent, teen comedy and religious trauma. Riley is extremely 17, for all the good and bad that that brings in terms of characterization and decisions, but I feel like it would hit extremely well for the readers a little closer to the high school age range.

I wish the 7 sins aspect of it was a little more prominent or fleshed out, along with Riley's musical theater angle; aside from her dramatic personality, the theater kid energy wasn't really there in the way I was hoping for.

The romance between Riley and Julia is super cute, but the heart of this really is dealing with religious trauma and your entire community and world being tied to not just your faith but a specific church, how damaging it can be to feel like you no longer belong, and how much people hide in fear they'll no longer be accepted.

All in all, a nice, quick read that had a good balance of laughs and heart, but I wish some parts of it had been a little tighter.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group for providing me an ARC of this book. An honest review was requested in exchange for this book, all opinions are my own.

This was my second most anticipated read of the year (after Onyx Storm). When I read the description, it's so many things I love: a bisexual theater girl, forbidden sapphic romance, and committing the seven deadly sins. I actually created a NetGalley account just to request this book because I wanted to read it so badly and couldn't wait until March.

First of all, I am obsessed with the cover. The art style, the bisexual flag colors in the background, Riley praying/making the A, the halo and devil tail, and of course the tag Love is patient, love is kind, love is gay. I also think the title is perfect. I would 100% have read this book if i saw it while browsing. I may not have even read the description. It was definitely one of the reasons I wanted to read it so badly.

This book did not disappoint. It was so fun and so cute. It also had the best chapter names ever, including "God Gives His Toughest Battles (Surviving Church Camp) to His Gayest Soldiers (Me)", "Some Light Property Destruction, as a Treat", and "What If We Kissed in the Church Camp Chapel? Haha, Just Kidding. Unless . . . ?" (Please note that this book is not published and all chapter titles are subject to change.

Riley is definitely not a perfect character, she's a little judgemental and self-centered, but in a way that's realistic, especially for a teenager. I loved the end when they all stood together, it was a little cheesy, but it worked for me. This book also had a good balance of humor. I highlighted so many lines and was laughing out loud almost every chapter.

I would've liked this book more if it had focused more on the romance, it felt like a side plot to me. I also think the side characters could have been fleshed out more to give them more personality. I still really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it. I'm interested to see what, if anything, will change in the final version. I'd also definitely be willing to read another book by this author since I liked her writing style and sense of humor.

As a queer person with deep seeded religious trauma... I LOVED THIS BOOK! I was flashing back to all of my youth group summer trips and cringing at the accuracy! While this is a wonderfully queer RomCom, it definitely hits some dark points of how queerness or personal decisions that are "frowned upon" are treated in a lot of Christian communities. I very much appreciated how these topics were discussed! I will be requiring all my fellow queer former church friends read this book!

Really liked this one. Fun and touching and topical. It is hard to describe the story without it sounding like a collection of tropes, but it is so much more than that. This is a coming of age/coming out love story, where most of the action takes place at a bible camp in Kentucky. The main character is messy, but not obnoxiously so- her motivations are understandable, and she is dealing with a lot. I liked the main character, and I also enjoyed the secondary characters. Even if you do not usually read YA, this one is a lot of fun. Highly Recommend.

Voris ensures that you don’t finish this book unscathed. Riley’s story is a full-body experience as you juggle love, anger, grief, persistence, and so much more. As a former church camp kid, these coming so personal in every interaction. Admittedly, I was waiting for something predictable, but at every turn, I was please with how Voris furthered our path. While this was not an inherently enjoyable read for me, it was real and accurate and raw. I will without a doubt be seeing more of Voris on my shelves.

I'll be honest....didn't love this one. Didn't even like it! Was excited about this ARC, and the premise does have a lot of potential but it was not executed well. Frankly it felt like I was reading a first draft - none of the characters have any depth, they are strictly words on the page. Without spoiling anything, the ending is not at all satisfying and barely resolves. And this is a YA book clearly written but someone desperately trying to sound like a teenager. The best part of the book were the comical chapter titles.
As always, thanks to NetGalley & the publishers for the ARC!

First off, I would like to thank Penguin Group| Viking Books for Young Readers and author Jenna Voris for allowing me to read this book, Say a Little Prayer, via #netgalley. All opinions following are my own.

This novel is about the struggles Christian youth go through when they do things that residents in a small, Christian town see as serious sins. Particularly, this story follows Riley, a bisexual junior in high school, who after slapping another student in the middle of the senior hallway at school, is forced to attend a week-long youth camp with her former church. She left the year prior when her beloved older sister, Hannah, chose to have an an abortion and was kicked out of the congregation, and then the pastor also preached that homosexuality was a sin punishable by spending an eternity in hell. Being bisexual herself, this was her breaking point.

Church camp would be completely unbearable for Riley if it weren't for her two best friends, Ben and Julia. The only problem is that their father is also the pastor who turned the entire congregation against her sister. Riley tries not to think about that, though, when Julia accidentally brushes against her, and she almost stops breathing because it makes her so happy. Too bad she'll always have to keep her unrequited feelings for Julia a secret to keep her in her life. This is even more clear when Riley decides to turn camp on its head by going against the week's theme: The Seven Virtues and committing the Seven Deadly Sins instead. She can't, of course, be a bad influence on Julia. Unless Julia is more impressionable than it seems...

This book was cute. It's honestly not something I normally choose to read, so I had a hard time rating it. Ultimately, I gave it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ because it was enjoyable and definitely caused me to reflect as a reader. This book drops March 04, so be sure to check it out!

#brenbreathesbooks #brenreviewsbooks #4starreads #jennavoris #lgbtqia #lgbtqreads #sayalittleprayer #romance #Sapphic #netgalleyreviewer #ARC #ARCReader #februaryreads #comingsoon #readerlife #reader #bookworm #booknerd #booksofinstagram #bookstagramcommunity #booksthatmakeyouthink #goodreadschallenge #bookish

The plot description of this book had me so intrigued. Then the realization that not only was she in love with the pastor daughter, but that the pastors daughter was also her friend?? drama on drama! I also thought that the act of committing the 7 deathly sins at 7 days of Bible camp was sooooo fun.

In the actual story, I expected the deathly sins part to be driving the plot but, instead, it was much more character driven. If you love messy, lovable main characters, this is the book for you. Also, really loved the support characters having such good development over the story, they felt so real to me.

One of my favorite parts of the book was the chapter titles!! so fun and funny, literally Rick Riordan levels of on the nose descriptions but still being silly (ex: bread slut).

The book culminates in a moment that is so tense but so well done that it ended up making me laugh and cry. Which basically sums up how I felt the majority of the book.

I enjoyed this! Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC for an honest review.