I really wanted to like this book, but it fell flat. The overall plot was interesting, but the characters were...not great. Riley was very unlikeable and I felt zero chemistry between her and Julia. It seemed like the reader was dropped in the middle of a story already in progress.

I was given this book in exchange for my honest opinion. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC>

What a super cute sapphic slow burn set at a church camp where she is in love with the pastors daughter!! I really enjoyed Jenna’s writing, i devoured this in like one day!

Thank you to Viking Books and NetGalley for an Advanced Copy in exchange for an honest review.

A little late to the party but a very appropriate Pride Month read! This is the story of Riley, a bisexual queen who left her church following her sister Hannah's abortion and the backlash surrounding it from their pastor.

She ends up getting into a kerfuffle at school that leaves her with two options: miss out on tech week for Shrek The Musical or go to bible camp for the week and write an essay about your experience. The kids at camp are given an assignment: learn about and reject each of the seven deadly sins. Riley decides to turn the assignment on its head and prove the pastor's messaging surrounding the "sins" wrong.

This book was such a fun time. I was giggling and gaggling at Riley's shenanigans at camp and felt really proud of her effort to prove Pastor Young and his backwards thinking wrong. If you have religious trauma, this will hit hard. This was my first book from this author and I am excited to dive into more!

If you’re queer and grew up in a small religious town and were subjugated to church camp, retreats, lock-ins, etc. you should be entitled to financial compensation. Happy pride month!!!!

Over all 5 stars i loved the whole story. 2 girls that dont like each other goes to camp and falling love. I also liked that this takes place in ohio. The characters were well-developed. I read and listened to this in one sitting. I couldn't stop. The author has a way of
Wrapping you up in a story and.not letting go. I highly.recommend this story if you like lesbian romance

WOW, Jenna how did you hurt my heart in so many ways in one little book?! My religious trauma wounds opened up so quick but then were so delicately stitched right back up while reading this book. So painfully relatable as a ex youth group kid who, as it turns out, is so gay. I loved this group of characters and would do anything for them!! The final scenes at the church will never leave me.

I loved this and read it in like four hours. It was engaging and funny and I wanted to punch the pastor into next year the whole time. I gave it four stars instead of five because it didn't really feel like a strict romance, which is what it is marketed as. The romance is veeeery minimal- which was fine, I liked the way the story was told and the way things progressed between Riley and Julia, especially since it only takes place over a week. Anyway, I really enjoyed this. It was a quick, fun read with a very satisfying ending.

I love a good “pray the gay away” type of story with religion and bisexuality involved. I am always impressed with Voris’ writing!

Say a Little Prayer was a fun, feel-good YA romcom. I felt like I was watching a teen movie! The characters and themes were engaging and entertaining. This was such a cute sapphic YA coming of age romcom! Would recommend to anyone who is a fan of teen movies!

Oh, this one was a romp and an adventure and a cutting commentary rolled into one delightful package.

Voris reminds me of Sophie Gonzalez and that's my highest praise. This is so "of the moment". Riley is relatable and tugged at my heartstrings so thoroughly. Julia was the quintessential pastor's daughter. Anyone (especially queer) who has been to an all caps CAMP will really feel seen in this.

I had been looking forward to this book for so long before it came out, and it was one I really enjoyed. Jenna Voris does a great job at portraying difficult topics in the story and managing them with balance. It was a quick read for me, and one I didn't want to put down, even when it was over.

I didn't have time to read much of this before the time ran out, but I can say the cover is designed very well (it creates a lot of intrigue for the book) and what I did read was well writen.

Falling in love as a teen is hard. Imagine that you are finding out you are queer AND your best friend is the pastor’s daughter!

I would have done anything to have this book when I was a teen! It felt so true to what it felt like being a teen navigating queerness when you were still learning what that even means. The friendship struggles felt so true and honest. Every second of this book I was on the edge of my seat to see what would happen next and not a second of it disappointed!

dear lord. this book dude. THIS BOOK. it captures religious trauma so, so, SO well. i went in with the expectation of a cute romance with some religious trauma sprinkled in, came out with a wider perspective on religious trauma as a whole. it is beautifully written and captures yearning so gorgeously well, and both riley and julia's experiences struck me right in my heart as horribly relatable. this book made me feel incredibly seen. i loved it.

The summary for this story pulled me in as it is one I have experienced for myself, and it did not disappoint. I loved having a perspective of not belonging in a place you were never made to feel wouldn't accept you. I loved not feeling so alone in those feelings for just a little while. The protective nature and forceful personality of Riley really spoke to me, and I really enjoyed watching her story come about.

Thank you Netgalley for providing this arc. 3.65 rounded up. Thy is was pretty good. It’s a 3 star book, but it was 4 stars in the way it was easy to get through. I read the majority of it in one sitting. It was pretty decent, not my fav. I liked how they wrapped it up though.

This book was a lot of fun!*

*And by fun, I mean it had me laughing, crying, and at times swearing at almost every single adult in this book.

Short recap: Riley leaves her fire & brimstone, conservative church about a year before our story begins, and after witnessing the fallout of her sister getting an abortion a few months later, decides she's gonna go on a one-woman mission to expose the bigoted hypocrisy of the church and its pastor. She's got one week to do it while she's at a spring break church camp retreat (which she's at because after smacking an ex-friend in the hallway at school, the principle said it was this or miss out on theater club). This would be a lot simpler of course, if she wasn't totally in love with her best friend - who's also the daughter of the aforementioned pastor. It's complicated.

As silly as it sounds, this book shines because every single character is so incredibly believable. Sometimes I wanted to shake Riley and tell her to take a couple deep breaths, but damn, if I wouldn't have been exactly the same as a teenager. And every teen was exactly like this. The good, the bad, they were developed so well - they felt like people I would've gone to school with when I was younger. They all made mistakes, and were a little selfish, and made assumptions, and just wanted to have some laughs and fit in - and that was what really made them feel realistic.

Even the pastor was really well written - at times he toed the line to villainous caricature, but never went over it. He really did capture that smiling, "I just want to help you" exterior as he spewed underhanded hatred.

This was a book that easily could've become depressingly serious or veered into saccharine territory, but it was really well balanced and that's what made it an awesome read.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Penguin Group for the free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved Saved!, the 2000s movie with Mandy Moore and the cover gave exactly those vibes so I was intrigued. I also loved Voris’ Every Time You Hear That Song, but unfortunately Say A Little Prayer just did not work for me. It’s probably a mood thing more than anything else, but while I had fun when I was actively reading, when I’d put it down I wasn’t feeling compelled to pick it up again. DNF p 45.

Book Review: Say a Little Prayer by Jenna Voris - @jennavoris
Released: March 7, 2025
Format: e-book ARC via @netgalley
The Low-Down: F/F. Young Adult. First person single POV. Bisexual rep. Religious trauma.

I will be apologizing to every author from here on out since my ability to get to and review ARCs was non-existent as I deal with personal health. While I finished this one a bit ago, I never sat down to collect my thoughts on it until now.

When Riley is given an ultimatum, to be suspended from school and miss the Shrek Musical, she's a tech for or attend church camp with the people her and her family have been alienated from... she sacrifices for the greater good. Now she finds herself in a cabin with girls who never stood up for her family and with her best friend, who she's falling for. The problem? Her best friend is the pastor's daughter, and he's the reason Riley has such a distain for the church.

I adore Jenna Voris with every fiber of my being, so when she announced this book, I could not wait to read it (plus, this cover 🥰!!). Religious trauma and forbidden love? Say less.

This book was so witty and sarcastic. It had me cackling often. I think most of my bookmarks are of Riley's banter and internal monologues. While being gay is often the center of any religious debate, I love that we see Riley's challenges with the church are more than just her being bisexual. This book reflects a lot on the good of a church community, but how easily that can be tainted by one person's toxic leadership.

For Fans Of: The Rebel's Guide to Pride by Matthew Hubbard. Autoboyography by Christina Lauren. We Got The Beat by Jenna Miller. My Fair Brady by Brian Kennedy.

I’ve mentioned in other reviews that I don’t live in America, and this feels like a distinctly American story - like it could only really happen there. Of course, other countries have religious fanatics and people who believe they know best, but something about this particular tale feels uniquely American.

Riley's older sister was pressured into an abortion by a boy who was welcomed back to the congregation, while she was shunned and picked on. The unfairness drove Riley to leave, which the pastor has taken as a personal affront. When Riley gets in trouble at school, her only option is to attend the week long church camp. But Riley is determined not to fall for it again. She won't let Pastor Young get under her skin. In fact, while he's preaching the Seven Virtues, she's going to be working on the Seven Deadly Sins!

Riley's an interesting character. She's right, of course, that the pastor is overstepping and wields too much power; but she doesn't consider that other people might have reasons for acting and believing as they do, instead writing them all off as sheep who are too afraid to stand up. This arrogance is one of the things she has to face during the novel. It is kind of terrifying how much power Pastor Young has, the terror he wields to keep people adhering to his own vision of what's right.

Riley's friend group is fun and there's a wonderful moment I don't want to spoil. While she didn't learn what Pastor Young wanted her to at camp, she did learn not to judge people and she got to know some of them better, which is far better than the weekly plan! This is a great read to show teens how to stand up and be counted, and we need more books like this in the world.


Book Recommendation: Seed by Lisa Heathfield is the story of a teenage girl who realises that her gentle, idyllic life is actually a dangerous cult. It's more intense than Pastor Young's congregation, but the themes are the same.

TV Recommendation: For a much lighter, more wholesome look at religion, try the TV series Seventh Heaven. Reverend Campbell leads a non denominational congregation, counsels his flock, and helps his children figure out their various troubles and trials.