This is THE book for the girlies with religious trauma!! Jenna Voris truly writes for southern and midwestern kids who need to escape their small towns. At the beginning of this book, Riley has a lot of spite towards her old church, and the many members of its congregation--she is forced to go to church camp for slapping one of those said members in the high school hallway. However, as she spends the week at camp, she her relationships with those girls becomes less black-and-white. I really appreciated how Voris doesn't utilize the 'mean girl' trope and gives every character the growth and depth they deserve. I also really appreciated that this, much like Every Time You Hear That Song, doesn't end in a neat little bow, but rather, leads us to envision joyful, queer futures while remaining in the present. It allows teens to see that "It Gets Better" doesn't have to start when you leave town but can happen through small, tender, joyful moments.

Was I up until 2am finishing this book? Yes. Yes I was. As a kid who grew up at a church camp (albeit, a very liberal one) and as an adult who is coming out of a time of religious trauma, this book was excellent. I really related to the characters and the story, particularly what the author had to say about church members' complacency around pastor's wrong doings and abuse. This is much more than a YA romance.

I don’t usually read books with religion, but this one called to me. I have a special place in my heart for teens that need help. I will move everything to help them if I can. And I tried my hardest to do this for the teens in this book. Even when I knew they couldn’t hear me.

My favorite part of this was the main character. I appreciate that she was looking into religion at all the gray areas. I also appreciated that she was so gritty and down for her family. She didn’t allow anyone to mess with them, no matter who they were. I have to say I was impressed. There are so many people (teens and even adults) that would have something like this happen to them and would give up. I DID find it weird that she was more upset about everything than who it happened to, but I just chalked it up to her being the more angry one since she was still younger.

The plot is what sucked me in tho. I was so enthralled with how she was going to challenge the 7 deadly sins and I was also really enthralled with how she was going to survive camp because seriously, all of them were terrible lol I knew where it was going immediately when I read that her best friend’s dad was the pastor, so I was immediately interested in seeing how it was going to go. And then like I kept thinking it was so bad that it could only get better. But no. Things continuously got more and more bad lol That ending?! Lordt I was on pins and needles.

The writing style was also so good. I LOVED that she wrote both sides of the religion and the gray area. Granted it WAS the really extreme views of religion, but I appreciated that she gave both sides. In a teen book this will help them see both sides and can help them start to think for themselves and help them make their own decisions.

The romance was ok. I wish we got to see more of them together, but this was more realistic and I hated it. I legit cried when they were trying to figure out who the one thing belonged to at the end. My heart breaks for these teens that are going through this. But I did like that the author gave us a glimpse of them at the end.

This was so good. There were things that I wished were different, but I think overall it was done really well. It definitely made me want to read her entire backlist. And hopefully they’re all as good as this.

if you're queer kid who spent your summers at christian camp, you are entitled to this book as reparations <3

Say A Little Prayer follows Riley, a queer high school theater student who’s reluctantly sent to Pleasant Hills Baptist church camp to spend her spring break "reconnecting" with her faith and atoning for her sins. Her big sin? <spoiler>Slapping the girl who bullied Riley's sister Hannah, after Hannah had an abortion. </spoiler>

The silver lining? Riley’s best friends, Ben and Julia, are also going to the camp. The catch? Ben and Julia's father runs the camp and just so happens to be the pastor who kicked Riley and her family out of the church the year before. Fed up with being ostracized by the church for her supposed sins—being bisexual is high on that list—Riley decides to challenge the pastor. She plans to commit all seven deadly sins in seven days, hoping to prove that she won't be smited and sent to hell for causing a little chaos. And maybe, just maybe, she'll figure out her feelings for the girl she's been crushing on, even if she is the pastor's angellic daughter.

Say a Little Prayer is sharp, silly, heartfelt, and painfully real despite being utterly ridiculous at times, and I loved it! Riley is an idiot sometimes, in the honest and genuine way only 16/17 year old girls can be, and I spent this whole book wanting to give her and Hannah and Julia the biggest hugs. They are all trying so hard to be themselves within a community that wants to tamp down everything that makes them special, and I love them for it. In fact, even the supposed villains of the story had my empathy - I know what's like to grow up around religion, to be made to feel like the church's opinion of you is all that matters - and all of the teenage characters in this were just so painfully human. All of them deserved a chance to be better, and I was rooting for all of them.

There were a few awkward moments in this, and some of the characters were pretty underdeveloped, but the heart of this story was its emotional intensity, and it delivered; Riley's feelings explode all over the page, and I was blown away by her strength, her resilience, and her capacity for growth. And, I was impressed by the nuanced view of religion Say a Little Prayer offered its readers. It would have been so easy for Jenna Voris to denounce religion completely, and instead she chose to focus on specific abusive behaviours and manipulative tendences that stopped the Pleasant Hills church community from being as welcoming and as inclusive as it could have otherwise been. I'm not even religious, I don't even like religion, and I thought that aspect was really well done.

This was a powerful reflection on the damage that can be done by the Church, and the fear tactics used to control congregations rather than truly help them grow in any way other than a follower. This was written for the queer folks with religious trauma constantly bubbling under the surface, giving a voice to the questions that need to be asked. But the true power lies in the fact that Voris doesn't use this story to only harp on the negatives, but explore the bittersweet reality of community, and the tragedy of how fragile a community could be with the wrong leadership at the helm. While Riley is accused of thinking she's "better than everyone" because she saw the truth in the local Baptist church, this book doesn't read with that kind of pretention. It isn't here to convince anyone of anything they didn't already know, but to validate the fears and concerns and traumas that young people are facing in the name of religion. I especially love that the characters in Voris' novel run the gamut, while some are completely disillusioned with religion entirely, others have worked through some parts of that trauma to find their own sense of spirituality separate from those toxic teachings, and others still remain faithful attendees because they're not in a place to do anything else just yet. And most importantly, none of them are painted as "wrong", but merely as just another side of a very complex issue.

I know what you’re thinking: Kristi loved a book about a bisexual with religious trauma? Shocking. But truly this book is so good. It blends humor with the heartbreak of missing something that’s not good for you.

I didn’t like how the crush on her friend came out of nowhere, but at the same time they were cute so I’m willing to over look it.

I liked how they handled the topic of her sister’s abortion. For their family it wasn’t a big mistake thing she made and they’ll hold over her head forever. Everyone else made it that.

Say a Little Prayer was the perfect amount of fun, frustrating, bittersweet, and hopeful. It was easy to dive into Jenna Voris' novel and I flew through the novel.

My biggest issues with the novels were all personal preferences—I can be picky on pop culture references and this book bordered on having one too many for me. I also found myself frustrated with Riley at times before reminding myself that she was 17 and this, at the end of the day is a YA novel. Like I said — nothing on Voris + the novel but my own ever-changing novel preferences.

But, I had fun with the pace, the characters. They were all flawed in such a realistic way and still lovable and redeemable. The camp antics (as someone who went to a Lutheran summer camp as a kid) were just the kind of ridiculous you'd hope to find in the novel. I also think that covering religious guilt and queerness is SUCH an important topic to cover in novels, especially for young adult readers. I appreciated that while the ending was hopeful, it wasn't a perfect happy-ending. Overall, I had so much fun reading this.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for this read!

I truly enjoyed it so much more than I anticipated to. It was so refreshing to read a YA book that didn’t contain any spice, just the normal teenage longing and some kissing involved as well. I loved the main character, even though she was a tad annoying, her character arc helped in making me forget that. I wish I would have had a book like this when I was younger, and I hope younger readers see themselves in this book and others! Truly wonderful representation! I would recommend and I will definitely be rereading at some point!

I absolutely devoured this read. It perfectly blended humor, actual challenges of teenagers, and the experience of questioning the church. Say a Little Prayer is about Riley, a teen who slaps her sister's ex friend at school and to avoid a punishment that would pull her out of the production of Shrek: The Musical, she attends a weeklong christian camp. (I will say, I have no idea how that would ever be allowed, but just vibe with it.)

Her time at camp is spent sinning, bringing women together, and kissing at the chapel. I ate up every moment of it and can't wait to recommend it!

I LOVED this book so much, wish I had this in high school! This book had me at the first chapter title, actually all of the chapter titles were hilarious. I enjoyed Riley's character, even when she was annoying(which what teen isn't?). I love when the main characters aren't picture perfect. As someone who grew up in the Catholic church I related a lot to being made to feel terrible about my sexuality and it's taken me decades to overcome a lot of the damage, so this book was very healing. If you are queer and/or have Catholic guilt, this book is for you! I know this will make a great addition for my library and for my teen patrons.

I enjoyed Every Time You Hear That Song so much. My expectations for this one were high and it met them plus some! This book felt familiar to me. It felt like something I would have experienced growing up as a closeted lesbian in rural West Virginia. While also having a heavily religious community and family. The characters blended together a little bit for me but that is my only major complaint. I enjoyed this story so much and I will be revisiting it again very soon! My Goodreads review will be posted within the next week.

This was very cute and fun and had some great commentary. We meet Riley, who is kind of forced into going to church camp to not get suspended. I feel like this requires some suspension of disbelief, because public school, but honestly these days who knows. Now, this is obviously a camp of some Christian denomination run by one of those psychos who is two steps away from being a cult leader. (Please note: I do not think all churches are this way, but I think too many of them are, and those are the ones being shown here. The definite, very real, dark side of organized religion.)

Anyway, Riley’s besties, Julia and Ben, are going to camp. Because it so happens their dad is Pastor Buttface, the same guy who legit kicked Riley’s sister out of the church and shamed the whole family because sis had an abortion. Luckily, Riley’s parents are the best, but it is still really hard for her, because she loves her friends but definitely not the dad. Because he sucks. A lot. Anyway, there are camp shenanigans and lots of character growth and friendships and maybe even a love story. It is very readable and entertaining, and I liked it a lot.

Bottom Line: Fun and entertaining but still thoughtful with important commentary.

This book was so much fun to read. Seeing the repercussions that Riley and her family are still facing after her sister, Hannah, was ousted from the church last year was a real experience and how it affected all of their community, not just one individual because who is going to speak out against their pastor when the Bible says not to? Watching Riley and Julia's friendship evolve at camp when they haven't spoken about the outcome between Riley's sister and Julia's father was super interesting to read because there is this deep crevice of hurt and they thought that was flimsy bridge would still support them both standing on it. I loved seeing how Riley spoke to everyone that she thought hated her sister and learned what was actually going on. Even though she was forced into going to church camp, Riley was able to learn how she wants to have religion in her life and what it would look like going forward.

This book is the perfect companion for teen movies like Saved and Easy A. Riley is an authentic teen heroine-- a little confused by her own feelings, but full of heart and wonderful to spend time with. I wanted to root for her, and all the teens she knows, to get through their difficult situations and be kind to themselves and each other. Great for anyone with evangelical religious trauma.

I wish I could go back in time and give this to teenage baby gay me. This book is a gift and I’m so glad it exists.

This book has me cracking up from the very first chapter title. The irreverent way she says “Daddy Christ” and the grappling with the religious trauma she suffered balance each other so well. While I didn’t have to face the exact same struggles, her experience with her white evangelical church felt so similar to my own. It’s been a long time since I read something that I truly felt healed me as I read it, and this extremely unserious take on it did. Make no mistake, this book handles a lot of intense ideas, but the way it does so was everything I wanted and needed. I can’t wait to read her other work.

This was an entertaining and thought-provoking read. In particular, I appreciated that it was not at all a condemnation of religion and faith. I loved that Riley genuinely misses her faith and being a part of the community at her church, which she left due to the pastor’s toxic behavior toward her sister and her family. The book shows the potential value of religion and faith—while letting readers know it’s possible—even okay—to reject the piecemeal condemnations and fear-based power grabs of some religious leaders. Of course, all this deep food for thought is presented in a fun story with a little romance, a little rebellion and classic camp shenanigans. An enjoyable, important take on the struggle many religious kids are going through these days, and a way for the non-religious to gain a fuller understanding of their experience of faith.

As soon as I first read the title of this book, I was hooked. As someone who grew up with anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric in church sermons, this book remedied something in me. I found myself relating to the main character of Riley many, many times. This ARC I absolutely devoured, squeezing in time when I could to read. This one also kept me going through chapter after chapter just to read all of the little references of each one. All in all, I would highly recommend this book. 5/5 stars from me!

i don't read a lot of ya books but i can't resist the allure of queerness intersecting with religion.

our main protagonist is riley and she's got Issues with the church ever since the pastor of the church her entire family attended publicly shamed her sister for having an abortion. part of her abhorrence is knowing she would also be shunned for her bisexuality.

first off, kudos for the parents of these two for not tolerating that behavior from the pastor. also, kudos to riley for smacking the CRAP out of a girl talking sideways about her sister. unfortunately, the offense results in riley having two choices - expulsion or attending the camp that was part of a church that her family had left.

i really appreciate this book for what i feel is an accurate depiction of our current religious landscape. the pastor sees riley and his first act is to shame her family, tell her that if she shames and rejects her family she can be "saved", and follows it up by a threat - church it up or he'll tell her principal she deserves to be expelled for being disagreeable, which wasn't part of the deal anyway. i'm sure some people won't like that, but this has been my experience with religion in the south and like it or not, this is a reflection of how christianity is currently publicized - as a hate-filled organization that wants to control and shame women and for people to reject their identities at the expense of their sanities and in some cases, their lives.

plot twist, though - riley thinks she detects... gay? the issue: she sniffs it out in julia, the pastor's daughter. there's a decent amount of pining, but after a kiss they realize this is a Big Deal.

i really appreciate that this book allows riley to act her age and make mistakes. i really loved that this book explored the nuances of religious indoctrination, how the institution inoculates kids with hate that they don't particularly want to express but they do because it's all they know and they do it until they know nothing else. i loved that this book talked about internalized homophobia, how it manifests from the very places that are supposed to make us feel human and safe. i also really loved that this book didn't end with a take-down of hate; in the real world sometimes we have to acknowledge that we need to get rid of things that don't serve us and that we can't change the opinions of bigots, but that we can find love and community and family in others.

Thank you to Viking Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for the ARC of this novel. While I have never attended church camp, Voris was able to make this relatable and bring the readers in. Being shunned for being who you are is a theme we need to discuss more and more people feel this than anyone may ever want to admit, especially in the current political climate. It does fall into YA tropes so you can see where the story is going but if you accept the reused plot, you can enjoy the story itself. I wanted more from the ending but also do see how it is more realistic as an ending even if everything is not perfect the way I want it to be. A quick read but enjoyable. 3.25 stars.