Jenna Voris’s most recent novel, Say A Little Prayer (released March 4, 2025), follows stubborn, outspoken, theater kid, Riley, who has recently left her conservative small town church after coming out as bisexual. When Riley’s older sister, Hannah, is kicked out of the church for getting an abortion, Riley makes it her personal mission to take down the church. After getting into a fight with one of Hannah’s old friends, Riley is sent to church camp over spring break as punishment. Riley is initially upset, but she begins to see it as a chance to get back at the church for what they did to her family. Riley makes a plan to commit all seven of the deadly sins while she’s at church camp, thinking that nothing can go wrong, until she starts falling for her best friend, Julia, who also happens to be the daughter of the church’s pastor.
I requested an ARC of this book on NetGalley because it seemed like it would give me the same fun, sapphic vibes as But I’m a Cheerleader, and I was absolutely right! I loved Riley’s sense of humor and I thought that Jenna Voris’s writing was hilarious, especially the chapter titles (because as we know from my review of Rest in Peaches, I love a fun chapter title). Some of my favorite non-spoilery chapter titles include “Everything That Happens Next Is Because Of Shrek the Musical”, “God Gives His Toughest Battles (Surviving Church Camp) to His Gayest Soldiers (Me)”, and “Anyway, Here’s ‘Wonderwall’ (the Lord’s Version)”.
My favorite part of this book was definitely Riley’s relationship with her older sister, Hannah. As someone who is very close with my sister, I really related to Riley feeling like she would do anything and fight (sometimes literally in Riley’s case) anyone to protect her. I also loved the group of friends that Riley ended up making at church camp and seeing how much all of the girls grew throughout the course of the novel. I thought that Riley’s relationship with Julia was adorable, even if it was a bit rushed.
This book has a strong message about being yourself when everyone around you is telling you it’s wrong that I think a lot of queer people will be able to relate to, whether or not they have personally struggled with leaving the church. I would definitely recommend this book if you’re looking for a fun, sweet, sapphic read that you can happily fly through!
