Say a Little Prayer

By Jenna Voris
** Publication Date 4 March 2025 **
​4 stars

In my mind I must still be a teen, because I truly love YA books. This one delves into being queer as a teen, unwanted pregnancy, and the religious right. If that doesn’t appeal to you, do not read this book. But for a lot of teens, this book is exactly what they need. 


Riley is a high school junior, heavily involved in the drama department, and queer. She came out to her parents as being bisexual. They accepted her without question. However, their church did not. As such, the family no longer attends church.


When one of Riley’s sister Hannah’s best friends is caught saying unkind things about Hannah, Riley takes matters into her own hands. This results in Riley having to spend a week at a Christian spring break camp or lose her spot in the spring musical. For Riley there is no option here. The camp it is. But she is going to use this time to find a way to make the people of her town understand that their pastor, her best friend’s father, is anything but a positive influence.


Only things happen at camp that Riley can’t even imagine would, and she is forced to rethink her revenge campaign. Life as a teen is never easy.


I honestly can’t imagine what it would be like to be in Riley’s situation. Fortunately she’s fairly resilient to the chatter about her sexuality. As an adult, knowing so many people who were unable to share their true sexuality as teens, I’m glad the world has changed. I’m thankful for books like this for the teens currently trying to figure out who they are. My hope is that teens will always be accepted for who they are (and adults too.) Maybe more books like this will accomplish that.