Say a Little Prayer

January 1, 2025
An outcast teen in Ohio returns to Bible camp with a secret vendetta. Riley Ackerman's family stopped going to church after the sanctimonious Pastor Young publicly shamed her and her sister, Hannah; Riley came out as bisexual, and Hannah had an abortion. But walking away forever is proving difficult for Riley since the pastor's twins, Ben and Julia, are her longtime best friends--and she has a secret crush on Julia that she's afraid to reveal. When Riley gets in a fight at school with Hannah's former best friend, she dodges suspension by accepting a deal from the principal: She agrees to attend church camp over spring break (along with peers who see her as a lost soul) and submit an essay containing her reflections on what she's learned. But Riley won't be subdued so easily. She decides instead to write a scathing takedown of Pastor Young's teachings, which becomes a secret crusade to undermine his authority among the other campers, too. But in the process of seeking her revenge, Riley becomes aware that her feelings on the situation--and maybe everyone else's--are more complicated than she realized. Though the book's themes are seemingly heavy, they're sweetened by pop culture references galore and the narrator's sharp, clever sense of humor. Riley and the majority of the cast members in this Midwestern Baptist community are white. An original blend of queer romance, nuanced revenge plot, and religious deconstruction.(Fiction. 14-18)

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Starred review from February 1, 2025
Grades 9-12 *Starred Review* Riley Ackerman has a bone to pick with the pastor of her local Baptist church. Not only has Pastor Young fostered a community that's inhospitable to her as a bisexual teenage girl, he also publicly shamed and excommunicated her older sister, Hannah, after she had an abortion. So the last thing Riley wants is to spend spring break in the wilds of Kentucky at a church camp run by Pastor Young. Even if her best friend Julia--the pastor's daughter-- is there. After learning that the camp's theme is the seven virtues as contrasted with the seven deadly sins, Riley hatches a harebrained scheme to commit all seven sins and write an essay showcasing the pastor's evils to their community. Though the plan itself is one that likely would never occur to anyone but an aggrieved teenager, the ensuing story is heartfelt and powerful. It combines a lovely sapphic romance with a side of astute and biting commentary on facets of American evangelical culture. Voris is unflinching when it comes to calling out hypocrisy in the church, and Riley's distaste for religion contrasts nicely with Hannah's soft, lingering faith. Voris' third young adult novel is a delightful romp, a forceful callout, and a gorgeous look at what real community looks like--inside and outside of the church.

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