Description:
Valerie Danners is in a cult. She just doesn't know it yet. When she finds a queer book at the library and smuggles it home, her conservative Christian homeschooling world begins to crack. And when the cutest girl she's ever met shows up to Bible class, she starts to question everything.
Riley is so confident and kind, and she and Valerie bond quickly over existing as multiracial teens in a very white Christian community. As Valerie explores her feelings for Riley, she begins to see that the world she knows is a carefully crafted narrative.
Publicly, the girls are close friends--holding hands in prayer, rooming together at a conference. Privately, they grasp at any chance to continue their forbidden romance--until they are found out. Now Valerie must choose between staying with a family she fears will never accept her, or running away with the girl she loves.
Brief description:
"A fave among audiobook listeners" (Buzzfeed), Natalie Naudus is one of the most popular audiobook narrators working today. She has won an Audie award and nine Earphones awards, and maintains a robust social media following. She lives with her family on a mountain in Virginia. Gay the Pray Away is her debut novel.
Review Quotes:
"Narrator Natalie Naudus's performance captures Valerie's teen voice, portraying the depth of emotion she feels as she meets a new crush and falls in love for the first time. As Valerie searches for a way to escape her strict religious community, Naudus creates increasing tension that emphasizes Valerie's desperation...As she comes into her own, Naudus's voice carries all the warmth and love that Valerie is experiencing for the very first time. Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award."
-- "AudioFile"