Della Says

Oct 20, 2010 Lisa rated it 4 of 5 stars

When Della's diary goes missing after her sister's party, she initially thinks she must have just hidden it one of those safe places! But when pages of her diary are posted on Facebook and sent back to her by text message, the reality that someone must have taken it hits her and she is mortified! Who would do this to her? Also, to make matters worse, her lifelong crush has asked her out and Della has to fall for Dan while someone is revealing her most embarrassing secrets - mainly about Dan!

This...more

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Sep 19, 2011 Joanne rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-contemporary

Della’s over the moon when she kisses her long-standing crush at a party – but then she discovers her diary has disappeared...
When scans of embarrassing pages are sent to her mobile and appear on Facebook, Della’s distraught – how can she enjoy her first proper romance when someone, somewhere, knows all her deepest, darkest secrets? From Amazon UK

I have had this book sitting on my TBR pile for such a long time, and I really regret not picking it up sooner. Della Says: OMG! Is such a sweet novel!...more Della’s over the moon when she kisses her long-standing crush at a party – but then she discovers her diary has disappeared...
When scans of embarrassing pages are sent to her mobile and appear on Facebook, Della’s distraught – how can she enjoy her first proper romance when someone, somewhere, knows all her deepest, darkest secrets? From Amazon UK

I have had this book sitting on my TBR pile for such a long time, and I really regret not picking it up sooner. Della Says: OMG! Is such a sweet novel!

It's completely believeable, it's a situation any teenager who keeps a diary would die over. You can't help but feel for Della when she realises her diary is gone and excerpts start appearing - especially considering the type of entries that show up. Not only are they personal, but they are likely to cause friction between her and the people in her life, because of things written in anger or changing situations. In some ways, it reminded me of Good Girls by Laura Ruby - although the plots are slightly different, they both involve humiliation through the sharing of things that should have be kept private through new technology. I had the same jaw-dropping reaction to both over how mean people can be.

Although it was pretty bad, I found that Della's relationship with Dan, and the sub-plot of her best friend Maddy's own relationship problems, to be what I was interested in most. Was Dan really genuine? What was Maddy going to do? I think this book really says something about relationships, how the most unlikely of relationships might not be as rocky as you'd assume, and how the strongest of relationships might not be as strong as you think.

There are funny moments, sad moments, and moments of extreme embarrassment, but what I love is the change that came over Della as the story progressed. From the unsure, self-concious girl, to the one who is a lot more confident, Della's story really is wonderful to read. My only negative is that I felt it ended quite abruptly, but overall it was a really sweet, lovely quick read. It would be great for summer reading!

From Once Upon a Bookcase - YA book blog(less)

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Jun 06, 2010 Steph Bowe rated it 5 of 5 stars

Before I started reading Della Says: OMG! I had Expectations. And I capitalise Expectations because Expectations are a big part of my book reading experience. I see the cover, I read the blurb, I see the title, I read other reviews, maybe I know the author’s online presence – and from these things I start to expect things of the novel.

So first, quickly, my expectations: I was expecting a novel with a big focus on Facebook, texting and IM. I was expecting it to be written for a younger teenage au...more

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Jan 23, 2012 Iffath rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: uk-ya, signed

Della has had a huge crush on Dan since they were both just four-years-old and he gave her a brand new box of crayons (awww!); so when at her sister's going-away party, he starts to show an interest and invites her out, Della is not completely sure what to do but assume that he's just having her on, but after some reassurance accepts his invitation. And then she kisses him. Dan Bailey. Della kisses Dan BAILEY. Everything after is just a blur. (by the way, I didn't mean it was a blur to ME, I mea...more

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May 10, 2010 Sammee (I Want to Read That) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: for-review-read

4.5 Stars

I have been looking forward to reading this book for ages. I loved the idea behind the book – it had me completely intrigued – and I’m pleased to say I really loved it. It was different than I expected it to be but in a really good way – I loved the whole missing diary aspect that we are told about in the synopsis but the book is so much more than that.

The writing is brilliant – very witty and a pleasure to read. All the characters are really well crafted and come across as completely b...more

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Feb 11, 2011 Joy (Cheery♡Reads) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: i-own

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Apr 23, 2012 Beth rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: borrowed, read-in-2012, 5-star

Loved It! Read In 4 hours! A lot of readers will be able to relate to Della's situation. I liked the characters of Della & Dan and how although everything was going on, they didn't let it effect their relationship and were optimistic throughout the book, i think that's how everyone should act in situations like these. Read it! It will teach you a thing or two...

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Jul 07, 2010 Talli Roland rated it 5 of 5 stars

What a great concept! Can you imagine your diary disappearing, only to appear on Facebook?

But for me the real strength of this book is Della. She's a smart, forthright teenager I couldn't help but connect with -- and giggle along with some of her discoveries (like when she finds out men have nipples, too!). She deals with all the ups and downs of adolescence, but not in the whingy way that has turned me off some YA protagonists. I loved seeing her relationship with Dan develop and grow despite t...more

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Jul 17, 2011 Jade Walker rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: rated-a

Original review at http://inkscratchers.blogspot.com

Della Says: OMG is probably the dictionary definition for a teen contemporary, with references to Facebook, IM and texting as well as dealing with those issues and fears that we all have as teenagers.

I had massively high expectations for Della, mainly because I read Jessie Hearts NYC a week or so ago and absolutely adored it, so when Della came in the post I was quite uncertain, I was so scared that it wouldn't be as good as Jessie, but my expe...more

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Jul 08, 2011 Whatchyareading added it

Shelves: contemporary, debut-author, leiah, young-adult

There has been a lot of flap recently about how violent and dark YA novels are. While those books do exist and are wonderful—I read many of them, there are also plenty of authors writing stories with out a dystopia or post-apocalyptic setting in sight. Keris Stainton is one of them. Her debut novel, Della Says: OMG, is a delightful read for high-school aged and above YA readers and is centered around the very charming, very funny Della.

Her mom is a former model and everyone says her older sister...more There has been a lot of flap recently about how violent and dark YA novels are. While those books do exist and are wonderful—I read many of them, there are also plenty of authors writing stories with out a dystopia or post-apocalyptic setting in sight. Keris Stainton is one of them. Her debut novel, Della Says: OMG, is a delightful read for high-school aged and above YA readers and is centered around the very charming, very funny Della.

Her mom is a former model and everyone says her older sister got their mum’s looks, her father is very charismatic and successful (her family owns a string of popular delis) and Della feels a bit left out (a very relatable feeling from what I remember about being a teenager.) After one of the most memorable moment’s in Della’s life, her diary gets nicked (oh yeah, this book is set in Lancashire, located in north west England. I love books set in the UK and all the little “Britishisms” that come with that) and someone aims to use all of Della’s admissions against her. It’s up to Della, her best friend Maddy, Maddy’s boyfriend Sid, his best friend Leo, and Della’s long-time crush Dan to figure out who’s up to no good. They are all faced with some other “normal” teen-aged stuff along the way. Kissing, doing a little more than kissing, and other situations that require not a single paranormal power to solve, i.e. life. Not a very complicated plot, to be sure, but Stainton does a superb job of creating likable, well thought-out characters and letting them fail and succeed as anyone would in real life.

This was a very quick, enjoyable read. I like Stainton’s writing style so much that I’ve pre-ordered her new novel Jessie Hearts NY. If the book had one drawback for me it was that I felt the ending was a bit rushed. I would have liked a little more in regards to the confrontation with the perpetrator, but all in all, this was a very cute, solid debut.

While “darker” YA plays a role in helping some teens see that they are not alone in facing great traumas or tragedies, books like Della Says: OMG allow teens to see that sometimes things out of your control happen, and while it might not be that big of a deal to some, it can be a really big deal to the person it’s happening to, and how you get through it, and who you get through it with, is the important thing.

Reviewed at WhatchYAreading on July 6, 2011.(less)

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Jun 06, 2011 Caroline rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, contemporary, romance

Della Says: OMG! made me incredibly happy when I read it! I finished it a few months ago and went through it again to write the review and I found myself rereading it! Sweet, funny and witty, Della will definitely make your day and you will want her as your best friend!

Della is an average teenager living in the UK. She is in that No-Man's-Land between popular and complete loser but she's ok with it. Her sidekick best friend Maddy is made of awesome and she helps out Della with that sisyphean que...more Della Says: OMG! made me incredibly happy when I read it! I finished it a few months ago and went through it again to write the review and I found myself rereading it! Sweet, funny and witty, Della will definitely make your day and you will want her as your best friend!

Della is an average teenager living in the UK. She is in that No-Man's-Land between popular and complete loser but she's ok with it. Her sidekick best friend Maddy is made of awesome and she helps out Della with that sisyphean quest towards popularity. When Della's big sister Jamie organises a party in their house to celebrate her departure for America for the summer, Della is dressed with nice clothes and she makes out with Dan Bailey, her longtime crush, who seems to be interested in her. What should be one of the best days of her life turns into a horrific nightmare when *gasps* Della's diary is stolen and she receives (very embarrassing) pages of it through Facebook in a stalkerish kind of way. I know, OMG!

Della is a very down-to-earth teenager and has a great personality. I really loved being in her head and seeing her react to the loss of her diary. She is a great friend and very fun to be around. Her budding romance with Dan is wonderfully portrayed, they are adorable together and the moments where they get to know each other are swoon-worthy. I also liked the way Dan sees Della and how it contrasts from the vision Della has of herself. Della wants to take over from her parents' Deli business and run one of her own and it was great to see her liking her summer job running one deli!
The other characters are all well described and great! I *love* Della's parents!

Through the pages of Della's diary which are put in various locations and sent to various people, we go through Della's most personal thoughts and you can't help cringe at some of the situations. But Della is courageous and she goes through this with the help of her friends and Dan. It also touches important themes for teenagers and it gives a great depth to the story. One of them is the relations between family and friends and it was really great to relate to some of the events in the story.

You know I'm a sucker for an interesting background to a story and I loved the Britishness of Della's story and all the popular culture references. I also loved the fact that they seemed to be *gasps* normal teenagers (you know, the kind you were yourself in that grey area between angel and thug).

The book is told from Della's point of view and the general style of writing flows perfectly. I could really feel Della's personality and thoughts rising from the pages and most of the episodes are laugh out loud funny and original.

I can't quite describe this novel, it is a real piece of sunshine. The story is incredibly uplifting and after finishing it I was dancing around and quite horrifyingly singing to cheesy music and having a blast (*cough* I mean, I know a friend who did that - not me, I swear). Della says: OMG! is one of the best contemporary novels I have read recently and by far the funniest and wittiest. Go read it - you won't be able to resist it!
(less)

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Oct 14, 2010 Emma rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: kindle, own

This is the first book I have completely enjoyed for a very long time. Every page was a joy to read and I couldn’t really fault the book other than it was probably a bit young for me, but hey…I’m a female Peter Pan! I’m never growing up! In all seriousness though, this book was just what I needed to get out of my reading slump. Just a nice normal read with no paranormal beings falling in love with us humans.

Della is your normal sixteen-year-old girl with all those thoughts, worries and doubts...more

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Jul 27, 2010 Carly rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed, favourites

Oh Della, Della, Della. Within the first twenty pages of this novel I knew I was onto a winner. I’d heard such brilliant things about Della says: OMG! that I was pretty certain I’d enjoy the novel but I was also slightly nervous I’d be disappointed. Della’s infectious charm, wonderful voice and the hilarious cast of supporting characters make Della says: OMG! one of the best debut novels I’ve ever read.

I instantly felt as though Della and I had been friends forever and we were having a catch up...more

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May 03, 2010 Dwayne rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010-reads, for-review

Reviewed @ Girls Without a Bookshelf.

This novel is without doubt exemplary in terms of its depiction of teenage life. I vastly enjoyed Keris Stainton's accurately portrayed teens, especially the protagonist, Della. I found the train of Della's thoughts as realistic as it could possibly be, and personally, I thought at many points her thoughts and actions would reflect mine exactly, had I been put under the same spotlight. It was so easy to relate to Della's fears and insecurities, her naivety, a...more Reviewed @ Girls Without a Bookshelf.

This novel is without doubt exemplary in terms of its depiction of teenage life. I vastly enjoyed Keris Stainton's accurately portrayed teens, especially the protagonist, Della. I found the train of Della's thoughts as realistic as it could possibly be, and personally, I thought at many points her thoughts and actions would reflect mine exactly, had I been put under the same spotlight. It was so easy to relate to Della's fears and insecurities, her naivety, and her particular tendency to exaggerate and assume the worse.

I love Keris' portrayal of Della's relationship with the people around her. Her tenous relationship with her sister is natural, as is her embarrassment about her ultra-cool albeit slightly strange parents (dare I say!). Her bond with her best friend is unquestionable - I simply adore how Della and Maddy are completely at ease with each other and free to interrogation one another on various subjects. Not to mention that Della's unrequited crush turned requited love with Dan Bailey is honestly cute. The progression of their relationship is well-depicted and Dan's easy, laid-back personality complements with Della's slightly reserved attitude. I especially loved the way Dan brought her out of her shell with his outlook on issues that matter to her.

Which of course leads me on to delight about the characters. Della aside, my favourite character would be her dad - cool, laid-back and a totally fun secondary character, I wish he had more scenes!

I must say however, that the plot was not as mysterious as I had expected. My initial impression was that the book would focus mainly on Della's predicament about her lost diary, but it isn't exactly the case. I would have wanted the tension and mystery to have been built up more and further developed. Having said that, when the plot does focus on the mystery of Della's lost diary, it becomes pretty mortifying - Della's darkest secrets are so embarrassing to be made public, I cringed for her. It actually kept me glued to read more of her horrified reactions.

In retrospect, I believe that the British setting was a very strong factor in making me relate to the book so well. Since most of books I read are based across the Atlantic, Della Says felt closer to home. Honestly, its relativity soared when I saw Primark on the page! Of course, British or not you would surely enjoy this delightful treat!

Della Says: OMG! is a thoroughly enjoyable read which appealed to my inner teen. Really liked it!(less)

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Aug 10, 2011 Thamy rated it 5 of 5 stars

I came across this book on amazon when I was looking for something fun to read, the reviews were great, the book title sounded fun enough and I thought, why not?

I had a great time reading Della says: OMG! Yes, I laughed out loud, the story concept is great, the characters are adorable and Keris has a way of story-telling in a simple way and yet quite special.

So, what's the story about? Della's sister Jamie is going away to California and their parents authorised them to have a party to celebrat...more

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Mar 14, 2011 Raimy rated it 5 of 5 stars

With a mum who’s an ex-model and a big sister who is out-going, crazy and beautiful too it’s easy to feel below par. Della has been putting up with “omg is that your mum?!” for as long as she can remember and sometimes gets it about her sister too. So when her sister has a going-away party Della can’t believe that the cute boy she’s been crushing on since her first day of primary school not only flirts with her but ends up in her bedroom kissing her!

In a state of shock at the party’s events she...more With a mum who’s an ex-model and a big sister who is out-going, crazy and beautiful too it’s easy to feel below par. Della has been putting up with “omg is that your mum?!” for as long as she can remember and sometimes gets it about her sister too. So when her sister has a going-away party Della can’t believe that the cute boy she’s been crushing on since her first day of primary school not only flirts with her but ends up in her bedroom kissing her!

In a state of shock at the party’s events she awakes the next day to find her diary missing. She has a range of suspects, including cute boy, Dan. She thinks of anyone who could have gone in her room and taken it and she’s sure its Dan or his friend, who hates her, Gemima. As the summer goes on however Della finds herself getting closer to Dan and quickly works out that he didn’t take the diary. When certain, very hugely embarrassing diary entries start turning up in people’s pockets, via emails and text messages and even on her parents car Della starts getting really scared. With Dan and her best friend Maddy around to calm her down the piece together the clues and a theory is formed, but Della just can’t understand why.

Ok first of all I loved this book. It was hilarious and so amazingly pure to character. I loved Della, so much; she was just, well, a 17 year old!! I am certain that’s what I was like at 17 and I really do think if I’d read this book back then it would have been my bible! Let’s see, Della likes cute boy, cute boy likes Della, first reaction: HE MUST BE UP TO SOMETHING! That is totally how I would have reacted back then, I would have thought he was just after sex or it was a joke or a bet or something too! I, like Della, had severe lack of confidence… However at 16/17 I was a mega goth so it probably would have been a wind up if a nice cute boy came to ask me out!

The humour elements running through Della says OMG! is brilliant, I loved Della’s parents! They are exactly how I wanna be when I have kids and although Della thought they were embarrassing sometimes you could really tell that she loved them, and thought herself lucky to have such awesome parents, at the same time! I was cringing when her dad was on about condoms though, that was totally wrong but I was howling at the same time. I think some people might be a bit, sceptical about parents like these, thinking that those sorts of parents don’t exist but to be honest, my parents were a very toned down version of this and I know for a fact that one of my friends had parents just like Della’s when I was at college, so they do exist!

Della says is quite obviously a coming of age book, although it is hilarious it deals with such serious issues, but in the same way that 16/17 year olds do, through humour, sarcasm and avoidance! There’s one very serious part of the book where Della refuses to do something, avoids it because she’s scared and I really don’t blame her, I probably would have done the same! I loved that the book tackles things that I have never read about anywhere else, especially female masturbation. I remember that was just something at my school that no one ever talked about and if someone mentioned it all the girls would just be like “ewwww that’s minging!!!” this was evident even in college too, the girls would talk about Ann Summers parties and going in the shops and stuff but we would never discuss the vibrators. I’m happy that that’s gone away with age! I will happily sit and discuss things like that now but I do have one or two friends who are not as open and honest about the whole scene!

The whole first time thing was big in Della says too, and I liked the way it was handled. You see Della experiencing her first kiss, her first date, her first fumble and eventually another big first! I love that the humour was still evident here, making the whole thing a bit more light-hearted, you could tell Della was scared but sure and the humour was there to smooth over the nerves!

The relationships came across as strong the whole way through the book too, Della’s parents quite obviously had a great relationship and Maddy was exactly what every girl needs at that age; a best friend who was there as soon as you needed her, who you were there for and who you know, no matter what, will always be around. I loved that Maddy was Della’s push, the “let’s just go for it” attitude that radiated from her was awesome! But even Maddy, as a kinda background character had her own thing going on and I really enjoyed that, too often you get friends who just have no character of their own but you could tell Maddy was going through some things behind the scenes!

The whole mystery thing of the Diary was a good plot running through the book too. I nearly choked when I realised who had it and I just know that I would have been freaking out if someone had stolen my diary at 16 (and cringing all the way to my room, where I would lock myself in and never come out knowing the things that I wrote in there!) I guess that as the whole story moved on you could tell that Della was gaining life experience and, with the help of Dan, trying to get over the fact that someone had it. I had a hard time working out how old Della was in parts of the book and as it turns out she's 17 but I think that she's a young 17 and this book shows her becoming more mature. I was expecting more of the whole internet thing going on but it wasn't a problem that it wasn't a huge theme of the book. I really enjoyed the part that the internet and facebook played in, teenagers spend half their lives on their computers (trust me, they really do) so it was good to know that the author obviously knew what teenagers were like and featured the dangers of having profiles such as facebook and stuff (i.e. Della talking about hackers and only having friends she knew) I thought that really brought the book into the present.

I gotta add that, after my small rant on Saturday about Rachel Hawkins’ Hex Hall not having any swearing in it, Della says totally makes up for it! It had swearing in all the right places, especially Dan; boys always swear when they don’t know what else to say and this was put across brilliantly by Dan, his response to Della’s diary going missing; “Shit.” – just the right reaction from a guy!

I could totally relate to this book, Della’s crazy thoughts about why Dan wanted to go out with her, her embarrassment of her parents, Maddy’s dilemmas and Della’s worries about her diary being somewhere for all to see. I think the serious issues tackled were so totally in line with the humour and they worked in sync with each other so well. I really loved this book and as I say, if I was 16 again it would totally be my bible! (less)

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Jul 17, 2012 Laura rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary, romance, ya

I thought this was a really sweet book and I enjoyed reading it.

I liked the character Della. She was naaive, sweet, shy and just normal (which made me like her all the more. I also enjoyed that the book was set in Lancashire as I was brought up there, plus I'd been to Lytham St Annes on holiday so I could really imagine the characters there.

I can't imagine what my 17 year old self would have done if someone had stolen my diary and started spreading the contents around. I think I would have been...more

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Aug 17, 2010 YA Reader rated it 5 of 5 stars

I'd heard a lot about this book from fellow bloggers but for some reason never got round to buying myself a copy. So when Keris kindly offered me a copy I was delighted. I also was not disappointed when I began reading it. I finished the whole thing in a matter of hours as I just couldn't put it down. Keris' characters are beautifully created and all, especially Della, have charm.

I haven't read a book for a while that has had me turning the pages so quickly. Stainton's writing style really suits...more

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Feb 03, 2013 Claire rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: from-goodreads, this-year, ya-stand-alone

OMG is exactly the right title for this book because Oh My God! Why did I read it? I seem to have read a different book to everyone else. I don't like these people, the only exception is Della's parents - they are hilarious!

I couldn't picture Della - I didn't know how old she was and you don't find out to page 90! She's really immature for someone of 17 years, I thought she was about 14/15 based on her non-existent boobs we discovered on page 5. Her negativity really got on my nerves. This: peo...more

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Jul 17, 2011 Leiah rated it 4 of 5 stars

My review as posted on whatchYAreading.net.
http://whatchyareading.net/2011/07/06...

There has been a lot of flap recently about how violent and dark YA novels are. While those books do exist and are wonderful—I read many of them, there are also plenty of authors writing stories with out a dystopia or post-apocalyptic setting in sight. Keris Stainton is one of them. Her debut novel, Della Says: OMG, is a delightful read for high-school aged and above YA readers and is centered around the very cha...more My review as posted on whatchYAreading.net.
http://whatchyareading.net/2011/07/06...

There has been a lot of flap recently about how violent and dark YA novels are. While those books do exist and are wonderful—I read many of them, there are also plenty of authors writing stories with out a dystopia or post-apocalyptic setting in sight. Keris Stainton is one of them. Her debut novel, Della Says: OMG, is a delightful read for high-school aged and above YA readers and is centered around the very charming, very funny Della.

Della’s over the moon when she kisses her long-standing crush at a party – but then she discovers her diary has disappeared…When scans of embarrassing pages are sent to her mobile and appear on Facebook, Della’s distraught – how can she enjoy her first proper romance when someone, somewhere, knows all her deepest, darkest secrets?

Her mom is a former model and everyone says her older sister got their mum’s looks, her father is very charismatic and successful (her family owns a string of popular delis) and Della feels a bit left out (a very relatable feeling from what I remember about being a teenager.) After one of the most memorable moment’s in Della’s life, her diary gets nicked (oh yeah, this book is set in Lancashire, located in north west England. I love books set in the UK and all the little “Britishisms” that come with that) and someone aims to use all of Della’s admissions against her. It’s up to Della, her best friend Maddy, Maddy’s boyfriend Sid, his best friend Leo, and Della’s long-time crush Dan to figure out who’s up to no good. They are all faced with some other “normal” teen-aged stuff along the way. Kissing, doing a little more than kissing, and other situations that require not a single paranormal power to solve, i.e. life. Not a very complicated plot, to be sure, but Stainton does a superb job of creating likable, well thought-out characters and letting them fail and succeed as anyone would in real life.

This was a very quick, enjoyable read. I like Stainton’s writing style so much that I’ve pre-ordered her new novel Jessie Hearts NY. If the book had one drawback for me it was that I felt the ending was a bit rushed. I would have liked a little more in regards to the confrontation with the perpetrator, but all in all, this was a very cute, solid debut.

While “darker” YA plays a role in helping some teens see that they are not alone in facing great traumas or tragedies, books like Della Says: OMG allow teens to see that sometimes things out of your control happen, and while it might not be that big of a deal to some, it can be a really big deal to the person it’s happening to, and how you get through it, and who you get through it with, is the important thing.(less)

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Aug 24, 2010 Kathryn rated it 5 of 5 stars

I read Della Says: OMG! in one sitting. I very quickly warmed to Della, the central character, and identified with her preoccupations. You see, it may be *cough* years since I was a teenager but I've been there and I remember what it was like and how important some things seemed back then.

I also remember how closely I guarded the fact that I even kept a diary, let alone the extreme lengths I went to in order to safeguard it from prying eyes. All of which meant that, when Della's diary disappear...more

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Jul 31, 2012 Kirsty (overflowing library) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: uk-author, signed

I loved Della says OMG completely and devoured it in one sitting.

The thing for me that made this book so special was the way in which it portrayed Della and her friends. I loved how perfectly their teenage interactions were captured and how all those feelings of being a teen and going out there and finding that first love were so brilliantly shown.

Della is a brilliant character. She is has all those awkward teenage qualities of feeling like she doesn't fit in because of all those insecurities...more

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Jul 01, 2010 Lyndsey Rushby rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya

17 year old Della has liked Dan Bailey since forever. At her sister's going away party, he finally takes some notice of her and asks her out. The morning after the best night of her life, Della realises that her diary has gone missing, ruining her good mood.

Whoever took her diary is using it against her, revealing some of her deepest secret thoughts on facebook and through notes. Dan was the only other one in her room that night but surely it can't be him can it? He seems genuine enough but wha...more 17 year old Della has liked Dan Bailey since forever. At her sister's going away party, he finally takes some notice of her and asks her out. The morning after the best night of her life, Della realises that her diary has gone missing, ruining her good mood.

Whoever took her diary is using it against her, revealing some of her deepest secret thoughts on facebook and through notes. Dan was the only other one in her room that night but surely it can't be him can it? He seems genuine enough but what does he really see in Della? The things that have been revealed about Della's life have been pretty embarrassing so far but will she be able to figure out who's doing it before it gets much, much worse?

What I thought
This is one of the first YA novels that I have read that hasn't been in the fantasy or paranormal genres so I was slightly worried about what I was going to think of it. Thanks to Rhiana who passed on a copy of this book to me.

I was actually really surprised at how much I enjoyed reading this book. It is told completely in first person through Della's point of view which really made me connect with her quickly and feel for her because of what she was going through. Della is quite the average teenager with many hang ups about herself and she is far from confident and beautiful. Finally, someone has written a normal teenager. I do hate those teenagers in books who are beautiful and popular but still find something to whinge and moan about. In this book, Della has every reason to feel insecure, not because she isn't pretty, but because her mother and sister get so much more attention than her. This was a part of her character that I could relate to as my sister was always prettier than me and everyone always seemed to like her a lot more.

The relationship between Della and Dan was lovely to discover. I was so happy that Della finally got her chance at happiness and having something that she had wanted for such a long time. The way the two acted around each other, going from awkward to slowly getting more comfortable, really brought back some memories for me. Going out with someone for the first time is nerve wracking, no matter what age you are and I can remember feeling very much like Della did. I can only imagine how scared she was about going out with Dan considering how long she had been obsessed with him for.

Everything about the way that the teenagers in this book were written makes them so believable. There is a fair amount of swearing and as much as some people will moan about this, I think it is a common occurrence in teens in the UK and not using this kind of language would only have made the characters seem like they were in a fairytale. I probably wouldn't recommend this book to anyone under the age of 14/15 though due to some of topics regarding sex as they are somewhat explicit. Again though, normal behaviour when I was 17.

There was a fair amount of comedy throughout the story, especially with Della's parents. Both best friend Maddy and Dan totally loved her Dad and so did I. He wasn't your average teenagers Dad which was what made me love him immediately. At least he wasn't one of those Dads in these kinds of books that think his daughter/s are little angels that don't drink, don't fool around with boys and don't swear. Della's Dad was very realistic.

As for the mystery aspect of the story, I thought I had guessed who was using the diary against Della quite early on but I was wrong. There wasn't many people that it could have been and who I thought it could be was never even mentioned but something about them stuck in the back of my head. I love being kept guessing and being proved wrong because normally I am right about these aspects of a story. Some of the things that were used against Della were so embarrassing that I know I wouldn't have been able to handle it as well as she did. I think if that had been me, I would have demanded to move schools or something.

I was a little disappointed at how quickly the book ended after everything had been figured out. I would have liked for it to have been drawn out a little more or something extra added to the end instead of the way that it was done. This is the only slight problem that I had with the book overall.

Della says: OMG is a must read for older teenage girls and I think that a lot of adults will be able to relate to it in someway. There are quite a few important lessons to be learnt from this book, like not caring what other people think of you and learning to respect yourself which is something I wish I had been like at 17. I will certainly be putting Keris Stainton n my list of authors to read from now on.
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Feb 13, 2010 Erin rated it 5 of 5 stars

Fabulous first novel from UK author Keris Stainton! Story is good fun, lots of twists and turns, it kept me guessing until the end. I really enjoyed it! Props to Keris for a great first novel!

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Oct 25, 2011 Tara rated it 3 of 5 stars

Della Says OMG!
The name of the book is a real shame as I think it will turn prople off reading it.
Ever been embarassed by something you, or someone else has said? Do you keep a diary that you'd just die if it got out? Ever been in love with a boy who you don't think will ever like you?
Della is experiancing all this, and she expects it all to get worse. But when the boy of her dreams (and diary) asks her out life looks to be going up again...

So Della is a normal girl, and soomeone has stollen...more

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Apr 16, 2010 Jenny / Wondrous Reads rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: for-review, debut-author, signed, uk-author

Della Says: OMG! is the debut novel from author Keris Stainton, and is a great addition to UK teen fiction. It focuses on Della, a likeable, realistic teenager whose personal diary is stolen from right under her nose. When excerpts from said diary start showing up on Facebook and other public places, she does what everyone in that situation would do: panics.

I enjoyed Della Says: OMG!, and I particularly liked the budding romance between Della and Dan. First relationships can be a scary thing, wi...more

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May 10, 2013 Rochella rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: own

The only reason I really finished this book was because I wanted to know who had the diary. I didn't find the book all that special. I thought it would be more orientated about the diary and Della's secrets, but it seems like it was just a small part of the book. I was annoyed with the writing style, especially in the beginning, because it seemed all really simple; short sentences and not all too deeply described. I also thought Della was younger, simply because of the way she acts. I never woul...more

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Jun 17, 2012 Luna rated it 5 of 5 stars

I wanted to like Della Says: OMG! BUT I ended up loving it. Most of that is due to Della who starts of so unsure of herself but grows up a lot. I really felt for her, she doesn’t know her place with her family and if Dan’s advances are genuine without coming being full of self-pity.

Della’s relationship with her sister was something I had great empathy with. There is a close line between love and hate but in Della’s case it was just a giant gap. I agree with Maddy, Della’s parents are great. I ac...more

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May 20, 2012 Beth Kemp rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-contemp

Hilarious and horrifying by turns, with one of the strongest teen voices I've read.

The premise, the title and the cover for this book promise a great fun read and it is certainly that, while at the same time exploring some crucial issues for teens about self-image and dealing with what others think of you. Della's diary pages had me cringing along with her (and pondering the cruelty of the sender - what a thing to do to someone!).

Della is a realistic teen heroine: her lack of confidence in her a...more

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Aug 07, 2010 Jesse Owen rated it 5 of 5 stars

I’ve been dying to read Della since it was first published back in May, so much so that I finished it in record time (for me that is). And I have to start by saying: I. Loved. It. These are the first three words that spring to mind when I think of Della Says: OMG!

I loved the characters, especially Della’s ability to carry on – I only managed to keep a diary for a short amount of time (wasn’t very interesting – believe me). But I would hate to have anyone read it so for the things that Della was...more

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