Book Review: Della Says: OMG! (Keris Stainton)

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?

Della Says: OMG! is a completely hilarious and loveable novel. I was wholly charmed by its characters and by Keris' penchant for concocting a set of ridiculously hilarious circumstances for said characters.

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!

Four Stars.


I will be having author Keris Stainton for an interview on 18th May, so by all means do check it out!


*A huge thank you to Keris for my copy:)