Change of Plans by Sarah Dessen (pub date 05/05/26)

 

Finley has always felt most comfortable in someone else’s shadow. Fortunately, she’s got Colin, her magnetic boyfriend, who sweeps her along for activities, friendships, and future plans. Then she goes on a last-minute trip with her distant mom to a family vacation house that Finley didn’t know existed and is now about to be sold.

Her mom was estranged from her own parents and siblings since leaving home for college, and it’s a novelty for Finley to see her aunts and cousins. There’s also the handful of teens who work at the Egg, her aunt’s diner, and make up a found family of their own—including undeniably handsome guitarist Ben.

Then her relationship with Colin goes into freefall, and Finley’s roadmap for life after high school is gone. She has no choice but to live, for the first time, without plans. The longer Finley stays, the closer she gets to the truth about why her mother stayed away—and why she’s brought Finley here now.

And the closer she grows to new friends at the Egg, the more she starts to fall for charmingly awkward, soulful Ben and to realize how much of herself she’s been missing. By the end of the summer, nothing will be the same—for this community or for Finley herself. -Simon & Schuster

Change of Plans is classic Sarah Dessen, a Young Adult coming of age story full of heart.  While there is a romance in this story, it’s in the background to Finley’s growing relationship with her newfound family both (both biological and chosen) and her personal self-discovery.  There is a large mix of characters in this story so just like Finley, it took me a bit to remember who is who and how they all fit.  I especially loved Finley’s co-worker Lorna and I’m manifesting a follow-up book featuring her.  I would’ve liked some more development on Finley’s relationship with her mother, Cat.  There was also a lot of deeper issues throughout such as cell addiction and gentrification that have kept me thinking days after I turned the last page.

This is Sarah Dessen’s latest novel after a seven-year hiatus and I hope she doesn’t keep us waiting that long for another book!  Although time really does fly, I remember getting a physical ARC her novel Just Listen when I worked at Borders and that was way back in 2006!! Where did those twenty years go?

Thank you to Simon & Schuster/Simon Teen and Netgalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.  Change of Plans officially releases May 5, 2026 but you can pre-order now at your favorite book store or online retailer.  Sarah is also going on tour, check out her social media for dates and info.

 

 

The Antique Hunter's Guide to Murder by C.L. Miller

 

 

Freya Lockwood is shocked when she learns that Arthur Crockleford, antiques dealer and her estranged mentor, has died under mysterious circumstances. She has spent the last twenty years avoiding her quaint English hometown, but when she receives a letter from Arthur asking her to investigate—sent just days before his death—Freya has no choice but to return to a life she had sworn to leave behind.

Joining forces with her eccentric Aunt Carole, Freya follows clues to an old manor house for an advertised antiques enthusiast’s weekend. But not all is as it seems. It’s clear to Freya that the antiques are all just poor reproductions, and her fellow guests are secretive and menacing. What is going on at this estate and how was Arthur involved? More importantly, can Freya and Carole discover the truth before the killer strikes again? Simon & Schuster

The Antique Hunter’s Guide to Murder by C.L. Miller was one of the most fun, adventure filled cozy mysteries I have read in a long time.  I loved getting to know Freya Lockwood, a forty-something recently divorced woman who is suddenly thrust back into the high stakes and sometimes cutthroat world of antique dealing and hunting while trying to solve her mentor’s murder.  Her Aunt Carole provides additional heart and comedic relief. 

My knowledge of antiques is limited to my collection of out-of-print books and electronics such as my old gaming systems, cassette players and VCRs and yes I have more than one VCR – LOL.     So, I really liked getting a glimpse into the high value antiques world.  Freya’s past work hunting down missing or stolen artifacts is a lot more intriguing than my finding VCRs and the like at yard sales.

I was gifted this e-ARC from Atria Books (Simon & Schuster) along with its sequel, The Antique Hunter’s Death on the Red Sea and the latest installment, The Antique Hunter’s Murder at the Castle which was just released on March 17^th.  I look forward to reading the other two books in the series and thank you to Atria for the e-ARCs in exchange for an honest review.  For more information, visit the publisher's website linked above.

 

 

Sibylline by Melissa De La Cruz

 

 

Raven, Atticus, and Dorian have dreamed of attending Sibylline for as long as they can remember. But when the magical university rejects them, the friends’ plans for a future studying the arcane together begin crashing down.

Until they decide to steal an education.

Getting jobs on campus, they sneak into lectures and swipe forbidden texts, dodging the administration’s watchful eye. In the quiet of night, in the thrill of secrecy, their magic awakens. And so do long-buried attractions that turn their friendship into something more.

But like magic, love can create, and it can destroy. As unrequited feelings and resentment threaten to fracture their bond, the trio discovers an insidious magic that has sunk its claws into Sibylline, killing students and corroding the very bones of the university. Now the three intruders may be the key to saving the institution from wreckage . . . if they don’t wreck one another first.- Penguin Random House

 

I stumbled upon a bonkers tweet about Sibylline by Melissa De La Cruz that me racing to the mall to grab a copy and see if it was true.  I want to avoid spoilers for those who haven’t read it, so I’ll delve into that further down in the post.

Three eighteen-year-old friends: Raven, Atticus and Dorian and devastated when they don’t get accepted to the prestigious Sibylline college for magic.  So, they decide infiltrate the college by taking jobs on campus.  They quickly discover that Sibylline holds some dark secrets.  The trio is also faced with their growing feelings for each other that may be more than friendship. 

I have been a fan of Melissa’s books for years both her previous YA work on the vampire series Blue Blood series, her adult series The Witches of East End and its YA spinoff, Summer on East End along with her contemporary YA series The AuPairs.  To me her strength in all those series was a great mix of characters and soapy plots mixed with some magic and fantasy and Sibylline is another example of what I’ve enjoyed about Melissa’s previous work and easily recommended her books to others when working at Borders back in the day.  Sibylline has an ending that is open for interpretation and sets up for sequel(s).  I hope there is more to come from the folks at Sibylline as at times I needed a little more depth into the how this magical world worked and I’m curious to see what happens next.

I believe I would be remiss in my review if I didn’t mention Chapter 41.  If you google Sibylline by Melissa Delacruz and Chapter 41 you will see it is the subject of some discourse as to if its content is appropriate in a YA novel marketed to teenagers.   

 

***** SPOILER AHEAD ******  DO NOT READ ANY FURTHER IF YOU WANT TO AVOID A SPOILER ****  

 

The tweet I read alleged that this book contained a “graphic” scene in which teenagers engage in a threesome with a dead body and thru sexual activity bring the body back to life.  This is indeed essentially Chapter 41.  I believe the use of the word graphic is open to interpretation but there is also questionable consent issues here.  Chapter 41 is only a page and half long in the hardcover print copy that I had.  I read a lot of wild stuff when I was a teenager (ex: Flowers in the Attic by VC Andrews, The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer by Jennifer Lynch) and I could easily separate fact from fiction and moral appropriateness.  However, I don’t have children so I won’t presume to tell anyone how to parent, but I believe this book is best for older teens or literal young adults, the tone of this whole book really seemed a better fit for burgeoning New Adult sub-genre of YA or if not NA then actually geared for an adult audience like The Magicians series by Lev Grossman.

I purchased my copy at Target and you can find yours at your favorite local bookshop, online book retailer or library. 

 

 

Missing by E.A. Jackson (pub date 03/17/26)

 

In August 1990, London is suffering through an unprecedented heatwave when baby Bella Carpenter is snatched through the open window of her hotel room. Detective Inspector Martha Allen is assigned the high-profile case and, knowing that it could make or break her career, is determined to find Bella.

When a young woman named Nell Beatty walks into the police station with a baby who appears to be Bella, and whom Nell claims she found on a bench, it seems that the mystery is solved. Her family, the police, and the press are overjoyed at her return. But DI Allen isn’t convinced, something about Nell’s story doesn’t ring true. As much as she wants to continue, however, now that the baby is safe, she’s ordered to close the investigation.

Thirty years later, Nell Beatty is found dead. Now a superintendent, Allen has never really gotten over her doubts about the Carpenter case and can’t resist doing a little digging on her own time, eager to find out what happened to Nell, and her involvement in the baby’s disappearance all those years ago. But will her efforts uncover something darker than she could have ever imagined? And what is she risking as she tries once and for all to reveal the truth? - Simon & Schuster

This was an engrossing and layered crime thriller.  I normally breeze through books in just a few days but this one took me over a week to finish and that’s not a complaint, there was just so much detail.  We meet Detective Inspector Martha Allen in the first half of the novel in the summer of 1990 as she is called to investigate the sudden disappearance of baby Bella from her parent’s hotel room.  As one of the few women rising the ranks in policing at the time, she faces pressure from all sides and is struggling to balance her family life with her career aspirations.   When a woman named Nell Beatty returns baby Bella to the police station after finding her in a local park, it seems like this case has come to a happy conclusion.  Only DI Allen has her doubts that something just isn’t right.  Flash forward 30 years to 2020, Nell is found dead and DI (now Superintendent) Allen finally gets the chance to pursue those loose ends. 

What I loved about this book is just how deep and developed the characters were.  Despite the flash forward of 30 years, the reader really gets to know DI Allen as a person and how her work has impacted her whole life.  The settings were richly described.  I could feel the oppressiveness of the 90’s summer heatwave through the pages.  This novel is also set in London so it was interesting to see how police work is done in the UK vs the US as well as how crime solving technology has advanced over the past 30 years in both positive and negative ways.  This book also kept me guessing which I always love.  I don’t appreciate it when it’s too easy to solve the caper. 

I highly recommend Missing by E.A. Jackson to anyone who loves Crime Thrillers and strong female leads. 

Thank you to Simon & Schuster/Atria Books/Emily Bestler Books and Netgalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.  

Missing releases 03/17/26 but you can pre-order now at your local book store or click the publisher's link above.