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.
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