Change of Plans by Sarah Dessen Review

 Title: Change of Plans

Author: Sarah Dessen

Age Group: Teen/Young Adult

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Series: Standalone

Star Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

I received an advanced reader copy of this book to review, my thanks to the author and the publisher, and Netgalley!

Sarah Dessen is one of my very favorite authors; I’ve read almost every single one of her books since high school, and she’s one of the reasons I love contemporary fiction. So when Change of Plans was Read Now on Netgalley, I jumped on it. I just finished this book a few days ago, and I was sitting on my review, trying my best to gather my thoughts. Put simply, this might be Dessen’s very best work. It goes back to her classic themes: coming of age, new love, and the bonds between families, and delivers in spades. Change of Plans is one of my favorite books of 2026, and I’m so very happy that I got the privilege to read it early. Sarah Dessen is still on her game, and reading this book felt like nothing less than going home!

Finley has always felt comfortable in the shadow of somebody else, particularly her boyfriend, Colin. Her future is set: They will go to the same university in the fall, still together, and she and her mother will take their usual trip to New York in the summer. But those plans all change when her mother is revealed to have health problems. They go instead back to her mother’s family, whom Finley has never met. Once there, she meets her aunts and cousins, as well as the kids who work at the local diner, The Egg. They form their own little family, which includes Ben, who is handsome and funny and altogether not what Finley expected. Soon, she begins to discover herself as she never has before, and nothing will be the same by the end of the summer.

As I said before, this might be Sarah Dessen’s very best work. I was immediately drawn in by Finley’s voice, and I ended up loving all the characters by the end! The pacing was quick but smooth. One of my favorite things about Dessen’s novels is the character development, and it was a real, true joy to watch Finley grow from being so comfortable in someone else’s shadow to a young woman being strong in her own sense of worth. This book was so warm, funny, and relatable. I loved Lana and Ben especially, and even Colin grew on me by the end. I especially loved Finley’s family, especially her mother, aunts, and cousins. The ending was perfect. Reading this book was like a big, warm hug or coming home; it was so nice to have a Sarah Dessen book to read in my adulthood! The bottom line: Warm, rich, and full of heart, I loved Change of Plans!