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Change of Plans
Not yet published
Expected 5 May 26From acclaimed and #1 New York Times bestselling author Sarah Dessen comes a romantic coming-of-age novel about an unassuming girl who learns to stand on her own while falling in love during a life-changing summer.
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, and to meet 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.
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, and to meet 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.
368 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication May 5, 2026
10161 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
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July 17, 2025WAR IS OVER SARAH DESSEN HAS A NEW BOOK
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July 17, 2025Sarah Dessen is coming back and I’m ready to get nostalgic and pretend to be my teenage self for a few hundred pages 😭✨
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January 7, 2026
Book Riot’s Most Anticipated Books of 2026:
A queen of YA is back with her first novel since 2019. This story follows a girl named Finley, whose life is upended when her mother announces they're spending the summer at a family vacation house that Finley didn't know existed. Finley's thrown into meeting aunts and cousins that she's never spent time with before, and she's found community in the teens who work at her aunt's diner. She's also developing feelings for a local boy at the same time her relationship with long-time boyfriend Colin begins to falter. It's a story of a girl finding herself, her voice, and her passion–something Dessen's always done so well. —Kelly Jensen
A queen of YA is back with her first novel since 2019. This story follows a girl named Finley, whose life is upended when her mother announces they're spending the summer at a family vacation house that Finley didn't know existed. Finley's thrown into meeting aunts and cousins that she's never spent time with before, and she's found community in the teens who work at her aunt's diner. She's also developing feelings for a local boy at the same time her relationship with long-time boyfriend Colin begins to falter. It's a story of a girl finding herself, her voice, and her passion–something Dessen's always done so well. —Kelly Jensen
Want to read
July 23, 2025YES!! A new Sarah Dessen book! FINALLY!
August 2, 2025
Omg my fav as a kid/teen is publishing a new book?? I’m so ready 🥹😭 brb while I get nostalgic af
*immediately pre orders*
*immediately pre orders*
November 18, 2025
First of all… I really love what they did with the cover design of this book and it is SO exciting to have Miss. Dessen’s writing back !!!! The first half of this book was so much of me screaming crying kicking my feet just excited and delighted to be in her mind and experiencing the opportunity to read her words on the page again. There are so many things she has such an unmatched ability to do. Some of my favorite skills of hers that I can’t commend enough are making locations such strong characters in her stories. Making small moments savory. I love how observational her FMC’s are. They are taking in so much and it REALLY places her readers into special moments in such visceral ways. I was also STUNNED at how iconic and juicy of an intro this book had??? She knocked love interest Collin Out of the Parrrrrkkkkkkkkkk. He was GOOD !!!
*Spoilers*
That being said, Ben did NOTHING for me. Negative nothing. I lowkey found him to be toxic and their entire courtship honestly a HORRIBLE example for young girls. Why the immediate rebound? Why is he constantly self deprecating? Boooo, tomato. It almost had me wondering if he was an editor required add in? Like the love interest that simply ~was not~.
The strength in this story was the family, friendships, and personal growth for me. Her jumping into ANOTHER guy, rather than the strength being her standing on her own… that was a tough pill to swallow for me.
The first half of this book, the restaurant of it all, our main character finding her own worth and the value of a hard day with a team … so good. The story got a little bit muddied at the end, but overall an enjoyable read.
*Spoilers*
That being said, Ben did NOTHING for me. Negative nothing. I lowkey found him to be toxic and their entire courtship honestly a HORRIBLE example for young girls. Why the immediate rebound? Why is he constantly self deprecating? Boooo, tomato. It almost had me wondering if he was an editor required add in? Like the love interest that simply ~was not~.
The strength in this story was the family, friendships, and personal growth for me. Her jumping into ANOTHER guy, rather than the strength being her standing on her own… that was a tough pill to swallow for me.
The first half of this book, the restaurant of it all, our main character finding her own worth and the value of a hard day with a team … so good. The story got a little bit muddied at the end, but overall an enjoyable read.
November 9, 2025
got lucky enough to read an arc of this. i’ve been reading sarah dessen books for over a decade and she still has me in a chokehold.
Want to read
August 19, 2025it's literally the return of the queen (first sarah dessen book in 7 years!!)
November 30, 2025
Finley has a somewhat complicated but pleasant life; she lives with her father, stepmother, and two young stepsiblings, and spends some time each year with her high powered, corporate mother, Catherine. She's been dating the charming Colin for two years, and spending plenty of time with his family. The two plan to attend the same college, and are supposed to go on a cruise with Colin's whole family to celebrate their high school graduation. Instead, Catherine demands that Finley come with her, not to New York City as they had planned, but to her coastal hometown to help sell her parents' home. Finley has never met her relatives or even heard about them, so it's quite the shock. Her mother left her close knit family and hasn't looked back, so Finley has to get to know aunts Kasey and Liz during a particularly stressful time. Not only is the ancestral home needing to be cleaned out, it's going to be razed by the owners of the huge resort, The Tides. Kasey runs a local diner, The Egg, that is getting business from the resort, and Liz's daughter Anne is getting married in three weeks to Jonathan, whose parents frequent the resort and have very clear expectations about how the wedding should be planned. On top of that, Colin dumps Finley over the phone while he is on the cruise, and Finley finds out that her mother has been keeping a secret about her health. Luckily, Finley enjoys working at her aunt's diner, which needs more staff, and meets the charming musician Ben, with whom she connects. The house is cleaned out and the contents auctioned, Anne's wedding is an off and on prospect, and there is a brief moment of hope when an environmental survey reveals that the family property has a number of rare species on it. Will Finley be able to navigate all of the tense, emotional moments that are thrown her way during what should have been a fun summer break?
Good Points
Dessen does such a great job at portraying older teens in complicated but fun settings; her 2009 Along for the Ride is one of my favorite teen romance books! While I'm not usually a fan of sad books with lots of problems, Dessen's characters usually face realistic challenges with a good sense of humor. There are certainly lots of tears; Finley is devastated when Colin dumps her, but she manages to make the best of the situation and to move on quickly with Ben, which seems completely realistic.
There are so many family homes that need to be cleaned out, and teens are bound to get drawn into that, It's a tense, emotional time, and there is the added stress of Catherine's long absence, family secrets, and community challenges that make Finley's experience more traumatic but also more interesting. There are interesting side stories, like Anne's wedding, waitress Lana's difficult life, and Colin's regret, that add a bit more texture to the story.
Dessen's work has been popular with my middle school students, and this book might work well for them; there is a bit of underage drinking, but it generally isn't portrayed as a good idea. Finley and Ben don't have too many chances to have private moments, and their romance is very mild.
Romance books have been increasingly popular in my library, so this is a great summer vacation story to hand to readers who enjoyed Boyce's Dating and Dragons, Eulberg's Love Stories or Take a Chance on Me, West's Borrow My Heart, or Cicatelli-Kuc Mint to Be.
Good Points
Dessen does such a great job at portraying older teens in complicated but fun settings; her 2009 Along for the Ride is one of my favorite teen romance books! While I'm not usually a fan of sad books with lots of problems, Dessen's characters usually face realistic challenges with a good sense of humor. There are certainly lots of tears; Finley is devastated when Colin dumps her, but she manages to make the best of the situation and to move on quickly with Ben, which seems completely realistic.
There are so many family homes that need to be cleaned out, and teens are bound to get drawn into that, It's a tense, emotional time, and there is the added stress of Catherine's long absence, family secrets, and community challenges that make Finley's experience more traumatic but also more interesting. There are interesting side stories, like Anne's wedding, waitress Lana's difficult life, and Colin's regret, that add a bit more texture to the story.
Dessen's work has been popular with my middle school students, and this book might work well for them; there is a bit of underage drinking, but it generally isn't portrayed as a good idea. Finley and Ben don't have too many chances to have private moments, and their romance is very mild.
Romance books have been increasingly popular in my library, so this is a great summer vacation story to hand to readers who enjoyed Boyce's Dating and Dragons, Eulberg's Love Stories or Take a Chance on Me, West's Borrow My Heart, or Cicatelli-Kuc Mint to Be.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC!
Reading a Sarah Dessen book always feels like slipping back into a very specific kind of nostalgia — and Change of Plans was no exception. I was genuinely so excited just to have this book in my hands. There’s something comforting about returning to her voice, her worlds, and the way she captures that in-between stage of growing up so perfectly.
As always, Dessen shines when it comes to writing teenagers. Her characters feel real, layered, and emotionally grounded, and she takes the time to truly flesh them out in a way that makes you care about their inner lives. Even in quieter moments, her writing has that familiar warmth and authenticity that longtime readers recognize immediately.
While this wasn’t my favorite Sarah Dessen book overall, it still holds strong and stays true to what she does best. If you’ve loved her work in the past, this one will feel like a familiar, comforting return — not her strongest, but very much her.
Reading a Sarah Dessen book always feels like slipping back into a very specific kind of nostalgia — and Change of Plans was no exception. I was genuinely so excited just to have this book in my hands. There’s something comforting about returning to her voice, her worlds, and the way she captures that in-between stage of growing up so perfectly.
As always, Dessen shines when it comes to writing teenagers. Her characters feel real, layered, and emotionally grounded, and she takes the time to truly flesh them out in a way that makes you care about their inner lives. Even in quieter moments, her writing has that familiar warmth and authenticity that longtime readers recognize immediately.
While this wasn’t my favorite Sarah Dessen book overall, it still holds strong and stays true to what she does best. If you’ve loved her work in the past, this one will feel like a familiar, comforting return — not her strongest, but very much her.
Review of advance copy
When her boyfriend breaks up with her and her distant mother surprises her with an urgent trip to a lakeside home owned by the family for generations, rising college freshman Finley Hope finds unexpected romance and an opportunity to be true to herself during a transformative summer. A quirky supporting cast balances the drama and adds charm to a narrative that is as breezy and sweet as a summer day, and as satisfying as a big ol’ slice of cherry pie a la mode on the 4th of July.
I really loved the family dynamics and Finley’s character arc. Dessen certainly knows her way around teen hearts and has found a set of appeal elements that work for her and her fans, which will love this. (Nevermind that most of her fans are technically adults now. She’ll earn new ones with this book and they will, in turn, love her back catalog.)
I really loved the family dynamics and Finley’s character arc. Dessen certainly knows her way around teen hearts and has found a set of appeal elements that work for her and her fans, which will love this. (Nevermind that most of her fans are technically adults now. She’ll earn new ones with this book and they will, in turn, love her back catalog.)
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
I've missed Sarah Dessen. This one was not one of my favorites--it will be hard to get better than This Lullaby!--but Sarah builds worlds that I don't want to leave and characters that feel very familiar in one way or another, depending on the book. I think Sarah's fans will be pleased, and new readers who don't know her yet won't be able to help connecting with the characters and want to dive into earlier novels.
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
Received an ARC courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley.
Sarah Dessen is one of my favorite authors of contemporary YA fiction. It has been several years since she published a book, and this book was comfort reading for me.
Sarah Dessen is one of my favorite authors of contemporary YA fiction. It has been several years since she published a book, and this book was comfort reading for me.
August 2, 2025
Omg my fav as a kid/teen is publishing a new book?? I’m so ready 🥹😭 brb while I get nostalgic af
*immediately pre orders*
*immediately pre orders*
Want to read
November 4, 2025EVERYONE STAY CALM A NEW SARAH DESSEN BOOK IS COMING OUT
November 21, 2025
Classic Sarah Dessen. Just lovely.
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December 5, 2025SARAH IS BACK?! I CAN'T WAIT TO READ! So nostalgic
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December 7, 2025so based on some advanced reviews, this seems to be set in lake north? i’m so excited 😭
Want to read
January 10, 2026I’ve read every Sarah Dessen book to date, am I really gonna stop now (still pretending I’m Y enough to read YA)
September 16, 2025
can't wait 😭😭
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews