Change of Plans

Dessen, Sarah. Change of Plans

May 5, 2026 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers 
ARC provided by Young Adult Books Central

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?

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.