Book: Change of Plans by Sarah Dessen
Reviewed by Maggie Hayes
Rating: 4/5
ARC REVIEW
Change of Plans by Sarah Dessen
⭐⭐⭐⭐¼ (4.25/5)
As a longtime Sarah Dessen fan, I was so ready for this comeback after seven years—and thankfully, it delivered exactly the kind of story I was hoping for.
Finley is fresh out of high school, with her future mapped out: a trip to New York, a summer with her boyfriend, and then college together. But when a sudden detour lands her in her mom’s small hometown—packing up a house she didn’t even know existed—everything she thought she knew starts to unravel.
Finley really worked for me. She’s the kind of character who’s spent a little too long shrinking herself to fit into boyfriend Colin’s life, and watching her figure out who she is without that safety net felt honest and grounded. Colin’s video-call breakup is the wake-up call she didn’t ask for but absolutely needed, and her journey of self-discovery is where this story shines.
The supporting cast adds so much heart here. Her extended family—Aunts Liz and Kasey, plus cousin Anne—bring warmth and history, while her new friends (guarded Lana, intense Clark, and mildly neurotic Ben) help her build something new. And while there is a soft, sweet romance with Ben, the real emotional core is Finley’s relationship with her mom. That distance, the unanswered questions, the slow unraveling of who her mother really is—it’s classic Dessen, and it hits.
There are also some strong echoes of The Truth About Forever (highly complimentary). The found-family job, the late-night connections, the high-achieving-parent dynamic—it all taps into the same emotional space without feeling like a repeat. If anything, it feels like a more mature reflection of those themes.
My one hang-up is the ending. It comes in a little too fast, and I wanted more time to sit with the resolutions—especially for Finley and Ben's relationship, which felt like it deserved a fuller wrap-up.
Overall, this is a warm, introspective, quietly emotional return that reminds me exactly why I keep coming back to Dessen’s books. Easy to fall into, hard to let go of.
Thank you to Sarah Dessen, Simon & Schuster, and NetGalley for providing an ARC!