Change of Plans
by Sarah Dessen· 2026
A #1 New York Times bestseller! From acclaimed and #1 New York Times bestselling author Sarah Dessen comes a "sweet, nuanced, and reflective coming-of-age love story" (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) 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. 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 road map for life after high school is gone. She has no choice but to live, for the first time, without plans. To keep busy, Finley gets a job at the diner, and the fast pace of the work and quirkiness of the customers help distract her from her swirling thoughts about Colin, the future, and her mom. Because the more time Finley spends in town, 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 Finley 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 the community or for Finley herself.
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A #1 New York Times bestseller! From acclaimed and #1 New York Times bestselling author Sarah Dessen comes a "sweet, nuanced, and reflective coming-of-age love story" (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) 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. 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 road map for life after high school is gone. She has no choice but to live, for the first time, without plans. To keep busy, Finley gets a job at the diner, and the fast pace of the work and quirkiness of the customers help distract her from her swirling thoughts about Colin, the future, and her mom. Because the more time Finley spends in town, 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 Finley 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 the community or for Finley herself.