Goodreads says, "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."
Finley has her life all planned out, thanks to her boyfriend, Colin, whom she has gotten used to tagging along with for most aspects of her social life. But her plans are upended when the trip to New York City with her mother changes entirely, and they are off to her family's vacation home that she didn't even know existed. Finley's mother, whom she isn't even close to, is taking her to her family's house, filled with aunts and cousins that she barely knows, as they are ready to sell the house, and her mom wants to help out. But Finely has so many questions not only about the family she barely knows, but also her mother, who keeps them at arm's length. To make matters worse, Colin breaks up with Finley, and now she is really living her life without a plan, which at first is very tough. But the more time she spends with her newfound family, her cousins, and friends, the more she realizes that you don't always need a plan, and you don't always need to know the destination of your journey. A change of plan can be a good thing! Sarah Dessen's Change of Plans is a sweet coming-of-age novel about a transformative summer; Dessen writes this better than anyone!
I really appreciated how Dessen developed the relationship between Finley and her mom. By placing them right in the midst of family dynamics with her aunts and cousins, Finley gains insight into what motivates her mom, as well as some of the things she has been hiding. Throughout the summer, their relationship grows stronger, and Finley learns more about her family and herself. Dessen has a talent for creating authentic-feeling teenage characters, and that is definitely true in Change of Plans. The cast of characters who work at her aunt's diner, The Egg, felt genuine, especially Ben, the cook and guitarist, who caught Finley's eye.
While the setting is a fictional lake town, I really appreciated it and the laid-back summer vibes in Change of Plans. That aspect of the novel made it a perfect summer read. While this isn't my favorite of Dessen's novels, I still thoroughly enjoyed it because she writes young adult novels unlike any other author out there. She truly has her hand on the pulse of what makes young adults tick, especially when it comes to that summer before college, when you are trying to figure it all out. I hope we get another novel out of Dessen and soon; I will always read what she writes!
Let me know in the comments if you are a fan of Sarah Dessen and if you plan on reading Change of Plans this summer.
