I love Falon Ballard and couldn’t wait to pick up Change of Heart!

Change of Heart is a cute romance that sweeps you into an alternate universe. Campbell is career focused, working for the family firm, but her grandmother is set on her marrying.

I love a romance with a magical realism element and would recommend to any reader who also enjoys it. I will always be eager to pick up anything Falon Ballard writes.

Thank you to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for an advance copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

I absolutely love the writing of Falon Ballard! It took me a little bit to get into the story plot, but eventually I became invested in the story of Cam and Ben. I think this is going to be one that a lot of readers will be able to connect with as our culture teaches people to be invested in their jobs like Cam is. I couldn’t stop reading by the second half as I had to know if Cam was ever going to realize her worth and find a love that she deserves.

Change of Heart was a fun but heartfelt magical realism, self discovery romcom that expertly crafted the vibes of a small town Hallmark movie.

The main character, Cam, starts off pretty rough and is hard to like, but soon her layers are revealed and we begin to understand her better. Her journey is equal parts humorous and touching, and it was so rewarding to experience her transform from a fierce and unapologetic career driven woman, into someone who realizes there’s more to life than being the best at things other people chose for you.
The dates she was forced to go on in her quest to return home were amusing, and watching her form budding friendships was heartwarming, as well as her romance with Ben as it grew into something undeniable. The connections she formed as she discovered her true calling were true feelings good moments, and I loved that Ben seemed to bring out the best of her, coaxing her into who she truly was at heart.

Change of Heart is a cheerful, sweet story about second chances and happy endings that I think everyone should pick up.

Thank you so much Penguin Group Putnam for this eARC via NetGalley.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Change of Heart is a charming, witty, and heartwarming rom-com that delivers all the small-town magic, laugh-out-loud banter, and emotional depth I love in a Falon Ballard novel.

Campbell Andrews is a high-powered attorney who thrives on structure, efficiency, and avoiding love at all costs. But when she mysteriously wakes up in Heart Springs, a picture-perfect small town straight out of a Hallmark movie, she’s given an impossible task—she must complete three challenges to return to her real life, including experiencing true love. Enter Ben Loving, a kindhearted pediatric surgeon who might just make Cam rethink everything she thought she wanted.

I adored the chemistry between Cam and Ben—their banter was sharp, their connection felt authentic, and the slow-burn romance was so satisfying. Watching Cam go from rigid and career-obsessed to embracing community, friendship, and love was such a rewarding journey. The quirky townspeople and festive small-town setting added so much charm, and while some moments were predictable, the emotional payoff was well worth it.

A delightful mix of humor, heart, and a touch of magic, Change of Heart is perfect for fans of The Twelve Dates of Christmas and The Dead Romantics. Highly recommend to anyone who loves a grumpy heroine thrown into a fish-out-of-water romance!

Thank you to NetGalley and @PutnamBooks for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I really liked this one! I found the premise really interesting and I read it in one sitting, I really liked the hallmark setting and the cynical FMC.

This book was full of cute, Hallmark-like characters and a strong female lead. Our main characters know exactly what they want, but maybe not what they need. Ben is the perfect male lead; he's sweet, talented, and willing to help Cam however he can. Cam is strong, determined, and maybe just a bit hard-headed. I spent much of the book trying to decide if I wanted to root for her or not, but the whole book rooting for Ben. The entire book made me fall in love with this little town and the care the characters put back into the town.

This one wasn’t for me. Falon’s books have been so hit or miss, it’s actually kind of crazy. I didn’t connect to either of these characters. Cam was rough, and I struggled even more because of the fact that I think she was supposed to portray how women like her- driven and focused on their work- are misunderstood. But Cam was mean and rude and not at all just a woman who knows what she wants but came across more as someone inconsiderate of others. Ben had no personality and to me felt more like a side character throughout the story. Overall, seriously bummed to have not liked it.

Thank you netgalley and Putnam for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Though this isn’t my favorite Falon Ballard book I’ve read, it’s tropey, romance goodness just in time for Valentine’s Day. My main issues were that I wanted to understand a little more about Ben and that the ending realization felt a little rushed. This book wasn’t quite a full 4 stars for me, but rounding down to 3 would be mean and inaccurate.

The plot is fun. The Hallmark movie world is so cutesy and well designed. It was funny and heartfelt, even if it takes more than a little time to warm up to Campbell as our heroine. But it’s really a fun book about following your heart, figuring out what you want, and what true love can be.

✨️Book Review✨️ ARC

Change of Heart
By Falon Ballard
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I have loved every single book by this author. She has a way of pulling you in, instantly and not letting you go. Change of Heart was no exception. It was so sweet and so much fun.

Read if you enjoy:

🩷 Magical Realism
🩷 Pleasantville vibes
🩷 Reverse grumpy and sunshine
🩷 He falls first
🩷 Self Love

I highly recommend this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Falon Ballard for the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review 🩷

This was so fun! I read this in one sitting. This had a fun touch of magical realism. The FMC is too busy and focused on work for love, and when a waitress witnesses her blowing off her date, she wakes up in this magical idyllic small town straight out of a hallmark movie--and the guy from the date lives next store. She needs to "find what she cares about" and works 3 different jobs and is set up on different dates. Meanwhile her neighbor also has his own tasks to complete until they are both allowed to go back to the real world.

I read this so fast I'm a little fuzzy on the details but I really liked her career journey and I liked the semi-slow burn of the romance

3 ⭐️

This was cute, with lots of small-town Hallmark movie vibes. I liked our MMC, Ben, but I also felt that his character was very surface-level. I was waiting to see the growth of our FMC, Cam, but sadly, I feel like I only got to see the start of it, and she still had plenty of room to grow. A huge part of her story is her relationship with her family, so it was a bit of a letdown to only have a brief explanation of what happens between them in the epilogue. I see the potential for this story, but sadly, I think it fell flat for me.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC 💓

I really enjoyed this book! Thank you, NetGalley, for the opportunity to read it ahead of pub date! This book immediately sucked me in right on page 1. It also gave me a combo of Pleasantville, Wanda Vision, & Spirited vibes. Romcom with magical realism..yes please! I found myself laughing out loud quite often (the female main character really is grumpy/snarky for part of this story). While she wasn't my favorite character ever, I was still rooting for her! And she definitely does experience personal growth by the end of the novel. I absolutely loved Ben, the main male character...minus the overuse of the word "sweetheart".

This was a "feel-good", grumpy/sunshine, friends to lovers romance that I would for sure recommend, especially during February, as it's the month of LOVE. It made me cry toward the end too, and when that happens, a book automatically gets a high rating!

If someone prefers to keep the door closed on this one, they totally can. The few spicy scenes were easy enough to skip over.

This was a cute read that required of bit of suspended belief to enjoy.
It was nice to see the personal evolution of Cam contrasted in such a magical place.

Thank you NetGalley & G.P. Putnam's Sons for this arc!

4 ⭐️

This had absolutely everything I love in romance/cheesy books.

We have a grumpy FMC, Campbell, that doesn’t care about nothing but her job.

When she meets our sunshine MMC, Ben, on a blind date, she dismisses him without even trying to get to know him.

But everything changes when they get stuck on a small town that’s pure magic and they won’t get to go home until Cam completes 3 tasks, the hardest one being that she needed to experience true love.

What?!?! I mean, this scream Hallmark movie and I ate it up.

We get to follow her on this self discovery journey, where she finds true purpose, joy and love. But don’t be fooled, experiencing true love can go way beyond having someone.

If you like:
Small, magical town/elements
Opposites attracts
Grumpy FMC x Sunshine MMC

This book is for you!!

The premise of this story was at first very comical and outrageously fun. I personally love hallmark movies and over the top rom coms. I have also enjoyed two other books by this author. But at about the 50% the story started to feel very repetitive. I think because each day felt very much like the same day over and over again. Our character was frustrated with being in this loop and so was I as the reader. To add to that the chemistry between her and Ben up to that point felt non-existent. We are told that he feels like her first and only true friend but I don't feel or see a friendship. There wasn't romance in this story at this point and the story was no longer funny. Once their first kiss happens about 70% in I was still unsure why these two were "meant to be". I felt like I had seen glimpses of their connection during their dance scene and wanted more of that! Everything that happened after this point felt predictable. I don't think Mimi's scheme is meant to be a surprise to the reader so it was a bit of an anticlimactic ending. Overall this book was fun and sweet but a few more scenes of true connection in the 1/2 would have made it really solid. I also wish we would've gotten more from our FMC & MMC. If she is a crazy career woman she didn't really seem like it to me with how chill she was with being stuck away from work. And if he had growth of his own to go through, I again, feel like we witnessed none of that. Thanks Netgalley and Putnam Books for this e-arc!

This book is a perfect combination of Pleasantville, Schimgadoon, and a Hallmark Movie! This book had me laughing and crying along with the main characters.

I absolutely loved the journey of self discovery that Campbell goes on while trying to navigate this perfect town that she wakes up! I also loved that Cam's failed date from the night before has also ended up in this oddly perfect town with her. This book mainly focuses on Campbell's journey to find her own place in the world but I also loved that Ben also goes on his own journey along with Cam.

While I definitely loved this book I did feel like the story started to drag a little towards the end but that ending was perfectly written!

Falon Ballard’s magical realism romance novel “Change of Heart” takes readers on a journey with two people who, after a disastrous first date, find themselves transported to a magical town where they are given a second chance at love.

Thirty-four-year-old Campbell "Cam" Andrews is laser-focused on her career. As a partner at her grandmother's prestigious law firm in New York City, she is preparing to bring in the firm’s most high-profile case to date. However, her controlling grandmother is less concerned with her professional success and more fixated on marrying Cam off to secure an heir who will carry on the family’s legal legacy. As a result, Cam finds herself regularly being set up on blind dates—one of which leads her to Dr. Ben Loving, a pediatric surgeon. Late to the date, Cam struggles to engage in conversation, instead boasting about the number of emails she answers. The evening ends poorly, but as they part ways, the two are left with a cryptic message from their server. The following morning, they wake up in the quaint, Hallmark-like town of Heart Springs—a place devoid of phones and automobiles.

Cam is initially struck by how flawless her appearance seems in this new world—her makeup is perfect, her skin is glowing, and her hair is untouched. Her closet is now filled with pastel-colored dresses, a stark contrast to her usual professional attire. She encounters Mimi "Meem," the town’s mayor, coffee shop owner, and the waitress from the previous night, who tells Cam that she must complete three tasks to return to her life in New York.
 
1.         You must find a career you are passionate about
2.         You must become a valued member of the community
3.         You need to experience true love
 
Not accustomed to failure, Cam attempts to meet these challenges head-on. She takes on jobs as a bookstore owner and a wedding planner, but it is only after finding work and friendship with Emma at the local bakery that she begins to feel more at home. Meanwhile, Mimi sets up Cam with three potential suitors to help her find love. Despite her skepticism about love—stemming from her traumatic past, including her parents’ abandonment and her grandmother’s harsh control—Cam’s attitude begins to change. Each job she takes and each date she embarks on fails miserably, forcing her to rely on her neighbor, Ben, the man she so easily dismissed on their first date. Ben, too, is trapped in this magical world and cannot return home until Cam completes her three tasks.

Ballard’s novel bears some resemblance to Kate Robb’s “Prime Time Romance,” but while Robb’s novel alternates between characters’ perspectives, “Change of Heart” focuses solely on Cam’s point of view. This means readers learn little about Dr. Ben Loving beyond Cam’s observations. Though Ben claims to have been smitten with Cam from the beginning, this seems implausible given the way Cam treated him. In the novel, Ben comes across as a passive character with little motivation, and though he becomes Cam's main support system, he never challenges her or voices his frustration about being stuck in Heart Springs for an entire season. His willingness to stay, even as he misses his family, leaves his character underdeveloped.

Ballard also portrays Cam as a villain in the beginning, presenting her work in corporate law—specifically in acquisitions and mergers—as something that makes her cold and unlikable. Cam’s preference for espresso and salads is a symbol of her disciplined, work-focused lifestyle. However, as she spends more time in Heart Springs, she begins to embrace sugary coffee drinks and comfort foods, and her views on her career begin to shift. She starts to see herself as a "bad person" for prioritizing work over personal connections, and this internal transformation leads her to reconsider her professional path.

This narrative takes an anti-feminist turn, suggesting that the only way Cam can be lovable and deserving of love is by changing her career. The novel implies that women can only be "good" if they embrace traditional femininity, enjoy sweets, and make personal sacrifices for love. This view is damaging, as it implies that women who work demanding jobs—such as in corporate law—are inherently flawed. Women can be both career-driven and kind, powerful and loving. It is harmful to suggest that a woman can only be worthy of love if she alters her career or her personality to fit a more conventional mold.

I have read and loved books from this author before, however this big-city girl trapped in a small-town magic realism is not doing it for me.
I don't know what exactly is it about Cam that puts me off, and Ben seems to be just.. there (for the part that I read).
I think I'm dnf'ing this one, however I will read Ballard again.

Thank you to the publisher for the ARC via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

3.5⭐️, took a little while to get into the story but I still enjoyed it :)
bit of a slow start but overall enjoyed the story and the impact of smaller characters in this story

Change of Heart was a cute, fun read, perfect for Valentine’s Day! After a failed blind date with pediatric surgeon, Dr. Ben Loving, Cam (Campbell) Andrews wakes up to find herself magically transported from the bustling manhattan of New York City to the quaint, small town of Heart Springs. Believing she’s stuck in a nightmare and unable to wake, Cam isn’t surprised to find her disastrous date, Ben, is none other than her next door neighbor. But when she isn’t able to sleep off the dream, day after day, she realizes a terrorizing truth. Cam Andrews is stuck in an alternate reality and her only hope of finding her way home is to experience true love.

Cam’s character progression through this book from an icy queen to a kind and loving friend was a fun journey to embark on. I did struggle a little to connect to both Cam and Ben’s characters but I loved all the colorful language and the realness of Cam’s personality and character. These seemed and felt very honest and real to me and were details I very much appreciated.

Thank you Net Galley and Penguin Group for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book!