Falon Ballard is one of my instant-read authors. Change of Heart is a change of pace for her with its magical realism, and I was excited to read this and see how she wrote something new!

We open the book on Cam, a high-powered lawyer who doesn't believe in love, and Ben's (a pediatric surgeon) first date. Cam completely dismisses him, as she does most dates, and worries about a big case she has the next day. When she wakes up the next day, though, she (and Ben) have been transported to Heart Springs, a Hallmark-movie-eque town straight out of the 50s where everything is perfect and Cam's hair and makeup are perfectly done (although, not to her liking). Cam (nor Ben) can leave until Cam accomplishes three tasks, including finding a job she's passionate about, doing things for her community, and falling in true love.

I gave this book 4 stars because I did not really feel the eventual relationship between Cam and Ben. I liked the character development Cam went through a lot, though!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC!

Normally I like Falon Ballard's books, but this story didn't do it for me.

I'm not normally a big fan of when the character wakes up in a different world and all of a sudden has to find their way around. Those books don't do it for me.

I did like that the main female character went through a huge transformation - she learned who she really was and what she really finds important in life besides her job.

I will continue to love Ballard's books and support her despite this story not doing it for me. She is an amazing writer that writes strong female characters and I will always support that.

This was the perfect blend of contemporary and speculative! Campbell is a workaholic with big goals who ignores her personal life, until ignoring someone she was set up with during a date leads to her waking up in a magical Hallmark town that forces her to be something she's not. Except, through trial and error and learning what she doesn't want to do for her job, for her community, and for her love life, she begins to actually unravel what she wants, which is close to, but not exactly, what she had to begin with. This was charming, and I really love (small spoiler ahead!) that she didn't give up on her career in law, which she loved, but she did decide to go into a different type of law. That felt rewarding and reaffirming; she's a highly competent and highly qualified professional, and I deeply appreciate that she got to keep those things about herself.

Thank you to Falon Ballard, Putnam, and NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review!

I’m growing to love Falon Ballard for light, fun, cheeky rom-coms, and Change of Heart definitely delivers on that front. Take one of the wackier Hallmark Christmas movies, remove (most of) the Christmas, throw in a dash of spice, a bit of the Barbie movie, and you’ll have this novel. It was a fun and quick read, and the premise requires you to suspend disbelief from almost the very beginning, which I think allows the book to get away with a certain amount of unrealism in the main characters.

Because for me, the two lead characters in this book are both slightly lacking. Ben’s character is too perfect (seriously, does the man have a single flaw? Other than overuse of the word “sweetheart”…) and without emotional depth, so I found it impossible to understand why he would be interested in Cam. Cam, on the other hand, is unlikable from page 1. She did eventually grow on me, but I found that I wasn’t particularly rooting for her because of that rough start.

My other critique is that I found the world of Heart Springs to be fairly creepy. I felt like the strict gender norms and 1950s attitudes were never really explored or explained, and they bummed me out.

All that said, I read the whole book in nearly one sitting. Since you go in expecting an HEA at the end, I was curious to see how Cam and Ben would get there — and especially to see what happened when they eventually left Heart Springs.

A workaholic city lawyer with no interest in love gets magically transported to a cute small town where she has to learn how to love in order to get back home.

This magical realism romcom was super fun, I loved the jaded FMC, Cam and the forced proximity to her date Ben, the man she was with just before she was transported and who also finds himself stuck in the town tasked with helping Cam.

Charming with delicious slow burn spice, this also takes place over the holidays towards the end and had great anti-Hallmark holiday movie vibes. Good on audio narrated by Carly Robbins and perfect for fans of books like Ashley Poston’s A novel love story.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy and @prhaudio for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review.

Well, this was a new experience for me. I was loving everything about this book until I got to the last couple of chapters. Then, I found myself cringing so much, I just gave up.

Campbell Andrews is set up on a date with Dr. Ben Loving. She goes begrudgingly, but makes it known that she wants nothing to do with him from the start, she's too focused on her career as a lawyer to date.

When the date ends, she's prepared to move on with her life. Until she wakes up in Heart Springs. And finds that Dr. Loving is her neighbor. She's given a set of tasks to complete before she can go home, and she does everything in her power to complete them. But nothing seems to be going the way she thought they would.

So, like I said, I was loving this book through the first..oh, 75% or so. But I quit reading it altogether at 85%.

I liked the characters. Campbell is a little abrasive in the beginning, and she softens up towards the end. But God, can she mention it enough how she would "never do this" or "this would make her sick"? Like, we get it, you've changed.

Next was Ben. He's the stereotypical nice boy-next-door type. Love that. He called Cam "Sweetheart" throughout the book, but towards the end, he called her "Sweetheart" an obscene amount of times that it started to get annoying.

I loved Emma, the owner of the bakery in Heart Springs. Have nothing but good things to say about her.

The other characters were great, too. I felt like I got to know them quite a bit, even though they weren't a large part of the story.

And then, at 81%, I saw "I release a breath I didn't realize I was holding" and that's a book turn-off for me. And it came at a point where I was already ready to be done with this book.

I tried to keep going, but I quit in the middle of a page. I thought I was going to love this book, so I'm disappointed that I couldn't make it to the end.

Thank you to Netgalley, Falon Ballard, and Penguin Group Putnam for allowing me to get an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

I enjoyed this book but I feel like I needed more intro before jumping right into the dream land they transported to and a little more build up of Ben and cam’s relationship. I wanted more getting to know each other scenes. It was otherwise a cute and sweet Valentine’s read!

Rom-Com meets Hallmark with this heartwarming story. This was my second book by Falon and I am incredibly excited to keep reading her work. The only thing that could’ve made the story better is getting Ben’s POV!

Such an interesting story. After a blind date that doesn’t go well, the pair are transported to an idyllic town (think Hallmark and movie magic) and have to complete tasks so they can return to their normal lives.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC opportunity!

One thing I know about Falon is that she knows how to write a solid, fun, and dynamic romance story. This was similar to other stories we have heard before, but different enough to feel fresh and new. To me, it was giving a little bit of Barbie meets It's a Wonderful Life (my FAVE Christmas movie), and i thought that was refreshing and different than the typical "Groundhog Day" vibe we get from others.

I really enjoyed this story through the entire ride. While the FMC was unlikeable for me in the beginning (which was the point), i appreciate seeing the full spectrum of her growth and having her grow on me as the reader as well.

Ben was written to be loved. No notes.

Cam and Ben have a disastrous first date (all thanks to Cam). Then next morning they both wake up in an alternate reality in the town of Heart Springs. In order to leave, Cam as 3 tasks that she must complete.
This felt like a Hallmark movie with a little extra attitude and spice. Honestly while I do enjoy a book with spice, I honestly felt like this kind of ruin a little bit of the book for me. I also would of enjoyed if this was told from dual pov.

3.5 stars

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read a complimentary copy of this books. All thoughts are my own.

Falon Ballard's *Change of Heart* is a charming and whimsical journey that blends the sharpness of a career-driven woman with the allure of a small-town fairy tale. The story follows Campbell Andrews, a successful yet frosty attorney who finds herself trapped in the magical town of Heart Springs, where love and charm abound. Reluctantly facing a to-do list of three magical tasks, including finding true love, Cam navigates humor, irony, and self-discovery.

Perfect for fans of romantic comedies that focus on personal growth, *Change of Heart* is both heartwarming and funny, ultimately celebrating the beauty of change—even with a touch of magic.

What a fun ride of a story! I’m normally not a fan of the Groundhog Day style trope but this was giving The Barbie Movie vibes and it sucked me in! I especially loved the grumpy sunshine relationship and how broody Cam was with her bubblegum pink surroundings!

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my thoughts.

I will say that I did not love this book and I did not hate it. It was very Whimsically romcom, I think. Yes, that is what I think.

I felt really bad for Ben on their blind date, Cam was a bit rough and rude!

Now, this book definitely has the Hallmark Channel vibe and Gilmore Girls all wrapped into one! Let me tell you that I am not mad about that either!

I will say that I would love to see this book turned into a mini series on Netflix!

I mean if Virgin River can be on there then this one can too!!!!! 🎬🍿

I’ll start by saying that I don’t love the time travel/alternate reality trope. That said, I did enjoy this. It was the best parts of Pleasantville with a dose of It’s A Wonderful Life minus the single choice/butterfly effect that never sits well with me. I was glad to see Cam keep her sass but change her attitude because initially I did not like her (which was the point). Her acknowledgment of her situation while still allowing herself to grown and change was satisfying to read. Ben is too good to be true but provided the right amount of push/pull to make it believable. I also liked that this had a few spicy scenes and that Cam never lost her penchant for swearing in order to break up what would otherwise be chaste, Hallmark vibes. Where do I find a closer/cottage like the one in Heart Springs? Never having to choose and outfit, jewelry, accessories or do my hair and makeup sounds fab.

I love this!

I especially loved the message. Cam was a career woman focused and that didnt leave room for much else especially loving herself and accepting herself. After all, in the grand scheme of things if we cant love ourselves, how can we love others correctly?

Ben was just written to perfection. Perfect setting and atmosphere. This was a great read!

I love every novel I've read by Fallon Ballard. All her novels just have a easy, comfort to them. It feels like a warm hug on a hard day. This might be my favorite of hers as well! I loved the dynamic between Cam and Ben. If you want a no thought romance, you can never go wrong with Fallon.

I loved this story, Cam and Ben were lovable, with great character building. When Cam goes on her first date with Ben and is a total brat she finds herself stuck in heart springs, a place to fall in love in. Upset in the fact she is stuck there and has three rules to go home she finds a way to better her real life, along living next door to Ben. Quick, easy, fun read. I can’t wait for the next book by Falon!

4.25 stars! I like how this book got to the main part of the story right away. There was only one chapter for the background and it jumped to the point of the story, which was her being transported to the fictional town. Lots of points for not having so much fluff in the beginning!

Within the story, I enjoyed the romance and how even though she was supposed to be a workaholic, it wasn’t in an off-putting way. The book was funny and yes, maybe a little obvious in some ways since it's a romance novel, but also not obvious in other ways. Safe to say, I enjoyed the read!

A hallmark-like rom com with a fun, magical premise. A little cheesy and predictable. The FMC is very unlikeable and the MMC is a little flat. But it’s a cute read if you’re looking for a quick romance.

Thanks to Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for a copy of this book!

Thank you to Putman Books for the ARC

Being 4 weeks out from reading the almost perfect Christmas Romance, All I want Is You- i was excited to dive into this book. I was expecting so much from this based on the synopsis. It sounded like the perfect lovey dovey hallmark type valentines day novel. Boy oh boy was I wrong. Now don't get me wrong the setting of the idyllic Heart Springs sounded like a scene right out of Barbie and I was so down with that. What I wasn't down with was the writing, the main characters, or the language. The writing was not up to par with All I Want Is You. I would never have guessed the same author wrote this book. It was lazy and repetitive. Our "love interest" Dr. Ben Loving (barf) is about as boring as it comes. And for being a brilliant life saving pediatric surgeon he seriously must have little to no self esteem or respect to be interested in our self absorbed, absolute beeotch of a main character Cam Andrews. She is the nastiest character I have ever come across, and it wasn't an act, it wasn't a deep down i am soft and i cant be hurt again trope it was just that she was a horrible person. In moments when she could have had some development she didn't. Because she is so nasty to literally everyone in the book its hard to buy their Zero chemistry enemies to friends to lovers arc. Also I am not one to be offended by language because I have the worlds dirties mouth but Cam's swearing is so bad it made me uncomfortable. It almost felt like Ballard still had to make a word count in order to turn this in and filled it with F bombs.

Also I now hate the word sweetheart.