This one wasn't for me. I kind of liked Lease on Love by this author although it made me feel old. But this one had other issues. The word "sweetheart" was used EXCESSIVELY throughout the novel. It doesn't help that it's a cringy word for me to begin with but even if that wasn't the case, it was just used way too many times. The narrators weren't great either. Those two factors took a lot away from the story, which was predictable and cheesy as it was. This wasn't a winner for me. sorry

This was cute! I enjoyed the bits of whimsy and fantasy thrown in to help the main characters learn their lesson. Another Falon Ballard winner!

I love a good magical realism romance, it just adds such a level of whimsy we don't get to enjoy in contemporary romance. This was giving small town romance with grump and sunshine characters. I know that's such a popular microtrope so I know this is going to be a well-read story.

This was such a sweet magical realism romance! The cutesy town with hallmark and cozy vibes really propelled this story forward, it was really enjoyable!

CHANGE OF HEART - FALON BALLARD
3.5⭐
Rom com with magical realism elements. It was a good one time read though I expected more from her books esp FMC Cam who was being super irritating esp at the beginning of the book.
If you enjoy Hallmark movies , small town vibes and grumpy vs sunshine then check this out.

Thank you NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review. The quick wit and sarcastic humor of Cam had me rolling with laughter! I absolutely loved her sense of humor and her potty mouth that would catch a lot of people off guard. Her character was relatable of being overworked, a horrible dating life, and having family issues. When she gets sucked into a small town with a true love clause to get out and back to her real life, this causes her to take a step back and re-evaluating her life and priorities. Cam finds acceptance from the town and love with the handsome Dr. Ben.

3.5 stars (ask me on a different day and this would be different).

"Change of Heart" by Falon Ballard is not my favorite Falon Ballard book, but it's still a good read. It straddles the line between "serious" and "Hallmark cheese," so go into it knowing that! The magical realism world in this story feels well thought out, and I feel it works very well. The main characters, Cam and Ben, find themselves in this alternate reality after a bad first date together. Cam is borderline unbearable at the beginning of this book, but that's the whole point! She gets to see herself as others see her, and she learns via this magical alternate reality that she is not actually happy in her real life. Her past has made her prickly, and who among us hasn't felt that way at some point? Cam will turn a lot of readers off, I'm sure of it, but I gave her the benefit of the doubt and was pleased with her growth and arc as a character. Unfortunately, while I did like Ben as a character, I don't think we get to know him quite as well as we do Cam, which left a lot to be desired from both him and their connection. I felt *a little* chemistry between them, but not like I have while reading the couples in Falon's other books. So, when it came time to the dirty, I wans't entirely all-in on them because the yearning and pining just weren't there. My main complaint is that it feels a little repetitive and a bit too long for a story of this nature. I also *never* want to hear the pet name "sweetheart" ever again... I swear to god, "sweetheart" is said more times in this book than the f-bomb is said in film "The Departed." Still, I think this is worth reading. Falon is one of my favorite authors, and I will read anything she writes. If you ask me on a different day, I might round up or down depending on my mood. Goodreads needs half-stars for books like this.

Thank you to NetGalley, Falon Ballard, PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, and G.P. Putnam's Sons for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.

Thank you @prhaudio for the alc!

I always love Falon’s books. I feel like I can always rely on her for a good time, a good story, a swoony romance that is full of wit and banter. Magical Realism is always a hard genre for me, but this book really worked for me.

After a bad first blind date, Cam ends up in a groundhogs day world in Heart Springs, a small town, where she lives next door to Ben, the guy she went on the date with. I think this book not only focused on the romance, but also about Cam’s self growth and I really enjoyed it. I found her big city persona relatable, and so It was nice to see her change and really discover herself. I thought Ben was always sweet and I loved how steady he was for her. I also just loved this town.

This book wasn’t as steamy as her other books, so if you’re not a big fan of steam, then this is a great book of Falon’s to check out.

I love Falon Ballard and I was so excited to have the opportunity to read Change of Heart- and I was not disappointed.

I rate this book a 4 star ⭐️ 2 🌶️

Falon has a way of writing cute and rom com books that keep me entertained. This book was different than the books I've read from her where this book has magical realism elements (traveling to a different world/small town). I also loved the banter between both Cam and Ben which again drew me in.

If you love magical realism, grumpy x sunshine, banter, small town, and hallmark vibes then I would recommend this book.

I think I might officially be breaking up with Falon Ballard. I loved her first two books and I love her as a person, but her last three books have not been it - and this might be the worst one. It's really hard not to compare this to books like A Novel Love Story by Ashley Poston or Book Lovers by Emily Henry. But at least in those books, especially Book Lovers, the characters are multi-dimensional and there is more to the plot than what is presented on the surface. The characters in Change Heart are incredibly one-dimensional, with Ben being the biggest offender. He is the most boring MMC I have read in a while, and I also find it so strange that he starts to call Cam 'sweetheart' out of nowhere.

Ultimately, I knew this would be a cheesy book. I love cheesy books! But I kept reading expecting there to be some sort of twist or *something* that wouldn't make the message of this book less painfully obvious. There were so many things that I thought were set up for a twist that ultimately went nowhere. Who was Mimi?? Are all of the fictional characters actually real people in Cam's world, and are they also living in the town under false pretenses?

I think it's a very fun concept to have characters trapped in a fake Hallmark movie town, but I just through there would be more.

That said, I kept reading because I wanted to see what would happen so I guess that counts for something even if what happened was a disappointment.

Falon Ballard is back with another sweet romcom, this time set in a small idyllic town...albiet a mystical town! Whimsical and funny, Change of Heart will have you rooting for Cam as she learns to slow down and find love, and laughing at the ridiculous moments that transpire.

Change of Heart
By: Falon Ballard
Review Score: 4 Stars

Boogie’s Bulletpoints
•Romance
•Fiction
•Magical Realism
•Amazing banter
•Small town

———
Y’all, I love Falon Ballard. I love how she writes books. She always has the perfect amount of character development and plot, and Change of Heart was no exception.

We meet Cam, a workaholic, who is on a blind date with Ben. Their overly involved waitress pays for their meal, and, unknown to them, sends them to a small town called Heart Springs.

Cam then has to figure out how to get out of Heart Springs and back to her own life, and Ben is there to help her fulfill these tasks.

I loved Cam as a character. I love her inner monologue, I love her desire to succeed, and I love her evolution through this story. And her relationship with Ben? They were definitely a slow burn, but I loved it.

Add in a small town and a cast or characters, and you have a book that is both funny and profound.

I really enjoyed this book!

I love the uniqueness of this novel. It feels a little bit like a Christmas Carol, but not a holiday, and actually living in a Hallmark town. I really love Falon Ballard’s writing and this book is no different. I loved the balance of two strong characters with difficult jobs and how different their approaches were. The backstory from Cam was really well done, but I wanted a bit more from the MMC. I’m not one for being transported into a different world, but I did like that it felt original. This gave small-town vibes and certainly brought the humor. I really enjoyed the ending, and although the plot wasn’t necessarily my favorite, I thought it was really well done. 3.75⭐️, 2🌶

This one was actually super cute! I loved the whole magical realism aspect of it and wanted it to be longer.

My favorite theme was the self reflection and development and self love.

The banter and spice were pretty darn good. I loved the different take they had to complete in order to get home. And there is not one book of Falon’s that I did not adore.

The beginning drew me in but I gave up around 30%. Cam wasn’t relatable at all and she seemed rude. I can usually read a 330-page book in a couple days but didn’t want to pick this one up again. I tried and tried but was, honestly, bored…

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley & the publisher.

Change of Heart is a delightful romance with a dash of magical realism to take place within a Hallmark Movie setting. Campbell is a lawyer who always puts her career over love. Her grandmother keeps setting her up on dates. Cam goes on a blind date with Ben, a paediatric surgeon. After her date with Ben, she wakes up and realizes she's been transported to a small town with Hallmark vibes. Ben is also transported with her, so together, they work toward returning to their real life

Read this book if you enjoy:
-Magical realism
-Fun banter and steam
-Small-town Hallmark vibes
-Grumpy (FMC) & sunshine (MMC)
-Lawyer/Doctor
-Open door romance
-Character growth

This was a perfect spring read! Falon Balard is such a favorite author of mine.

Cam and Ben's connection was great and growing. I wish there was more depth to both of them tho.

Cam personality was not a favorite of mine. She perceived herself as one thing and next another. It was annoying to me. I also think alot of people felt the same. I think if she was written a bit better I would have liked her a bit more. Its very difficult to finish a book with an unliked FMC.

The story was great and I loved the concept but she was not it for me,

Campbell Andrews has woken up in her version of hell. After a disastrous blind date that her grandmother set up, she wakes up in the sweetest town with happy people, festivals, and lovely little businesses. She is supposed to be in the biggest meeting of her life, not stuck here with her blind date living next door! In order to get back to her real life as a partner at a law firm, she will have to fulfill three tasks, one of which is falling in love.

Campbell doesn’t believe in love and cannot imagine that she will ever get out of her personal nightmare (think Hallmark movie)

Why Jackie loves it

This is a delightful and unexpected read. I love the setting of a small town for a love story and I loved how Campbell finds herself. I don’t want to spoil anything but this is the perfect book to read for Valentine’s Day #Gifted

This was both hard to read (in a funny way, hello second hand embarrassment), and a bit confronting of how I would react in this situation because honestly I would be just as crass and annoyed as Cam was.

Yes she had thing to unpack about her current life situation, the way she and her family interacted, and most definitely how she interacted with others. The cute, holiday town was a mixture of Pleasantville and all the small town Hallmark movies that Cam had to watch on the only channel that existed. It made me uncomfortable!! Who knew that I would feel suffocated by a cute, happy, small town??

Ben and the diverse cast of characters were fun and so heartwarming. Just solid rocks through Cam's trails and tribulations, helping and enjoying the ride of Cam realizing her worth and happiness.

the term of endearment "sweetheart" would throw me off until I remember that Ben and Cam are from New York and then I just tried to give Ben the accent every time I read any of his lines.

Ballard takes contemporary romance and just makes a great afternoon read, or a plane ride read for me (funny enough, leaving New York). AND the no third act break up just made it all the better.

Change of Heart fell flat for me. It follows a cute but very basic Hallmark movie plotline.

I usually roll my eyes when people say a romance novel is predictable (There's always gonna be an HEA, duh!), but this one really was. I was able to predict all of the plot points down to the fundraiser being a date auction. And we all knew from the beginning that Mimi thought Cam and Ben should be together based on the initial first date, so the added setting them up with other people made no sense.

And let's talk about Cam - Aren't we all beyond the bitchy successful woman who wears all black needing to change? Why can't she feel happy and fulfilled in her current life?

I really liked Cam and Ben together though. That part of the ending made me happy.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review!