Honestly, I don't think I will ever dislike a Falon Ballard book. There will always be something that will pull me in. Here, it was the small-town romance and Hallmark vibe of the entire story. The characters were a little flat and not developed enough for my liking, but the romance was so cute I forgive everything else.

what a dream this book was! falon ballard cannot write a bad book! i love both main characters and their growth they experienced throughout the book!

Format - E ARC (Netgalley)

Rating- ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Spice- 🌶

Series- N/A

Troupes- Small town, enemies to lovers, paranormal romance, opposites attract

Representation-

CW-

Have you ever wanted to be transported to a hallmark small town and forced to find love and your passion in life? Well if your like me and that sounds like an amazing escape from our current dumpster fire of a timeline then this book is for you!

To Campbell however its a nightmare. And her last blind date is trapped there with her. While she’s busy with her tasks Ben not so quietly trying to help her all while falling for her.

This is Cams story but I will say that I would have loved to get inside Ben’s head.

I loved all the small town charm and the cast of Characters we came to know and love. I almost didn’t want them to make it back to there timeline.

As always with Falon this was a cozy fun read!

Thank you Falon Ballard, Putnam and Netgalley for the advanced copy, my opinions are my own.

This was very cute (with some spice 🔥) and different from the authors' other books (IMO). This is a stranger to friends to lovers, opposites attract, alternate universe romance. I am not normally into anything alternate universe or time travel-y type books, but I loved this little Hallmark town and all of the Hallmarky tropes! I honestly wish I could wake up hair and makeup ready, and my closet always knew about seasonal changes! I loved Ben and Cam's growth and progress. I always enjoy this authors books, and this was no exception!

I love Falon Ballard's rom coms and her newest book, Change of Heart is one of her best yet! This one is magical and full of whimsy. If you enjoy small town romances with a lot of charm, you'll enjoy this one!

After reading many Falon Ballard books, I was really looking forward to this one. It sounded so cute and promising!

Alas, I was very disappointed. I didn't really like the heroine as she seemed very entitled from the beginning. That trait doesn't seem to diminish at all as the book proceeds; she is constantly reminding readers that her hero is only here for her wants and needs.

As for the hero... it is possible to be TOO perfect. His character is static and, unfortunately, pretty boring.

I do look forward to Ballard's future books, as I'm sure this one was just an unfortunate swing and a miss for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

As a fan of Falon Ballard's earlier novels, I was really excited to hear about her latest: CHANGE OF HEART. Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publishers for the ARC I received in exchange for my honest review.

With a fun, whimsical premise, CHANGE OF HEART tells the story of Cam, a workaholic lawyer with no time for love, who finds herself trapped in a Hallmark movie-worthy small town. I enjoyed the supporting characters in this story but had a really hard time rooting for Cam. This one wasn't a winner for me, but I am sure others will really enjoy it! Ballard's writing was fun and enjoyable, as in previous novels, and I will seek out her future work!

Change of Heart is reminiscent to me of Book Lovers (by Emily Henry), in that the main female character, Cam, is a workaholic and gets pulled into a Hallmark-esque small town to slow down a bit. There’s a magical realism aspect to that, similar to Prime Time Romance (by Kate Robb), where she is basically in an alternate universe and has to figure out how to get back home. Cam was a bit insufferable to me at times, particularly in the beginning. And her love interest calls her “sweetheart” an ungodly number of times. But I thought it was still cute.

I’m sad to say that I did not love this book:( from the start it just did t click for me: the male main character seemed so nice and optimistic while the female main character was rude, condescending and mean, I just didn’t appreciate it which sucks cus I have liked Fallon other books:( for me after I got the ick from her there was no redeeming her later. But hopefully others like this book and are cake to get passed the behavior flaw

Change of Heart was the perfect little book for this week. It is a magical realism book about a busy workaholic Manhattan lawyer who wakes up in a Hallmark kind of town and can’t return home until she falls in love. This is such a swoonworthy book. The little town is so charming and quaint and really out of Hallmark movie. The supporting characters were all adorable and quirky. The romance was the kind that makes you weak in the knees, with so much chemistry. And my big fear that this would be one of those books where the corporate woman is evil and must throw away everything she worked for in order to live a simple life and get married was not the theme. Phew. So grab this warm fuzzy, sweet romcom for this weekend.

ARC BOOK REVIEW

Change of Heart by Falon Ballard
4 STARS

Thank you, Putnam, for the #free eARC of this book!

SYNOPSIS: “Campbell Andrews despises exactly three things in incompetence, tardiness, and love stories. Making partner at her law firm at thirty-four, she has no time for anything or anyone else. And certainly no respect for those who choose love over work. That is, until she wakes up in Heart Springs—her own personal hell.

The good news? She's not dead. She's been magically transported to a small town straight out the Hallmark channel, complete with a meddling mayor, seasonal festivals, and friendly townsfolk. Cam can't stand it, but in order to make it back to her real life, she has to fulfill three tasks . . . most importantly, she has to find true love. It seems impossible. But anything's possible with a Change of Heart.”

REVIEW: If Falon Ballard writes it, I will read it! End of story. Change of Heart does not disappoint. Is it cheesy and predictable? Absolutely. But did I love it anyway? Without a doubt! Is it a perfect rom com to escape into a small town with!

This book is a fun read with plenty of charm; I finished it in just over a day. As always, Ballard’s writing is wonderfully delightful, making the story even more engaging.

While the main character Cam’s growth is well-developed, her chemistry with Ben, her love interest, could have been explored a bit more deeply. Still, the book’s lighthearted nature makes up for it, leaving you with a smile.

Change of Heart combines romance with a hint of magical realism, capturing the cozy, Hallmark-esque movie with the perfect small-town vibes.

Publisher: Putnam
Pub date: 2/11/25

Change of Heart is a rom-com about a type A laywer Campbell who does not have time to date and is only focused on her career. She has a horrible blind date with Ben at a diner but the waitress pays their tab and wishes them luck as a couple. The next day, Cam and Ben wake up in a Hallmark town. Cam discovers from the waitress living in the town that she can't go home until she completes 3 tasks and one of the tasks is finding true love. Ben and Cam work together to get home and end up developing feelings for each other.

I usually like Falon Ballard books but this one fell flat for me. I don't think I'm a fan of books where the MCs get sucked into a TV show or something similar. It was kind of cheesy and predictable. However, it's a quick read that ends in a HEA.

Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

This is 100% your hallmark movie meet cute in book form. You have the heartless big city lawyer who has no time for love on life who gets spirited away to her version of absolute hell (the perfect adorable little small town) where she has no choice but to wear and do things she would never even think of in real life.
This for me was a meet cute on steroids. Extra cheesy with a side of cheese. Did I still end up enjoying it? Of course I did. You can’t help but smile by the end of these things.
My only pet peeve was the MMC Ben calling Cam sweetheart from almost the beginning of the book…that term just always seems inauthentic unless used by someone in a relationship.
A solid 3.5/5 stars for me.
I received an ARC of this title, all opinions are my own.

A million thanks to NetGalley, GP Putnam's sons and Falon Ballard for the ARC!

I LOVE a good Falon Ballard book. Her quippy and quick writing, pop culture references (albeit sometimes niche), and the interweaving of the main character redemption/emotion arc and the love story is always enjoyed by me.

This is no exception- BUT, I will say.... it was not my favorite out of hers. I think it was just the FMC being SO SO prickly at the beginning. It was hard to root for her when I didn't see anything at the beginning her tying her to some sort of love- ya know? Usually a grump has something they love (sibling, parent, animal, hometown, car) something! But Campbell only lived for work, and she was even contentious about that to the point of being cruel to others. Homegirl could have benefitted from some SERIOUS therapy.

I loved Ben. I could have used more Ben. Can we have a Ben origin story? Or a side character story where we get to know Ben more? What. A. Muffin.

Overall a fun quick read that I could EASILY see being a romcom movie!

Change of Heart by Falon Ballard is a charming romantic comedy that combines magical realism with a heartfelt love story. The protagonist, Campbell Andrews, a driven lawyer from Manhattan, finds herself mysteriously transported to the quaint town of Heart Springs. Here, she must complete three tasks to return home: find a meaningful job, integrate into the community, and discover true love.

Ballard’s witty writing and Cam’s humorous observations make for an engaging read. The romance between Cam and Ben, a local resident, is sweet and develops naturally.
Overall, Change of Heart is a great and heartwarming story about finding love and happiness in unexpected places. It’s perfect for fans of romantic comedies and magical realism.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the advanced copy

I read a book called Prime Time Romance a couple of months ago that gave a similar vibe to this one. This one really gives me hallmark romance. Cute and predictable, but a fun quick read.

Short Synopsis:
Cam Andrews is her job. She’s a lawyer and works for her grandmother’s multimillion dollar law firm. But when she’s set up on a date with Dr. Ben Loving, she doesn’t give him the time of day … that is until she wakes up in alternate world that resembles Stars Hollow.

My Thoughts:
I will forever read and gobble up Falon Ballard’s books. The wit and humor is always so great. And the characters - main and side characters - are just so fun. And CHANGE OF HEART is no exception.

I love a good magical realism read. I loved Cam’s self journey - and how she found her happy. And of course the push and pull of Cam and Ben created the perfect slow burn tension.

The nickname, “Sweetheart” was used 68 times in this short novel. And honestly, I hate that nickname for a grown woman - so could have gone without that though.

What You’ll Find:
Magical Realism
Hallmark movie (Big city lawyer finding herself)
Small town romance
Grumpy/Sunshine
Opposites Attract

I really struggled with this one. The premise sounded very cute, very Hallmark and I’m a massive sucker for anything cute and Hallmark. Unfortunately this one just didn’t work for me, I think because I just did not like the FMC. As a lawyer, I feel obligated to tell everyone who read this that this is NOT what all lawyers are like!! And I understand the plot device to show how much she changed by the end but oof. That one hurt! She and MMC’s relationship also didn’t make a ton of sense to me. I’m a girlie who loves to suspend disbelief and read on vibes but I just couldn’t for this one. A miss for me.

This felt like a modern day Pleasantville. A woman that works incredibly hard and "doesn't have time" for a relationship gets set-up on a blind date, who she tries to brush off. She wakes up the next morning in a home that isn't hers, in a place she doesn't know, with the man who she went on the date with next door. She has to complete multiple tasks in order to make her way back to the real world. The book was a quick read, but I will say that the use of sweetheart started to grate at me.

““I guess that officially makes us friends, Dr. Loving. I can’t say I’ve had too many of those in my life.”He nudges my arm with his elbow, the bare skin of his arm brushing against mine and making me shiver. “Happy to be your first, sweetheart.””


ARC PROVIDED BY NETGALLEY IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW


I loved the premise of the book, it's super funny when a romcom goes all out on the weird parallel universe thingie for the characters to learn their lessons and have their growth.

And that's exactly what I got with camben, especially Cam. She was a badass, a girlboss, the kind of fmc's I love, but she had sooooo much to learn about herself, and we got along for the ride to see her grow into the true her.

In a way, the book is just about her and that journey and Ben was there for her and for the love side, and that's not bad. But I would've loved to get more about him and his story, that would've given the extra push to a 4.5 or maybe 5 stars.

I think I'll check other books from the author in the near future!!