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!!

3⭐️

CHANGE OF HEART
336 pages
Magical realism romance

Thank you for the #eARC in return for an honest review 🖤

I thought this was just okay. I enjoyed the writing a lot and the overall idea but somewhere in between I don’t feel like the characters had that much chemistry??? It was cute and funny at times. Relatable characters and a cute small town! Ben was so sweet and I think he deserves better??? Maybe?

🧁magical realism
🧁small town charm
🧁romcom aspects
🧁grumpy x sunshine
🧁self love
🧁hallmark movie
🧁unlikable FMC
🧁cheese and predicable

This is a light and easy romance with magical realism, small town romance, and slow burn tropes. This novel felt very similar to "A Novel Love Story" by Ashley Poston so if you enjoyed that novel you will love this one.

A workaholic lawyer (Cam) wakes up in Heart Springs after a disastrous blind date and in order to make it back to her real life she has to fulfill three tasks. Cam was extremely relatable for me as a corporate girlie and I really enjoyed her personal development in this novel and I also appreciated how Falon Ballard created dialogue that was realistic for a lawyer. I've read a few books lately with lawyers/corporate girlies in which the dialogue sounds like a high school/college student talking vs. a 30-something adult.

The magical realism aspect of this novel was whimsical and dreamy, I loved Heart Springs and the characters there. This novel is also set over the holiday season which added to the magic as well for me 🥰

Thank you Putnam and Falon Ballard for the ARC!

As a big fan of Lease on Love and Just My Type, I was thrilled to gain access to another new Falon Ballard novel. And with this story releasing around Valentine’s Day, now seemed like the perfect time to finally get around to this eARC. Unfortunately, Ballard’s previous two novels—Right on Cue and All I Want is You—were misses for me, and that streak continued with Change of Heart.

It’s safe to say this novel was missing Ballard’s usual charm and execution. Despite reading an ARC—I recognize that is an earlier, unpolished draft compared to what is printed—the novel did feel like it need another developmental edit. There were numerous points where I found myself wanting differences from what was on page. To start, the plot did not spend enough time establishing the normal for Cam and Ben before they were magically whisked off to Heart Springs. I wish the reader had received the chance to see Cam’s grandmother and see the true pressures of her job and family life prior to requiring the magical realism intervention. While in Heart Springs, I struggled with the story execution. Much of the events and relationship developments—whether romantic or platonic—were written via summary or occurred off page. I didn’t feel like I knew much about the minor characters, which meant I didn’t care much about their relationships with Cam. The entire story felt like the reader was being held at arm’s length from what was happening, instead of digging into what was unfolding on page.

Of course, Cam was another reason why the novel failed for me. It is okay to have a main character that is unlikeable, so long as they received that redemption arc or show growth throughout the story. I never really got the feeling that Cam was changing until the story was well past the 70% mark. What worked against her characterization was the execution of the story. I never truly felt that I had a sense of who Cam was, as a person, outside of her lawyer career, her attempts to outsmart Mimi, and shallow views she had of the world. I wish her characterization felt more grounded so I could, in turn, have felt more grounded in the story.

As for the romance between Cam and Ben—it fell rather flat for me. When reading a romance, I look for the plots and relationships that carry emotions and yearning, which shows the reader development at a character and romance plot level. In Change of Heart, we didn’t get much of that. The story started with Cam icing out Ben; the following 50% of the novel was largely mundane interactions between the two of them; and by the 80% mark, they were saying “I love you.” I felt myself missing the depth from Ballard’s first two novels. I know her writing can draw out the emotions that make a romance novel truly great. Instead, I found myself not caring about either Cam or Ben and wanted to know more about them as people before and throughout their development into a loving relationship.

Overall, this novel was a miss for me. I found myself skimming through it at parts, while wishing the development of plot and characterization was stronger. And with Ballard’s last three novels being misses for me, well, it makes me wonder if it’s worth considering her future work for reading.

Thank you to G.P. Putnam's Sons and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an early copy of this book. I liked the premise of this, it reminded me a bit of Schmigadoon (I will never forgive Apple TV for canceling that!) and I was really excited to read. I liked the general plot and the small town romance vibes. I found the FMC a bit unlikable and kind of annoying. I kind of thought the love interest was too good for her. This was still a fun time and entertaining.

I finished this book yesterday, and I'm not quite sure how to feel about it. On one hand, it was a light-hearted and easy-to-read story; on the other hand, there were several aspects I didn't like.
One of my biggest issues was with Cam, the main character. I know the title of the book is "Change of Heart," but she comes off as incredibly rude, and her bitchiness feels unnecessary. As the days go by, she makes little to no effort to change. She asks, "Why do you think I'm such a bad person?" while continuing to act selfishly.
We don't see enough of Ben, and Cam doesn't seem interested in asking him many questions about himself. This leads me to another element I didn't enjoy: the romance felt a bit too much like the instalove trope, which is one of my least favorites.
That said, there were good things about this book. It was easy to read, and I found myself wanting to keep going, primarily because I have a soft spot for Hallmark movies. I liked the small-town setting and the secondary characters, and there were moments when Cam was genuinely fun. I appreciated the ending of the story and ended up liking it overall.
In conclusion, it's a cute story worth a try if you enjoy Hallmark movies and well-driven heroines

Campbell Andrews is a refreshingly sharp and career-driven protagonist, whose skepticism toward love and idyllic small-town life makes for a fun contrast against Heart Springs’ relentless charm. Her frustration with the town’s quirky traditions and over-the-top warmth is entertaining, and watching her slowly soften is one of the book’s greatest strengths. The premise—a woman forced to embrace love in order to return to her real life—is creative and adds an interesting twist to the typical romance arc.

The romance itself is sweet, though it follows a well-worn path. There are plenty of swoon-worthy moments, but the emotional depth sometimes takes a backseat to the book’s lighter, more humorous elements. Readers who love Hallmark-esque romances will likely adore the cozy setting and festive atmosphere, but those looking for something more surprising or deeply layered might find the story a bit too predictable.

Overall, Change of Heart is a fun, feel-good read with an engaging protagonist and a whimsical premise. While it doesn’t reinvent the genre, it delivers exactly what fans of lighthearted, magical small-town romances crave—a comforting, romantic escape.

First off I would like to thank the author, publisher, and netgalley for an eArc of Change of Heart by Fallon Ballard.

Fallon Ballard has been an autobuy author for and I was so excited to get a copy of this ARC. Unfortunately, I could not suspend disbelief and reality enough to enjoy this book the way I have enjoyed her previous books. I felt it was a bit set to make me dislike the FMC and that she would eventually have her redemption arc and I would fall in love with her and the MMC together. Except that never really happened. Unfortunately, this one was not a hit for me, but Fallon's books are still amazing and I am looking forward to the next.

Thank you NetGalley, Penguin Group Putnam Publishing, and Falon Ballard for this ARC copy. I will be giving my honest review.
Falon Ballard is an author I look forward to reading. I have read multiple books of hers and rated them 5 stars. Her writing makes the reader invested in the characters from the beginning. Ballard is great at balancing the pacing of the plot with the characters' development/ personal growth. This book, just like her others, is bingeable and fun with a deeper meaning slipped in.
I do not want to give the plot away, and would suggest going into this book blind. The dynamic between the main characters grows and develops throughout. I adore the main male character; I think he is the perfect mix of romantic and witty. (Also he is a doctor, but not only a doctor, a surgeon.) One trope I can say without giving anything away is forced proximity with a lot of yearning.
I would recommend this author and book to any romance reader.

I enjoyed Change of Heart by Falon Ballard. This was a cute, cozy rom-com and I felt the added magical realism was a fun added twist.

Change Of Heart follows Cam and Ben after a terrible blind date. They wake up in a charming, picturesque Hallmark town and have to complete tasks before they’re allowed back home to the ~real world~

It pained me to give this 3 stars, as I’ve loved all of Falon Ballard’s other books. But I struggled with this one. I liked Cam’s personal growth through out the story but the romance definitely took a back seat to that. I didn’t feel the emotional connection to the MMC and he fell kinda flat to me.

Will I continue to read everything this author writes, regardless of this review? Absolutely.

Thanks to NetGalley for the arc!

I enjoyed this book much more than I initially thought I would. At first I was skeptical of the Hallmark-like town that Cam was transported to, but her journey (both romantic and personal) was really fun to read. Overall I found the book very sweet!

I unfortunately DNFd the book. The FMC was extremely unlikable and the more I read on the more rude and annoying she got. I know there must have been a reason as to why she was the way she was being, but literally from page one, she was so rude??
Thank you to the publisher for the ARC!!

I loved everything about this book! Such a fun Freaky Friday-esque theme with lovable characters and so many great aspects to take into “the real world”. Also, I will never get over the Sierra Simone call out early on in the book. I told my girlfriends to read it based off of that chapter alone.

This is the second contemporary romance with a magical-realism plot of being magically transported to a perfect small town, and I think I'm finding it's not for me. I find myself getting caught up in the particulars and searching for a deeper meaning when there isn't one. I absolutely loved Ballard's comedic writing. However, I had a hard time seeing the why behind why the two characters were particularly suited for each other. I think a dual-POV might have worked well here.

DNf at chapter 3, the main character is insufferable. I hope no one ends up with her, so bummer I didn’t enjoy this one at all.

2.5⭐

LIKED:

- I love a messy protag. Do I think that she needed some more fleshing out to actually be relatable and sympathetic? Yes. More on that later.
- I think Heart Springs as a town was overall very cute and I could visualize it pretty well. I think that there could have been more descriptions of it to really get a mental map, but that’s just something I like
- I really liked that she had a magical closet that changed with the seasons and that the seasons were kind of unpredictable in duration. That was just a fun little bit of world building.
- Boy howdy I sure do love nicknames. Was it a bit weird that he called her sweetheart all the time? Yes. But I just love when character’s real names being used holds so much weight
- The premise, generally. And now for my soapbox - I think this book has been unfairly compared to both A Novel Love Story by Ashley Poston and Prime Time Romance by Kate Robb for having similar plot-lines of being dumped into a Hallmark-esque town where everyone's a little too perfect and the FMC has to figure out how to get home or whatever. I have three things for that comment: 1. I’ve read both of those books and this premise is still pretty different. It definitely shares some overlap (Mimi is very similar to Sheldon in PTR and the town is not too dissimilar from the one in ANLS) but is overall its own thing. 2. Even if it was much more similar to these other books, they were all published within a less than one-year time-span between June 2024 and Feb 2025. This means that they were all written around the same time and in production around the same time, most likely this book was out of Ballard’s hands by the time ANLS was even on the shelves. That’s just publishing, baby. 3) (And honestly my most important point to make) This is not a novel concept. This is just an isekai, a story where a character is transported to a fantasy world, a thing that Japan has been rinse and repeating for decades in manga and anime. Who cares that it’s not the most unique plot point to ever come out? Isekais are fun. They’re silly little fantasies that are fun to consume. Is it an unfortunate coincidence that they made it to the rom-com book market all at the same time? Yes. But again…who cares.

LOATHED::

- Okay, now having said all that - I do think that this is one of Falon Ballard’s weaker books. I still had a fine enough time in it because I like her as an author and her books are quick and easy to get into. But there is some layer to this one that is missing, something that her other books had that made them feel more whole. This book felt so skin-deep, it almost felt like it was written in like, one bender of a weekend and then sent straight to the printers. I’ve read most of her other books and while I don’t think anything has really won my heart like Lease on Love did, the others I’ve read have been cute and the characters have been sympathetic and lovable. These characters felt more flat, Ben especially. Cam was fine in regards to understanding who she was and her motivations, etc., but she still felt more shallow than some.
= Who *was* Ben? Seriously. What were his motivations? His goals? What were his FLAWS? Like, I kind of get why Mimi brought him there by the end, but it was really flimsy.
- Bouncing off of that - why didn’t he get any required tasks to leave the town?? Why was it all on Cam?? That was so bizarre to me. I was honestly kind of hoping to learn that he was from the town or something silly and he just got suckered back in, but that was never the case (and never made to seem like it was by any means)
- The townspeople also felt really flat. Emma was probably the most fine, but…hm.
- The three suitors thing added nothing. It dragged down the pacing and didn’t really allow for more character stuff with Ben, imo.

LONGED FOR:

- More descriptions of the town
- More character motivations, flaws, etc. for Ben to make him enticing / make me understand why she likes him and he likes her, even
- More deep dives and digging into what makes Cam tick and how she unearths herself from the crusty corporate shill shell her grandmother cast her in


Will I read the next one? : Yes. It will take a lot for me to not read a new Falon Ballard book at this moment in time (unless I buy it and then stick it on my TBR shelf for eternity...sorry Right on Cue)

This is pretty predictable. Given the "Hallmark-y" environment, it's also a little cheesy. Still, considering that, it is a fun read! Perfect if you're in the mood for a bubbly romance! Thank you, NetGalley.

I received an an eARC copy of this book.

Cam and Ben have a disaster of a first date, where Cam makes it clear she has no intention of actually dating anyone, she just went as a favor to her grandmother. She's far too busy with her job to have a personal life.

The next day, they find themselves trapped in the idyllic town of Heart Springs where their confusion leads to more questions than answers.

Cam learns she needs to complete three tasks in order to get home, including experiencing true love.

This was a little too Hallmark holiday special for my taste. Cam's personal growth was the central plot but I don't feel like I learned enough about Ben to connect with him.

3.5 stars.