i’ve been a Falon stan since “Lease on Love” and i love watching her branch out to the fantasy genre!! the characters develop so beautifully, and i love how Cam and Ben found each other. is there like a waitlist for renting in Heart Springs i can get on? i was a bit confused about my feelings towards the plot and the world that Cam and Ben were launched into, but it became clearer throughout the book. i recommend this book to all Falon lovers and anyone who loves a good enemies to lovers, close proximity romance 💖

*I received an advanced copy of this book. This is my own opinion.*

I've read all of Falon Ballard's previous books, and this one is pretty different. It's very Hallmarky, not in a bad way, but that's the vibe. (It's the intention, too.)

In Change of Heart we have Cam, who is a Big City Lawyer. Her grandmother keeps setting her up on dates, but after yet another blind date, Cam finds herself in Heart Springs, which is basically the set of a Hallmark movie, but real. Oh, and her date is there. To get home, she has to complete three goals, one of which is, naturally, to fall in love. After a few more failed dates in hallmark-land, she begins to wonder if she'll be stuck there forever.

This is cute and kind of silly, again not in a bad way! It all seemed to progress very quickly. Maybe the book was just shorter than I realized. I dunno, but it's a quick read, and while I know Cam isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea (she's not my favorite) that's kind of the point. She's supposed to be unlikeable, but we do see her change.

This is about a 3.5 for me. It's cute and light, and I'd absolutely recommend it if that's what you're looking for!
Thanks to Netgalley and GP Putnam for the ARC!

This book was very well written and it was cute/cheesy at times (which I love) BUT…the main lead…she was insufferable to me. I really don’t like characters that are very high strong in the way she was. Ignoring her date and saying she only goes on dates for free food. I know that women do and say those things but it just didn’t work for me in this setting. I felt little chemistry between them and idk. Her other books are usually 4-5 stars but this one read like a 3 start. Thank you so much for the ARC.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and PRH Audio for the advanced digital and audio copies of this new book.

I was excited for this new book from Ballard, as I have enjoyed her other novels, but this one fell short for me. I love hallmark style towns and plot lines and was expecting a Novel Love Story type thing. This did differ from that which I was glad for, however, I just didn’t fall in love like I’d hoped. The town was too saccharin without any great characters to love and root for. Cam Andrews was a hardcore boss b*tch and I know that was supposed to be her character but dang, I just didn’t like her. She did grow on me and I could see her growth, but honestly she just wasn’t a great person. And Ben…was a little too perfect with no depth or flaws whatsoever. AND the biggest ick for me…was the amount of times the man uttered the word, “sweetheart.” I counted, I kid you not, and it is said 68 times. And every single time I made a face or grimaced or audibly said “not again”. I just couldn’t handle it.

This one’s a pass for me sadly. A 2.5 stars that I graciously rounded up for.

Another cute romcom from Fallon Ballard. This one was unique because it took us to a picturesque mystery town where Campbell and Ben are forced together to try to escape this weird place. The tasks they are given to be able to escape seem odd but bring them together in the end. The to do list really shows Campbell that what she thought was important may not have actually been. The only thing that really bugged me was how Ben called Campbell sweetheart from day one in this new world but I pushed past it because I enjoyed the story.

3.5 stars!!

This was such a quick and fun read! While it can be a bit cheesy at times, it was also cute and heartwarming, and honestly I am okay with some of my romance reads being a little cheesy. I also love that there was some magical realism thrown in and that it made this a small-town romance!

I think honestly my biggest problem was how often the MMC referred to the FMC as sweetheart... I can handle a little bit of it, but the deeper into the story we got, the more frequent it became, to the point it felt like he was using it in almost every sentence. But, this is just an issue I have with romance books and nicknames in general sometimes, so it may not be something that bothers everyone.

I also felt like the chemistry between the main characters was a little forced at the beginning. It seemed to work itself out later into the story, but the first couple of chapters felt a bit bumpy.

Thank you to NetGalley, Putnam Books, and Falon Ballard for this ARC!!

I wanted to love this book. Falon Ballard is one of my top authors - I’ve loved everything she’s written, and I always appreciate the characters and worlds she builds.

This book was well written, the premise was interesting, but it ended up falling a little flat for me. The main characters wake up in a different world - a very small-town, hallmark vibes place they can’t get out of. At first, a lot of the characteristics are interesting, very meta, a bit of a commentary of the flaws of the hallmark world - the FMC wakes up every day with flawless makeup, her sharp bob has been replaced with flowing blonde waves, her wardrobe only has frilly dresses or cardigans, and no matter how much eats and doesn’t workout, she never gains weight. At first, she’s annoyed by how patriarchal this is - but she so quickly assimilates, it was disappointing to see how the only way to find true love, love yourself, find yourself, etc., was to go along the patriarchal path. I would have liked to see some of this presented differently - maybe more of an emphasis on the outside not mattering, more queer and diverse characters, etc.

I’m not mad I read this, and I’ll continue to pick up Falon Ballard’s books, but was a little disappointed in Change of Heart.

✨ NYC / Small Town Romance
✨ Strong FMC
✨ Rom-Com
✨ Dating Auction
✨ Blind Dating
✨ Peppermint Mochas

Okay this was a clever take on a rom com. Think The Good Place, but in Stars Hollow, with Freaky Friday being tossed in for good measure. Falon KNOCKED it out of the park with this one. I adored seeing the growth of Cam, and the way she really comes into herself in such a believable way, just really brought it all together. I love the romance, I love the banter, and I love the final part where they... you know what, no, you read it first.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Falon Ballard, and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam | G.P. Putnam's Sons for letting me read this one early in exchange for my review!

Note: I will be posting this to my blog and socials on pub day as well! I will update the links then.

I’ve heard great things about Falon Ballard but I’ve never read her so I was excited about receiving an ARC of Change of Heart. Unfortunately this book didn’t work for me. High-powered lawyer Cam, the MMC, was so unlikeable. Self-centered and rude, her first date with the MMC, Dr. Ben Loving (!), consisted of her ignoring him in favor of answering emails at dinner.

The two of them wake up the following morning in the magical Hallmark-like town of Heart Springs, where they are stuck until they fulfill tasks specific to them. Cam changes and grows during her time in Heart Springs, but I couldn't get over my initial dislike of her. Ben never felt fleshed out as a character so I couldn’t root for their romance.

I will go back and give one of Ballard’s earlier books a try.

Thanks to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam | G.P. Putnam's Sons for an eARC. Opinions are my own.

I started off not loving this book. The FMC was so insufferable. I couldn’t believe how rude she was to the MMC. Nothing about Cam and Ben’s first would have led me to believe that Ben would ever show any future interest in Cam or find any redeemable characteristics about her.

Once they were transported to Heart Springs, the quaint Hallmark inspired town, the book started to take on a different tone. There were moments that I laughed out loud. But Cam still wasn’t the most likable character. As the book progressed, I did start to see Cam in a new light and cheer her on.

However, the premise of the storyline just didn’t hit for me. Cam was tasked with finding true love, a sense of community and a passion for her work. But the overarching theme that was revealed at the end was rushed and didn’t leave the impact intended.

Cam and Ben were cute but we didn’t really learn much about Ben, so it was hard to feel invested in their relationship/friendship. That being said, I did get slightly emotional at some points in the book and if you are. Fan of cheesy hallmarks, you may enjoy this book.

Falon Ballard has created a new sort of romance, with the groundhog day trope, and I was very interested in this one! It was different in the way that although, our main characters are trapped and having to find a way to get out of the small town that they found themselves in, it is different because now they complete objectives, which I thought was so creative.

We met Cam who is the fiercest of them all, and her challenges, as well as to how she comes to find herself adn what truly is special to her, not what she was made to be based on what was around her.

Overall, this is another great by Ms. Ballard and I truly enjoyed this one!!

A disaster of a first date turns into being transported into a Hallmark town to give Cam perspective on what happiness really is. In order to get home she needs to fulfill three things, and the one to help her do that happens to be the other half of that disastrous date. This will take more than checking boxes though, this will take a change of heart and priorities. This book was a fun read. Easy to read writing style that has you engaged from the first chapter. The only thing I would have liked to see is the character development of Ben be a bit stronger and to know more about him. Thanks to NetGalley and GP Putnam Sons for the advanced e-copy.

A cute rom-com stuck in a magical realism Hallmark/Gilmore Girls small town setting. For someone looking for a fun and lighthearted read, this is the book for you.

Thank you, NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam | G.P. Putnam's Sons for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the story, but the number of "F" words lowered my overall rating. Also, Ben the MMC was little cringey for me. The plot was excellent and unique; for me, the F-words detracted from the engaging and creative story. *I received a complimentary ARC from the author/publishing company via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts & opinions are my own.

DNF at 40% due to boredom

As someone who has read and loved all of Falon’s books, I was shocked when I couldn’t get into this one.

I was so ready for a fun twist on the Hallmark “unlikeable big-city FMC goes to small town and falls in love” but by the 40% mark, it felt like nothing had happened. I simply wasn’t invested in either of the main characters or the storyline.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book!
This was my first Falon book, and I was excited to read it based off of other feedback on the back list.
This one wasn’t bad.

I’ve never wanted to get into an altercation with a FMC as badly as I did Cam. How Ben sat through that dinner is beyond me- and he continued to stay available and open to her.
While Cam did experience growth in this book, it just still wasn’t rewarding enough for me? Idk.

I love the premise of magical realism, the plot was great sounding, and I like the whole “thrown into a magical spicy hallmark town” vibes.

I’m definitely going to give Falons other works a try. The writing itself was fantastic.
I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to my community if they were looking for specific tropes.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an e-arc for a copy of this book.

While quite cute, this book didn't have the substance for a plot of this kind, and although it was short, it needed some editing and improvement of the character.

Our MC, Cam, is a bitchy lawyer, and while this book seems to be trying to flip hallmark movies on its head, it still falls into the trope that a woman needs to be improved to be able to balance her life and needs a man for her life to be complete. This would have been better if her character improvement wasn't literally because of a man.

Also, I don't love the choice by white authors to write "diverse" stories where all of the side characters are POC, but the actual MCs who fall in love are white. This isn't diversity, its just odd...

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group for the eARC of Change of Heart! Falon Ballard was a new to me author last year, when I was lucky enough to get an ARC of All I Want Is You which I DEVOURED and then proceeded to run to her back catalogue. Falon Ballard is an author for me and this book is no exception. This fast paced and fun romance was delightful, though I struggled a bit to connect with Cam as a narrator. Looking forward to what Falon has in store next for sure!

I'm always up for a story featuring a prickly, "unlikeable," workaholic woman, and after loving Falon Ballard's "Just My Type," I was looking very forward to seeing her take on a black-cat woman, as well as magical realism.

The story follows Campbell (Cam), a high-powered attorney who is laser-focused on her career working at her family's law firm and has no time for anything else. However, the matriarch of her family keeps setting her up on blind dates—after meeting Ben, a pediatrician, for dinner where she informs him that he has no obligation to remain on this date and proceeds to spend the time answering emails rather than trying to get to know him, she wakes up in a sun-drenched room with a closet full of flouncy, pastel dresses and discovers she's been transported by the waitress from the restaurant to a small, magical town and that she'll need to complete three tasks before she can return home. Worse, Ben is there, too—and he's her next-door neighbor.

Though I actually liked Cam as a main character and found it to be an easy and fast-paced read, when I stopped to think about the world and other characters, I unfortunately found that not much about it worked for me. Ben was unremarkable and said "sweetheart" nearly every time he opened his mouth, and the goal of the tasks Cam is forced to undertake ultimately don't make much sense when everything resolves.

Overall, I think this story had a lot of potential, but it just didn't come together in a way that worked for me.

2.75 🌟

Thank you NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam | G.P. Putnam's Sons for the ARC of Change of Heart by Falon Ballard.

I’ve become a big fan of Falon Ballard. Romance but always a little different. This one has a bit of the magical. Just enough to leave to guessing if Ben and Cam’s situation is really something magical, one really long dream, or is this real life?!? Cam is the power driven woman who doesn’t have time for love while Ben is looking for love but work takes up a lot of his time. One blind date and now they seem to be trapped in a strange town tasked with figuring some things out so to speak. How to do they get out of this situation, especially when Cam has to find her true love and Ben is her assigned “keeper” apparently? A fun and lighthearted read.