This book is a delightful read and if you enjoy rom com and cozy feel good endings, here you go. Read if you esp. love Hallmark movies b/c these two characters basically get STUCK in one. Campbell is a crazy working lawyer who has always put her career first in her life. She has a blind date with a man named Ben, a doctor, but makes it pretty clear she has zero interest and will not be distracted from her career and the date is a big waste of time. The waitress turns out to be a little fairy godmother of sorts and the next day the two find themselves as next door neighbors living in a perfect little hallmark like town and need to basically grow and learn to love in order to get back to the real world. Was this predictable and kind of silly? Yes. But you need that in life and I loved it.

I read this is one sitting, I loved it so much. It was unlike the other romances I have read recently, but still had the struggles and the angst. It was also nice to acknowledge the Hallmark movies that make moving to the small town and leaving the big city corporate job behind to find love with the Christmas tree farmer (or whatever) are not the only way to find love. It is okay to be successful at work in a big city. And you are not unlovable if you are passionate and work hard at your job.

Honestly, I loved the storyline with the dates and the jobs to try. The three different dates were fantastic and so were the job options. I loved the bookseller plot - selling an 8 year old IT because you thought it was a happy book about clowns slayed me. Honestly, the advice she gave the bride before accidentally convincing her not to walk down the aisle was good advice. The growth in Cam and Ben was fantastic, and I loved that she managed to still be a big city lawyer while also finding the Hallmark love. It reminded me a bit of "A Novel Love Story" by Ashley Poston, but I enjoyed that as well. I'm not sure what I would change in this book to make it any better, so 5 stars.

This was a fun, magical realism read. The concept is a romp and I found myself enjoying it. My only complaint, similar to Ballard’s other books, is sometimes the dialogue can feel a bit forced and I find myself occasionally feeling disconnected from the characters.

***Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC ebook.
Overall rating: 3.25
Spice: 🌶️🌶️

Fallon Ballard’s “Change of Heart” is about no nonsense lawyer Campbell Andrews, who has time for anything but work itself. At best, she’s closed off, and at worst, she comes off as a jerk during her first date with MMC Dr. Ben Loving. On their 1st (blind)date, she lets him know they can enjoy their dinner in peace while she works on her emails. When she goes to pay, the bill is taken care of by the server with a note letting them know “hopefully next time, you’ll be more present with your loved ones.”
The morning after her blind date, she wakes up in Heart Springs, which she dubs “her own personal hell.” The aesthetic, the clothing, the small-town vibes, and best of all, her nemesis/blind date victim, Dr. Ben Loving is her new neighbor. She’s trapped in this 90’s Stars Hollow Rom-Com fugue like state until she completes her tasks, “find a career she loves, become a valued member of the community, and needs to experience true love.”
The events that our Cam gets into feel more predictable than chaotic. I laughed out loud several times, especially with her first career she’s given at the bookstore. But I felt that Cam, even when getting further into her character later, just is overall: underdeveloped (in my opinion). She’s written with a great sense of humor, but the reason for her standoffishness—never knowing love from those around her, just…really isn’t gotten into. Although Cam’s backstory is touched on, it’s not explored enough to fully understand why she’s so closed off. This lack of depth made it hard for me to connect with her emotionally, especially as the romantic tension with Ben built. Really, the only times she opens up to Ben about her upbringing and even as narrator is not more than 7 sentences, her grandmother raised her (and she’s very strict/runs the law firm where Cam is now a partner, her family that is present is competitive, and her mother left when she was 10-11 and sent her to grandmothers. Cam is lonely and hardened, and really doesn’t realize how unhappy she is – but that’s just commonsense and not a sense of her character.
As for Ben, there isn’t tons of substance for him either. I totally appreciate the golden retriever/black cat relationship vibes we have in this story. He’s solid, he’s positive, he’s a pediatric cardiologist (he’s got it all), and from the very moment he meets Cam decides that she’s it because of her snark and can see something more beneath her tough exterior (hhhmm…convenient, but what is one actually getting on this blind date, because it wasn’t much). I get that the vibes we were going for is probably soulmate level love, but that is not delivered.
My main complaints are that while this is a sweet/cutesy read, again not tons of depth with these characters. It had potential to be a lot more in my opinion (we have the bones of Cam’s backstory—give us the heart!). The plot/writing was fun but also very predictable. Just a couple of examples: She goes on 3 dates, but ends up falling for Ben (just as the Heart Springs Mayor/fairy godmother/server/dream kidnapper always intended). The ‘she goes on multiple dates but ends up with the guy who was always meant for her’ trope felt a little too familiar, and it made the story feel less fresh. Also, when Cam can’t figure out why they aren’t going back to their real life, even though she’s in love…it’s because, she has to love herself first…wow. The love yourself first trope was way to on-the-nose for me and VERY predictable. While the plot was fun, the predictability lessened the stakes for me. Once the ‘love yourself first’ lesson started to unfold, I knew exactly how things were going to resolve, which took away some of the tension I was hoping for. Again, if these characters were more developed you could probably deliver a very unoriginal line like that and have the reader go “omg of course you’re right absolutely I never saw this coming,” but …you absolutely do see this coming and just have to shake your head about it.
I think readers looking for a quick, fun read with a touch of spice will enjoy this one.

After a string of disappointing reads, Falon's Change of Heart was a delightful, quick read to get me back into the groove. This one was a fun burst of magical realism with a whole lot of heart (no pun intended).

Cam is our FMC who comes off as cold, driven, and independent. Throughout the story she learns how to give parts of herself away to connect with others while also learning to love all the parts of herself.

Ben was an adorable love interest but I do wish he had been further fleshed out. Maybe because this was a single POV so we only got to see him through Cam's perspective, but I wish he had been further developed.

Cam's history led to a lot of her character flaws, and I also wish we had seen more of the resolution/her trying to deal with her family and abandonment issues.

Thank you to Putnam and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

One of the first magical-realism novels I actually (really) enjoyed!!

Falon Ballard does it again! I was slightly hesitant when I first dove into this book -- magical realism has historically not been my favorite genre to read -- before reading this, Ashley Poston was my only reliable magical realism author. However, I was pleasantly surprised and pleased with how much I enjoyed reading this one!

This book follows Campbell and Ben -- starting with a less than successful first date. Campbell is a highly driven, workaholic lawyer, always striving to fill the shoes of her mother to impress her tightly-wound grandmother. She is too no-nonsense to believe in love and does not have the time to be in a relationship. Campbell and Ben part ways after Campbell dismisses Ben's idea that love should come before work. Flash forward to the next morning, and Campbell finds herself in Heart Springs-- a very Hallmark-reminiscent small-town with quirky characters and perfect everything. Naturally, she comes to find out she needs to complete three tasks (yes, one of which is to experience true love) in order to go back home.

Like I mentioned above, I really enjoyed reading Campbell and Ben's story. It was charming, I felt I could empathize with Campbell, and the setting felt magical and whimsical without being corny. However, the writing seemed to tell vs. show. For the romance aspect of the book, I wish there were more moments of Cam and Ben together, slowly getting to know each other, besides the short conversations we saw between them on Ben's porch. That being said, the pacing of the romance felt rushed, and Ben read more like a plot device than his own character. The story was there, but I wish it were more fully fleshed out -- the plot, the setting, the magic, the characters.

The FMC also felt needlessly crude. Why are we saying "fuckfest" right now or ever. I wish we saw a bit more emotional depth from her besides her sexual desires -- which are important, but not enough to fully convince me she fell totally and completely in love with our MMC.

Overall, I loved a lot of parts of this book. However, this book also feels like it has so much untapped potential, so I'm bummed that one of the only magical realism books I've found myself enjoying left this much to be desired. But alas, I will continue reading all of Falon Ballard's books!

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!!

This book was a miss for me. The FMC was incredibly unlikeable for reasons that didn't jive with me. The whole premise was really out there and the "alternate universe" wasn't explained well - it all just fell very flat. The way any POC was described felt really icky. The whole thing was kind of a drag to read.

Thanks NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for a digital advanced copy of this book!

3.25⭐️
Change of Heart was a wonderful balance of magical realism and romance. I really loved the concept but it did fall flat on some of the execution. While I felt Cam felt very fleshed out, Ben sometimes felt like a fake person. It wasn’t until 70% into the book until anything real was revealed about him. Their chemistry did feel real but I was wanting a little more character development.

Also, I can’t remember if she does it in her other books but I feel like every time a new character was introduced they were introduced by their ethnicity and gender and no other descriptors. It got very repetitive.

By then end of the book, I was ready for my happy ending. It seemed to drag a little. Overall though, the concept and all the fun side characters really sold me on this book. I would recommend for fans of hallmark movies!

Falon's books are so quick to devour! This one has some fun magical realism. Cam is an "unlikeable" FMC but that's exactly why I liked her so much - she's a woman who knows what she wants. She just has to learn to love herself. Ben is the sweetest guy! Swoony, funny and sweet. Thanks to Netgalley for the early copy!

He falls first • small town • forced proximity • found family •

1-part hallmark movie + 1-part magical realism mix with a black cat girl FMC and a lover boy MMC and you get this book. I think Cam may be one of my fave FMC and it was so enjoyable watching her as a character. As I was reading this book I could legit see it playing out on screen, such a fun read, another hit from Falon.

Thank you NetGalley and Putnam for the ARC.

This is a new author for me. This book was super cute and so much fun! This book was very well written with great characters with flaws. So much humor and heart wrapped up in this book! I love the character growth that Campbell had being a work-a-holic, lawyer. I devoured this book in a couple of days. If you are looking for a fun, sweet romance definitely check this one out! Huge thanks to Penguin Group and Netgalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

“Change of Heart” is the most fun, fast-paced rom-com! Intense work-obsessed attorney, Cam, doesn’t believe in love. After going on a disastrous date with Ben, an adorable children’s surgeon, they both wake up in a perfect storybook small town. Cam obviously hates it there because it is the total opposite of how she lives out her real life. She must complete a series of tasks to have the hope of returning back home. I had so much fun reading this book! The main characters’ love story was so sweet, and the themes were uplifting. There may be other books and movies that follow a similar concept, but the magical realism felt fresh and unique. Falon Ballard is an auto-buy author for me!

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

This book was a very cute romance with a magical surrealism twist. The FMC, Cam, is a workaholic New York lawyer that has no time for life outside of mergers and acquisitions. The stubbornness of the Cam did get on my nerves a bit throughout the story, but she redeemed herself in the end. The MMC, Ben is a pediatric heart surgeon (SWOON). They have an absolutely terrible first blind date, thanks to Cam, and then wake up the next day stuck in a fictional small town straight from a Hallmark movie. Cam finds out that she needs to do 3 things to get back home to NYC.

I won't spoil too much, but Cam tries out a variety of careers, makes plenty of mistakes, and then makes plenty of friends during her time in Heart Springs. She and Ben are neighbors and become close throughout Cam's journey to get back home.

I really love that this book is truly about loving yourself and that being enough. This book focuses on living life for you, for the betterment of those around you, and to find what really brings you joy.

This book could have definitely been a bit shorter. I felt as though it was dragging on a bit towards the middle. The romance in this book is also quite a slow burn, so the wait pays off in the end! Ben calls Cam 'Sweetheart' as a nickname and I honestly did not see where it came from. I think it was meant to be a bit sarcastic since she is anything but sweet, but most of the time the nicknames have a bit more of a background or meaning and those typically hit home more for me.

Overall, Change of Heart has a unique story and the characters of Heart Springs really grow on you. Give this book a read during Valentine's day for all of the feels.

Thank you for the ARC copy.

This was a cute romance set in a small town. Cute banter, good depth of characters. Nothing super new or exciting. Easy romance when you are looking for that.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
🌶️🌶️🌶️

What I loved: the concept/plot! A workaholic is transported to a Stars Hollow-esque town and can’t leave until she completes 3 tasks (find a job she’s passionate about, become a part of the community and experience true love). Plus, the dynamic between the main characters, the spice and the side characters (especially Emma!) were all really great.

What I didn’t love: I candidly struggled to connect with Cam and Ben didn’t feel completely three dimensional to me.

Ultimately, though, it was a really cute story and a fun read!

Read if you like:
- Magical Realism
- Small Town Romance
- Matchmaking
- Hallmark Movies
- Gilmore Girls

Thank you to Netgalley and Putnam for the eARC!

*I received a copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this opportunity*

Campbell Andrews has no time for love. As the youngest partner at her grandmother multi-million dollar firm, her time is money and money is the name of the game. However, after a disastrous blind date with a pediatric surgeon, Cam wakes up to find herself in a town straight out of a Hallmark movie. With her return to the real world pending on her ability to do three things, Cam will take on her biggest challenge yet-- falling in love.

This book had such a fun premise but it fell flat on the delivery; I was expecting something akin to A Novel Love Story, but was pretty consistently let down. What I thought was supposed to be fun and a tongue-in-cheek look at the Hallmark formula for romance, ended up being exactly that: a Hallmark formula for romance, cotton-candy sweet and totally unrealistic .

Cam isn't a good person, and her complete 180 change by the end of the book was difficult to subscribe to. Sure, I could believe she switched from drinking espresso to pumpkin spice lattes with extra pumpkin spice after her ordeal-- but there was nothing that remained of her original character in the last part of the book. She had gone from bad-ass boss-bitch who took on Manhattan and did it with a cut throat intensity, to someone who was willing to give up everything she worked for at the drop of a hat. Character change and growth is a hallmark for any good story, but this was a complete overhaul.

Her love interest, Ben Loving, was as flat as a doormat. I don't think I could tell you one character flaw or interesting thing about him-- except that he's willing to give up everything he knows and loves for a person he barely knows, with little to no explanation for why. He was the traditional Hallmark main lead-- bland, boring, and devastatingly handsome-- except he was from the real world.

Falon Ballard is a hit or miss author for me, and unfortunately this one was a miss.

While I love a good Falon Ballard novel, this one fell short for me. The main female character is a 34 year old, work obsessed lawyer that becomes trapped in a Hallmark channel world. She cannot go home until she finds true love.

Magical realism in a story is a thin line to walk. Sometimes you walk away with a beautiful, multidimensional love story. In this case, the story is a bit lack luster and well trodden.

I think fans of Ashley Poston and Katie Robb may enjoy this tale though. I will continue to read Ballard tales in the future! This one just wasted for me.

Thank you to Netgalley for this e-ARC.

I was so excited to read this book, as I have enjoyed several other books by Fallon Ballard. Unfortunately, Change of Heart missed the mark for me. Cam hates love but goes on blind dates to appease her grandmother. The morning after her date with Ben, they both awake in a magical Hallmark town where she has to complete 3 tasks to go home. I just didn't get it. There were some cute moments, but overall I was just waiting for a big AHA moment where Cam would realize how ridiculous this whole thing was and get back to real life. I didn't hate it, but I did not like it either.

I have liked this author’s work in the past and the premise of this book sounds good but I always feel like it’s been an overdone scenario lately.

The story was cute and different but I found the prose to be a bit lacking. For a romantic story with the magical realism reminiscent of an enchanted Hallmark movie I expected more world building and descriptive prose.

After a bad blind date in NYC, Cam and Ben wake up in small town with all the look and charm of a Hallmark movie, with the cast of character to fill it. Seemingly trapped, the only way to return home is to complete a set of tasks that challenge their previous notions of contentment and happiness in their real lives, opening them up to more.

Cam is a compelling character that undergoes a radical character evolution. Ben is a stable and endearing counterpart to Cam throughout her journey, but I would have liked to learn more about him through the story.
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🩺 Romance
🧁 Magical realism
🩺 Small town
🧁 To-do list
🩺 Open door
🧁 Single POV
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Thank you Penguin Group Putnam & NetGalley for this complimentary ARC - all thoughts are my own! 📚
Publishers release date 2/11/2025