This was a quick read but it wasn’t my favorite. I love Fallon Ballard so I’m shocked this wasn’t higher for me. I was irritated with the FMC from the start and I don’t think I ever shook that feeling.

I usually love Ballard's books, so I am shocked that I had to DNF this. I got to roughly 30%, and I can't go on.

I was initially excited by her dedication, a shout-out to unlikeable girls. Stating that she hopes they find supportive and kind partners who aren't threatened but instead inspired by their ability to kick ass.

I am probably considered unlikeable. I am strong-willed and a hard worker. I stand up for myself. However, there is a difference between being kick-ass and being mean, which is what the female lead is.

Her attitude toward everyone in this book is very cringey. She is rude and mean to everyone, including the love interest.

I know it is not just me. Several reviews mention the meanness. So, I am comfortable stopping at 30% and hoping that I enjoy the next book by this author more.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam | G.P. Putnam's Sons for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book was unfortunately a DNF for me. I did read about 30% and then skipped to the end so I could see how it panned out. I really like other Falon Ballard books so I had really high hopes for this one. The description sounded great BUT it didn't meet expectations. I did not connect with Cam and could not stand (even at 30%) the overuse of "sweetheart." The town all knowing what Cam needed to do was unusual as was Ben being there.

I will read another Falon Ballard but this one just wasn't what I hoped it be.

This was a no for me. I almost put it down honestly but I’ve never just stopped reading a book before so I kept going. But I couldn’t wait to be done. It had a good overall plot but it was so unreal and hallmark movie like that I couldn’t get into it. I love a cute story like that but it was so far fetched that it didn’t work for me

I feel the need to preface this review by saying that I usually love a magical realism bent, AND I usually love Falon Ballard's books. However, this one just did not work for me. Our female heroine is a straight-up acerbic asshole, and that doesn't really change over the course of the book, and our male hero is the book boyfriend equivalent of a Ken doll. This whole story had vibes of Barbie movie and The Good Place, with a pinch of Stepford Wives, and I would normally be down for such campy fun, but there were too many loose ends and I just couldn't get into it. I would have DNFed it were it not an ARC I committed to reviewing, and even the ending wasn't satisfying because there wasn't any true growth for the heroine, and the hero was still a shell of a character with no discernible personality or opinions of his own. Perhaps I just wasn't the right reader for this book, but I do look forward to seeing what the author comes up with next.

Thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for gifting me with an ARC to review. All opinions are my own.

Magical realism is not my favourite. I always struggle to believe the storyline and prefer more realistic plots HOWEVER when I saw this was a Falon Ballard book, I didn't even hesitate. My finger clicked that request button so fast, I didn't even know what the book was about! Going in blind, I found myself wary at first but as the story went on, I couldn't help but get invested in Cam's predicament, being stuck in a small town and not being able to return home until she has a change of heart.

The character growth was evident in Cam by the end of the book and her relationship with Ben was super cute. There was no insta love and their relationship was a joy to follow as their feelings grew deeper. I will read anything this author writes. She is so talented that I always know I will love her books. This one was no different - highly recommend if you need a good romcom!

This was definitely not what I expected! Magical realism isn’t really my preferred genre. I was excited to read a new book from Falon, but it felt a little flat for me. I really wanted to see more of Ben. It reminded me of Freaky Friday mixed with Alice in Wonderland

Sweet romcom for lovers of Hallmark movies and/or Schmigadoon. Cam is a high powered lawyer who has no time for anything outside of work. Certainly no time for love. She is forced on a blind date with Ben by her grandmother. It does not go well. The next morning, she wakes up in Heart Springs, a quaint little Hallmark town. Oh, and Ben is there too. Cam & Ben have to work together to figure out how to get the transformative happy ending & get back to their real lives. A charming, magical romance about finding your true self & love along the way.

[ARC review]
CHANGE OF HEART by Falon Ballard is a magical tale of an "unlikeable" woman who finds herself in a Hallmark-esque perfect pastel small town.

Campbell "Cam" Andrews is a high-powered attorney in NYC. She's got a sharp bob, no nonsense, and no time for love. She's supposedly "unlikeable," and she is, at the very least in the sense that she's rude to her blind date, Ben, instead of just telling Grandmother that she doesn't want to be set up on dates.

The morning after her date with Ben, Cam wakes up to find herself in the candy-colored town of Heart Springs, with beauty queen curly hair, a closet full of frilly dresses, and three impossible tasks before she can go home.

I don't think Cam actually is unlikeable, other than the initial rudeness. In romance, at least, how can you not like the characters you're also supposed to root for? It's not unlikeable to be ambitious or driven or closed off to love because of family trauma. (It is bad to be answering emails during a date, but that's not exactly a reason to write someone off entirely.)

And maybe that's the whole point. Those Hallmark movie heroes' brunette girlfriends with an important job and nary a gentle curl aren't the villain. You don't have to be the town bookstore owner--even lawyers deserve love! Justice for the unlikeable career women!!

It was cute, especially as Cam gets put through her Hallmark movie paces.

CHANGE OF HEART is out February 11.

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#NetGalley #ARCreview #ChangeOfHeart

Fun, cute, a bit predictable. I wanted to love it but it felt a bit formulaic. It was easy to get through but I wanted more!

Change of Heart by Falon Ballard

Rating: 4.5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Spice: 2/5 🌶️🌶️

Thank you to Penguin Random House, G.P. Putnam's Sons, Netgalley, and the author for access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

“To all the ‘unlikable’ girls: May you find supportive, kind, compassionate partners who aren’t threatened, but instead inspired, by your ability to kick serious ass.” ✨💕

Change of Heart is a super fun, cute, entertaining romcom that’ll leave you smiling. I always really enjoy anything by Falon Ballard, so I really liked reading this one!

The story focuses on Campbell (Cam), a lawyer who only has time for work. At her grandmother’s insistence, she goes on a blind date with Ben, a pediatric surgeon. After things don’t go well and they decide to end the date, she goes home and goes to bed, hoping to put it all behind her. When Cam wakes up, she’s suddenly in a Hallmark-like small town. Cam has to complete 3 tasks in order to go back to her regular life and Ben (her next door neighbor in Heart Springs) helps her along the way.

First, the town is so wonderful! I absolutely loved the Hallmark and Gilmore Girls vibes throughout. Seeing Cam’s journey of discovering what is important in life was so heartwarming. Ben and Cam are such a cute couple. Having them go from enemies to friends to lovers was so special. The slow burn between them was so awesome and I really enjoyed the small moments where you can see their relationship grow.

Overall, a charming and easy read that is full of heart, sarcasm, and humor. Also, the supporting characters, banter, and small town setting were so amazing!

The book I didn’t know I needed!
The perfect rom-com for all of us girlies who hate to love Hallmark movies and struggle to embrace vulnerability. I adored this one.

Change of Heart // Falon Ballard
Publishes February 11, 2025

I have read everything Falon Ballard has written and I have loved them all. The premises of this book is an ode and satire of Hallmark holiday rom-coms. Cam is a big city lawyer working for the big bad guys without time for love or hobbies. She lacks familial love and support and avoids dates by working through them.

Her date with Ben is pivotal as their server leaves a suspicious note on their check. The next morning the two of them wake up in a picture perfect town with an upcoming festival. Cam is reunited with the waitress from the night before and given three tasks before she can return to her old life. Ben happens to show up as well.

To be completely honest this is the first book of Ballard’s that I haven’t loved and gushed over. I loved all the characters, but had trouble believing the relationship between Ben and Cam. The story also felt a little disjointed to me and the pacing felt off. I did enjoy the book overall but it is definitely not my favorite of Ballard’s.

Let me start by saying overall I really enjoyed this book. It wasn’t terribly deep just a fun, cutesy romance. I’ve read some of Falon Ballard’s work before and this one was just as enjoyable. The stunning cover is really giving Valentine’s Day, so it’s perfect for this week for sure!

This was more fast paced than romances I typically read but I felt like it worked well with the plot of the novel. Cam never knew how many days had passed since arriving in Heart Springs so.. neither did we really! It did feel like as Cam was rushing to get her tasks define we were rushing through the book (in a good way). I thought Heart Springs was well thought out and could picture it perfectly in my head.

The magical realism in this novel was fun and always had me thinking three steps ahead. Every time we hit a roadblock toward the end I couldn’t help but think about what we were missing and how Cam was going to get home!

I did wish we could’ve learned more about the MMC Ben and that we could’ve spent more time seeing their relationship grow. I liked Ben but felt like I only knew who he was as he related to Cam.. I felt like I just never really got to know who he was away from what he could do for her! For as much time as we spent in Heart Springs, I wanted a little more of the process of them falling for each other. It felt like it happened quite quickly for as long as we waited for it to happen!

I adored the bits of how important friendship is that were sprinkled throughout the book. Cam finding true friendship was just as important as her finding true love!

Overall I did really enjoy this and think it’s a perfect romance for this time of year. It was light, witty, and I was totally invested in the story.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam- G.P. Putnam’s Sons for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I wanted to love this book but it was not for me. Still a solid 3/5. Even though there was some magic realism it just felt like too much of a stretch. I didn’t feel like there was much depth to Ben even though he was central to the story.

I really enjoyed Cam’s character arc going from quite honestly a shitty person, to bearable, to an actually likable decent human being but it took forever to get there. Ben was a completely different story, was almost TOO perfect and seemed like he was just along for the ride (not entirely in a great way either).

Cam and Ben go on a blind date setup by her grandmother, doesn’t go well and both end up in this perfect sunshine and rainbows town to sort out their problems together before they can get back home.

Slow burn, he fell first, banter and a cutesie love story.

Was it my favorite? No.. but it did hold my attention to damn near finish it in one sitting and for that, I’m giving it 3.5 ⭐️

This story was so different from Fallon’s other books but equally as good. I enjoyed the whimsy of Heart Strings and all the characters Cam and Ben meet along the way. Cam and Ben have great chemistry and while their romance isn’t a complete surprise it’s also not 100% predictable either. Once I started, I couldn’t put it down. Overall. A great read with a few fun twists a turns. Thanks #NetGalley for this eARC!

3.25 Stars

Ok so is this totally cheesy and predictable? Yes. But did I love it anyway? Also, yes. Sometimes you just need that book to escape into and this was that for me.

After blowing up a blind date with a doctor, workaholic Campbell (Cam) wakes up in a Pleasantville-like universe. Stuck there until she can complete three tasks, one of which being that she finds her passion, Cam feels like she will be stuck forever. Can she open her heart to friendships, a relationship and finding her passion in life?

While this book started off slow for me, I really enjoyed it and by the end it had me in tears! I adored the slow burn relationship that was built and the jealously that led to Cam ultimately opening herself up for love.

Read this one if you like magical realism, small town romance, reverse grumpy sunshine, and a slow burn.

Thank you to Net Galley, the author Falon Ballard, and Putnam Books for providing an arc of this book!

I needed a palate cleanser after reading some long, heavy books back to back. This was an ARC I received from NetGalley.

In the beginning I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I have to say that I ended up liking this book more than I thought I would!! The setting is very much Hallmark movie. My only 2 issues with the book were 1. The main guy’s overuse of the word “sweetheart”. And 2. Too many sex scenes at the end that I could have done without.

Overall, I’m glad I read it and would like to read more from the author. 4⭐️