Change of Heart is a mix between a whimsical Hallmark movie and a hilarious episode of Gilmore Girls. Idealistic storytelling with witty banter and a dash of spice made this a fun read that I would recommend to anyone who’s ever dreamed of magically waking up in Stars Hallow.

I normally love this author but I did not connect with this one. I didn’t love the Pleasantville vibes and the FMC was super annoying and rude. She was meant to be assertive and a workaholic but it was off putting to me.

Oh I wanted to like this more but the overuse of “sweetheart” really made me want to throw my Kindle across the room.

This book read like a Hallmark movie, which I enjoyed but it just felt too long. I do wish I could wake up and have my hair/makeup done for the day. 😂 It started off with good pacing but then just dragged. It didn’t help that upon first meeting Cam, I could not vibe with her. It took awhile to even just tolerate her. Plus I didn’t feel like I ever got to know Ben.

I really didn’t like how rushed the ending was. I honestly hoped her being in the small town that I already forgot the name for would have been cut shorter and then we could have seen her really work on herself back in the real world.

The spice was like pepper. I give it a 1 🌶️ out of 5.

Overall, a cute read but nothing that wowed me. Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC in exchange of an honest review.

I’m the BIGGEST Ballard fan but this book did not do it for me!! In fact, once I finished it, I went back to reread All I Want Is You to relive the Fallon magic that is emotional, sexy and sweet. I’ll read anything she writes- she’s amazing and will recommend literally any of her other books (just not this one.) Can’t wait for her next book!!

Oh. My. Goodness. Cam, the mc, made me actually gag because she was so rude and insufferable. Like girl, it’s okay to be happy. Encouraged even! Wow.

Yeah no I didn’t make it past chapter five because Cam is ridiculous. Ben is cute though. Little bland, but at least he likes kids.

I was actually excited for this one because I think it’s fun when characters end up in a different world and have to work through it, especially with a lil cutie like Ben by their side. I love small town books with quirky side characters and fun shops. But I could not love this because Cam was literally the worst. Sigh.

i am so crushed and saddened to say that this was just… not for me. i am a HUGE falon ballard fan and will 100% recommend that you read literally any of her other books, but i really did not enjoy this. i found cam absolutely insufferable. i didn’t root for her at all. i did like ben, but found the constant pet names to be so annoying and cringey. the entire relationship came across as so forced and unnatural. i felt like we were strangers and then suddenly soul mates but didn’t get to see anything that led up to those moments. i feel like this was too long and too short all at the same time. i don’t feel like this focused on the romance enough to make their relationship believable and focused way too much on the super annoying fmc throwing herself a pity party the entire time. i liked the whole freaky friday retelling type story and think this had a lot of potential, but it fell very short. i’m

I have read every Falon Ballard book since it came out & was very excited to get an E-Arc! I'm giving this 3 stars, which is below what I would normally give one of her books.

Cam is a hot shot lawyer, working for her Grandmother's firm, posed to be her successor. Ben is a pediatric heart surgeon (swoon!). When they are set up on a blind date, their waitress Mimi gives them much more than they bargain for. When both Cam and Ben wake up next they are no longer in NYC but in a fictional idyllic town of Heart Springs. Cam has to do 3 things to get back home: become a member of the community, experience true love and find a career she is passionate about.

First off. I have to get this off my chest, the use of the word "sweetheart" DROVE ME NUTS! It has to have been used at least 50 times. Cam honestly wasn't not likable at all. Cam and Ben didn't seem to really mesh well together either. The storyline was also extremely predictable.

Uptight corporate lawyer Cam does not have time for love or the dates her grandmother insists she go on. The morning after abruptly cutting a date with Dr. Ben short, Cam wakes up in an alternative reality that seems eerily like the towns in the Hallmark-esque movies that play on her TV’s only channel. The only person in town who knows who she is is Ben, who was also transported, and Mimi, the mysterious mayor who happens to look like the waitress at their disastrous date. Cam must complete three tasks including falling in love before she can return home.

This book requires you to turn off you whole entire actual brain but is fun. If you’ve seen Schmigadoon, this is essentially that except they’re in Hallmark movies instead of classic musicals. I honestly preferred this over the Groundhog Day-style plot of similar books. The book is fun and doesn’t take itself seriously, nor should the reader. I do wish the book had been dual POV because I desperately needed Ben’s view of everything going on, but I’ve felt that way about all of Falon’s books. Overall I had a good time and it was a quick read, but I can get why other reviewers did not like it as much as I did.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

* I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this book. All thoughts are my own.

I’ve loved most of Falon Ballard’s books so far, but unfortunately, this is my least favorite. I found the beginning to be fairly slow, the main character Cam to be pretty unlikable most of the way through, and Ben to be very bland. Ben also started calling her “sweetheart” out of the blue and that was the only pet named he called her throughout the whole book when they weren’t even close to romantically involved, so it was actually kind of uncomfortable to read. And the romance felt very forced because it never felt like they were building the super strong relationship, even as friends. I know you’re supposed to expect that they love each other and everything is happily ever after but it just never felt like it. I was actually shocked when she said I love you.

Sadly, I will not recommend this book, but I do recommend her others!

This was so cute! Love the cast of characters, the story, the Hallmark movie town. Heart Springs reminds me of an even more magical Stars Hollow.


Thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher for access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

I adore anything Falon Ballard writes, and Change of Heart was no exception!

She has a way of writing really relatable FMCs AND MMCs so that you’re rooting for both of them from the moment the book begins. Even when it was clear from the moment Campbell and Ben woke up in Heart Springs that this would be a “Hallmark movie transformation” in the making, I was feeling Campbell’s frustration along the way as she tried (and failed, and punished herself) to complete her tasks.

I’m usually not one to obsess over a slow burn romance, but the “will they won’t they” vibes from these two were SO good.

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam Books for this eARC!

Change of Heart
⭐⭐⭐

Thanks so much to @putnambooks for the free eARC!

Clearly, I’m still in my Falon Ballard era. I was SO excited for this one, especially when I saw this cover. I find all of her book covers to be cute, but this one is my favorite.
This romance book was different than previous books I’ve read by her because this time she incorporated a magical realism element.
This is where I struggled because I feel like this element wasn’t explained as well as it could have been. It felt a little forced, and when the book wrapped up I was still left with some questions.
It felt heavily inspired by Ashley Poston’s latest novel, yet it was missing details.
I still think the concept of the small town was cute, and I liked imagining the adorable homes there. The members of the town make it even more entertaining.
I also liked the male main character Ben. He was a very chill guy, very patient. It’s good that he is patient, because the female main character was stubborn, and at times mean!
I was not too thrilled by her character's behaviors and attitudes.
I think the idea was there, but the execution didn’t work for me.
The author did a good job setting the scene and writing a fun, somewhat wacky town. I just wish I was more invested in the drama and storyline.
If you are interested in this book you can find it everyone on February 11th. I think it’s still worth giving a chance. There’s a major Hallmark Channel energy (not rated PG though…) so if that’s your thing, then check it out!

Read If You Like:
💚self-discovery
💚magical realism
💚small towns
💚blind dates
💚hallmark movies

2.5 Stars

I read and liked two books by Falon Ballard last year so I was excited to start the year off with her newest Change of Heart. It wasn’t a love for me but it might be for you if you can suspend reality & love a Hallmark movie (but with some spice.) For me, my favorite by her is still All I Want Is You.

I’ve read and loved books with this or a similar premise before, but unfortunately this one was just okay for me. I feel like when you’re dealing with magical realism you have to really make it believable even though it’s unbelievable & this just read as super cheesy to me. I also felt like the characters lacked depth & I never got to know them enough to have a chance to connect with or care about them.

Thank you to NetGalley & Penguin Group Putnam for the ARC of Change of Heart in exchange for an honest review.

cam is a lawyer at her grandmother’s firm and she’s everything you’d think of when you hear that she made partner super young, works on billion dollar deals, and eats men for breakfast. she chews anyone up who gets in her way and spits them right back out.
ben is a pediatric surgeon and has a serious heart of gold. cam and ben meet for a dinner date one night and cam bulldozes right over him. she’s over him before they even have a glass of wine. they receive a special message on their receipt from “mimi” and their time together comes to a quick end.
alas, their story is just beginning, but i was not invested. cam was extremely self-centered (part of the moral of the story?!) and even though i swear like a sailor sometimes, this woman said “f*ck” every other word and i was just. not. into. it.
can the stuck up, ruthless main character change her ways or will she end up alone and married to her career?
i felt like this book wanted to be a hallmark movie but ended up a lifetime afternoon debut instead.

thank you to penguin group putnam for providing this book for review consideration via netgalley. all opinions are my own.

This book was a fun little magical realism novel with a sprinkle of a Christmas Carol - how enjoyable! Cam, the big city lawyer, clearly playing the role of Scrooge, gets transported to an idyllic Hallmark town with the man she brushed off during a date. Given three tasks to complete before she could return home, Cam managed to traumatize a child, piss off a whole town, and fail countless times before she finally started to find herself. And really that’s what this book was all about. It was a love story, sure. But it was also a loving yourself story. This was a refreshing take on a classic story and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

**Thank you NetGalley for this ARC. All opinions herein are my own and are not a reflection of NetGalley, the author or the publisher.**

It pains me to write this but I had to finally call a DNF on this one at 44%. I felt zero connection to the characters or the storyline. I have lived Falon Ballard’s previous books but this one just wasn’t for me. Campbell was just insufferable. The chemistry wasn’t believable. And the magical realism just wasn’t doing it for me. I will read her future books because I’ve loved so many of her other books, but this one just wasn’t working for me.

Rating: 3.5 Stars

After enduring a blind date with Dr. Loving, Cam finds herself transported to the magical Hallmarkie town of Heart Springs where she will remain until she can challenged to find a career she is passionate about, become part of the community, and find true love. With her track record, she may never get home.

This was a fun tale with a touch of magic and romance. I found the setting and many of the interactions between Cam and the townsfolk to be quite amusing. I think all the Hallmark lovers and haters will be tickled by this aspect of the story.

Cam was challenging at first. I think the whole point was that she was kind of insufferable and terrible but grows tremendously during her time in Heart Springs. I felt her personal journey was well portrayed. She was very off-putting in the beginning, but I did give her a little leeway given her past. As she tried to complete her challenges, she recognized the worst parts of herself while also digging deep for the best parts.

I actually love Ben. I had a hard time buying into why he liked Cam before Heart Springs, but to each their own. He was a pretty good companion for her to have as navigated these tasks that pushed her way out of her comfort zone, but I was a bit let down by the epilogue. I know! I never say things like this. I am an epilogue lover, but it happened.

I have adored all of Ballard's books to date, so maybe I had the bar set high. There were plenty of things to enjoy as I read this book. I laughed plenty as Ballard always delivers whip smart dialog and banter, and I was entertained. I also thought the messaging was great and that Cam journey of self discovery was well done.

He's here, my Ben, and this is most
definitely real.” 💖💐🧁☕️
change of heart ARC 4.5/5 ⭐️
Thank you Net Galley and Putnam Books for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book!! I loved this book so much and read it so fast! I love magical realism books and I will be thinking about this one for a long time. This was my first book i’ve read by Falon Ballard and i’m glad I did! This is about a girl name Cam who goes on a blind date with a man named Ben. She is uninterested the whole date and when she goes to bed she wakes up the next morning in a small town. She cannot leave the town until she completes 3 tasks, one being to experience true love. I loved Ben’s character so much. This book is released Feb 11!! Definitely make sure to check it out if you like magical realism, romance, and friends to lovers.

If you like fictional small towns and city-lawyer-girl-has-to-find-a-new-passion-oh!-and-love Hallmark movies, this is the book for you. After Cam and Ben go on a date, she wakes up to find that they're neighbors in a fictional small town she can't escape until she accomplishes three tasks. While I enjoyed this as a whole, Cam's development really took the spotlight, plot-wise. So much so that Ben, the love interest, read very much like a side character we don't know anything about, which made it hard to "pull" for him, or their relationship period, because he just didn't have much page-time. That being said, I'd recommend this for Cam's finding-herself plot alone. It was a quick read; not my favorite by this author, but I'd still recommend it.

This hurts my heart to write, but I didn’t love this as much as I wanted to. I LOVED the concept, but the execution fell short. Ben was underdeveloped and the “sweetheart” of it all was really distracting. I still liked parts of it, but I wanted to love this one and I just didn’t.