What an adorably cute and heartwarming read. This will definitely have you looking inward at yourself in a good way. This is honestly like a non Christmas Hallmark movie and was really fun.

Campbell Andrews is a workaholic and has no time for anything else. She is set up on a date with Dr. Ben Loving and immediately tanks the date because she knows it will go nowhere. They are both magically transported to Heart Springs and are given tasks that will help them get back home. It's a fun journey of finding their passion, becoming a part of a community, and learning to love themselves.

I really enjoyed Cam and Ben's build up of friends to lovers. She has never really had anyone in her life understand her so Ben's openness towards her was very refreshing. The town was adorable and I loved the side characters and the friends these two made. I have never read this author before but will definitely be checking more out!

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

Romance with magical realism. I wish we learned more about the FMC before the her first date and the magic started. I was not invested in her as a character. Also, I don’t love forced nick names in general, but using the nickname sweetheart 68 times is too many.

Oh my gosh. My new favorite Falon Ballard book! I had a feeling I’d love it just based on the dedication and how close to home it felt for me. Cam and Ben have a terrible first date but the next morning they both wake up in the same hallmark-esque town. This was such a fun, quick, and magical story. I wish we got to know Ben better but I really enjoyed this rom com.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

City girl workaholic gets stuck in a Hallmark movie. Hilarious! I loved every minute I spent reading this book. Fallon Ballard always makes me laugh.

This book was a like but not a love for me. I am a big fan of Falon Ballard’s, but I felt like I didn’t connect with this book and these characters as much as I have with her previous books. With that being said, I would still recommend that others would pick this up and give it a shot!

I loved the magical realism element of the characters being stuck in a Hallmark like town. I also loved seeing the character development of Campbell and her relationship build with others in the town. I wish we got to know Ben a little bit more and I feel like that might have helped with feeling a bit more chemistry between Cam and Ben.

Thank you to NetGalley and Putnam for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Admittedly I am a Falon Ballard stan and this book was no exception! A sweet and spicy romance but also a story of loving yourself. Couldn’t put it down!

Falon Ballard’s *Change of Heart* is a delightful and heartwarming rom-com with a touch of magic. The charm of Heart Springs, with its Hallmark-esque setting and lovable townsfolk, is impossible to resist. Ballard’s writing and well-paced storytelling make this a joyful escape. A must-read for anyone looking for a feel-good story about finding love and rediscovering what truly matters.

Really thought this was such a cute rom-com. Loved the magical realism hallmark feel. And if I woke up in a magical town where my hair and make up was done everyday… well I am not gonna pick at any plot holes cause I’m so sold on that idea! I’ll give it a solid 4 stars. Great tension. Ben was a dreamy perfect hallmark made man. I enjoyed Campbell’s character, her grumpy jaded heart and how with time she changed and discovered herself and what she really wanted. She had some snarky one-liners I loved too. A cute story! Thanks for the opportunity to read and review!

This was my first book by this author and I really enjoyed it! I loved Cam and Ben so much and I love a book with magical realism. This was just such a cozy rom com that gave me all the feels. also sweetheart is one of my favorite nicknames when used in a book hehe 🤭 give me all the hallmark vibes in books!!!

I am so incredibly sad because i absolutely love Falon. If she writes it, I know I’m going to love it. One of her books was my top book of 2024! But I’m sorry, this was not it and I want to scream and cry about it. I’m actually convinced someone stole her laptop and wrote the book because it’s unlike anything she’s ever written.

I HATE the word sweetheart, ugh the MMC used it 68 times! 68 times, like what?! The FMC was truly unlikable and she didn’t get any better as the book progressed. Their relationship felt forced and the spicy scenes were awkward.

Maybe this was a one off, everyone has throw away books. Hopefully the next one will be better.

Thank you Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Tropes
-Magical Realism
-Black Cat x Golden Retriever
-Self Discovery

Single POV

Okay let me just start by saying that I love Falons books, her last book was super fun and left me with high hopes for this one. I wanted to LOVE it so much, but It just didn’t work out for me. I struggled to connect with Campbell, her character development felt rushed and forced at times and It was hard connecting with her and feeling empathy for her situation. Additionally, Ben’s character felt underdeveloped—I wanted more from him.. and this might be a personal ick but I got really annoyed with him calling her “sweetheart” so much. It was too repetitive.

While the novel has its entertaining and humorous moments, I can't help but feel let down. I had high expectations, and although many readers will likely enjoy it, I don't think it's the author's best work.

This was a very cute and quirky book! When I first started, I was very thrown off that Cam and Ben were thrown in to an alternate universe. I wasn't sure how it was going to play out but I think Ballard did an excellent job of creating a whole new world. In the beginning, Cam was so incredibly unlikeable and I found myself getting really annoyed with her. She was so stuck up and hard to relate to. I loved that the premise behind the plot was getting her to open up and figure who she really is. Ballard did a fantastic job of turning an unlikable character to likable. My biggest complaint is that I wanted more Ben. I felt like there were supposed to be two main characters and I wanted more of him. He just felt flat and very distant. I loved when they finally came together in the ending, but it also felt rushed. I would have loved to see Ballard fluff out the ending just a little more. The ending was too abrupt. Overall, a very enjoyable and entertaining read. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher!

This book was really cute and had an interesting story. The downside for me was that I didn’t really feel the chemistry between Ben and Cam. It always felt to me like they had a friend energy, but I didn’t feel the romantic energy. I did love Emma and Cam’s friendship, and Mimi was a fun character!

Let me preface this by saying I am a Falon Ballard STAN. All of her books have been 4 or 5☆ ratings for me. Which truly pains me to say this book is one giant mess.

The premise is so promising! A no-nonsense, high-powered lawyer has no time for anything in her life besides her job. She wakes up one morning smack dab in the middle of a Hallmark-worthy town and must complete tasks that will help her become a better person to get back home and find true love along the way.

But... YIKES. Cam is one of the most unlikeable characters I've ever read. She's absolutely insufferable, and her journey never feels believable. Her bad attitude remains firmly in place from start to finish. It felt like she never actually learned her lesson, and throughout the story, she was basically spoon-fed everything she needed to do to get back home. Which was necessary because she was too self-absorbed to take one minute to think about anyone else or how she could fix things herself.

And Ben. Oh, sweet Ben. I swear to God, if I had to read him saying "sweetheart" one more time, I was going to smash my kindle over my head. I looked it up via keyword search... sweetheart was used SIXTY EIGHT TIMES. It was overused and not cute at all. On top of that, we never really get to know Ben on a personal level beyond he's a doctor and does woodworking on the side. He's not a book boyfriend, but more like a side character to move the plot along. He is just dry toast and nothing more.

They have zero chemistry. Nothing gave me butterflies. How did they fall in love? I had no idea reading it, and I still don't know.

The moral of the story is good. The plot had promise. The execution was, unfortunately, poor. I dont know where this one went wrong, and I hate to say it, but I do not recommend this book.

Thank you for the advanced reader copy from Netgalley.

Tags:
-magical realism
-Black cat × golden retriever
-self discovery

Spice: 1.5/5

First person
Single POV

This is a fun read - I enjoyed it so much. Perfectly plotted and incredibly engaging! This is a must-read!

Campbell's life is her job. She eats, sleeps, breathes it and she absolutely does not have time for her meddling grandmother's attempts at matchmaking. A blind date with a doctor is not on her bucket list so she writes him off as soon as they sit and can't wait to demand the check. Cam wakes up the next morning in Stepford Wives style Heart Springs with a "fairy godmother" demanding she complete three tasks (fall in love, find a passion for a job, make a difference) in order to return to her life in New York. And surprise, surprise, her next-door neighbor, Ben, is the date she couldn't flee from fast enough.
I'm a big fan of Falon's but unfortunately this one didn't hit that magic that her others have for me. It makes me a bit sad to say, however, I don't think it's a BAD book. It's an easy read that I wanted to binge the whole time I read and definitely deserving of the rating I gave it. If I compare it to others in the genre, it's entertaining and fun - I do love a cynical heroine slapped in the face with everything opposing her worldview - but if I compare it to others from her, it lacked the emotional punch I expect from her writing. I read another review prior to starting that said they thought Ben needed more page time and I don't agree. But I do think I needed more of a character arc from him. What I did enjoy was Campbell. Her character is the funny kind of take-no-prisoners, so I did snort laugh quite a few times. Her shark-like mentality gets the softening she needs without making her less than.
Thank you to Putnam and Netgalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts are my own.

BEST ROM-COM OF THE YEAR!!! Ok, I am writing this review in January, and the pun was unfortunate, but it is true. I feel like I have been in such a rom-com reading slump and this book really made me fall in love with them again. Truly a fantastic read with short chapters that are easy to fly through and a compelling storyline that makes it hard to put down!!

This book wasn’t for me. I know characters have to go through growth but Campbell was very off putting at first and it was hard to get on her side.

She then gets transported to a “hallmark” town where she has to fall in love to get back to her real life.

This book just wasn’t it.

Thank you PENGUIN Putnam Group and NetGalley for the ARC.

Did someone say small town Hallmark movie vibes because that’s exactly what this book gave me. This book had the perfect amount of romance and realism. I wish Cam and Ben’s romance was explored more deeply, but their character development was still satisfying. Change of heart was definitely a breezy read for me and left me wishing I could escape to a small town like heart Springs. Falon really did a great job of bringing the story to life and made me feel like I was a part of the story.

I was real flippin' excited for this one because well, I love me some Falon Ballard. But this one fell flat compared to all her other ones. I really, really didn't like how our FMC Campbell was kind of... a jerk. She was meant to be grouchy, I get that, but she was just so over the top that it made it difficult to really root for her character throughout the story, especially when Ben made his entrance into her life. Does the FMC grow throughout the book? Absolutely, and honestly, that's her savings grace and redemption for making this book being able to get the rating I gave it. Our MMC (Ben) was the other saving grace because without him, I'd have DNFed the story and moved along. Again, not my favorite, but I'm glad I read it! Thanks for the opportunity!