I will read anything that Falon Ballard writes and I loved her take on this stuck in a Hallmark movie/Groundhog Day adaptation about overworked lawyer Cam after her blind date with pediatric surgeon Ben.

When Cam wakes up in Heart Springs after abruptly ending her blind date early the night before she hopes it just a bad dream. When it turns out not to be and her blind date, Ben, is also stuck in town they discover they each have tasks to complete before they can return to their old lives.

Ben accepted their situation easier than Cam did dragging her feet along the way when it came to finding a new job, being involved in the community and finding true love. Throughout all the ups and downs of her discovery, Ben was there for her on the porch next door ready to listen and help out. I liked how Ben and Cam complimented each other and their similarities made it easier for them to open up and accept each other and know when the other needs balancing.


Thank you @putnambooks @falonballard and @netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest feedback

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This was a cute, fun grumpy/sunshine rom-com. It was a cute take on the Hallmark movie tropes. While I enjoyed it overall, I think the thing that didn’t sit well with me was believing that this really great guy wouldn’t write off the self absorbed and rude FMC after the first meeting. That said, I do think she needed some nurturing (and therapy, tbh) to grow as a character.

This book was a fun escape. A sweet rom com with a touch of magical realism. Workaholic, not so nice lawyer Campbell completely ignores her blind date, sweet pediatric surgeon Ben on their disastrous blind date. Only to wake up the next day no longer in her NY apartment, but instead inside a pastel and perfectly sweet world that basically is a Hallmark movie.

Cam being who she is hates everything about Heart Springs. At first I wasn’t so sure if I was going to connect with this book, because I unlike Cam LOVED Heart Springs and everything it represented, I would gladly move in! But have no fear, Cam slowly comes around to the small town charm. Her next door neighbor is none other then Ben from the terrible blind date, and she soon learns she has three tasks to complete before she can return home. It was a sweet new take on a self discovery and life changing story.

Overall I really enjoyed the story, but it felt a little different from other Fallon Ballard books I’ve read. The ending felt a bit rushed to me, we were on this long journey with Cam and Ben, only for it to be wrapped up in a matter of minutes. I would have loved more of their story once they returned home.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC to review.

Cam and Ben go on a terrible blind date, then both wake up in the fictional town of Heart Springs. Neither can leave until they complete some tasks and basically turn their life around. The premise is somewhat silly, and Cam isn't the best character at the very beginning. They both grew on me as they navigated the very cheerful and positive town and deal with the residents who... live there? There's magical realism for sure. This book is cozy and easy to read, with some spice towards the end.

DNF. I don't think I can express how much I disliked the FMC, Campbell. I couldn't get past how she acted at the beginning of the book. Her behavior towards Ben on their first date was horrible. I don't want to root for a main character who is judgmental, rude, and mean. I did only get 15% in, so there is a strong chance that she had a redemption arc; however, that wouldn't change my opinion of her. As for Ben, he didn't really offer much in the first 15%. I found his sweetheart nickname a little cringey. I thought the pacing felt too fast. A lot happened in the beginning of the book. More often than not, Falon Ballard's work isn't a hit for me. In the future, I will have to really consider if I want to read her work. Thank you to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for the ARC.

I have loved Falon Ballard’s books I’ve read in the past, but this one didn’t work as well for me. It was a bit too Hallmark (knowingly and intentionally so it seems) for my taste. Cam is a big-shot New York City lawyer working in mergers in acquisitions on the side of large corporations buying out independently owned ones. Work is her life, and she makes no time for relationships - romantic, friendly, or familial. Her grandmother, for whom Cam works at the family firm, sets Cam up on a blind date. Cam behaves abhorrently on the date, ignoring her date and checking emails on her phone for the duration. Their waitress covers their dinner because she “sees something” in them as a couple, and the next morning Cam wakes up in a classic Hallmark small town with her date as a neighbor. Cam encounters the waitress from the night before running the local cafe, where Cam is tasked with 3 things: to find a job she is passionate about, to become a contributing member of the community, and to find true love.

While I enjoyed the writing and most aspects of the MMC, I had a hard time getting behind the premise, and the FMC felt a bit like a caricature of the “big city girl who goes to the small town and realizes the true meaning of Christmas” (though extend the Christmas part to all of life). I also did not find certain aspects of the story to be all that believable. After Cam’s awful behavior on their first date, there’s no way Ben, the MMC, would think they belonged together. Cam wouldn’t go from loving her job as a partner at a law firm (who doesn’t eat sweets) to loving working as an assistant at a bakery so quickly - she decides after day one of working in the bakery that she likes it - though I did enjoy the ultimate turn that Cam’s career takes. I like a Hallmark movie as much as the next person, but reading one is a very different experience. It took me a while to get into, which is not usually the case for contemporary romance. 2.5/5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Group Putnam, and G.P Putnam’s Sons for the ARC!

I usually don't enjoy books with this kind of storyline. I don't enjoy dream sequences or anything else of that nature, but this was excellent. It had some fantastical elements, but it was still a contemporary romance at the end of the day. I felt there was real character growth, but I also thought that character growth didn't feel unrealistic. I enjoyed it.

I loved this book. I’ve read a few books by this author now, and I really enjoy reading them. This book had a lot of things that I love in it including magical realism. I read a few similar books to this last year, and I find when I do that, I compare the books. I don’t seek out to do this, but when it’s a niche concept that I don’t read all the time it is easy to do. This one was done so well and had several unique elements that I hadn’t already read. I loved both Cam and Ben. Sure they both had faults, but I felt that it was by design. I didn’t need to wholeheartedly love Cam in order to root for and relate to her. Ben also used the word sweetheart A LOT, but I found it endearing and it brought a smile to my face. I don’t think my husband has called me by my real name in a long time, rather he uses a term of endearment, and that is what Ben saying sweetheart to Cam felt like for me. The writing is very well done and descriptive enough to make me feel like I was right there in Hope Springs with the characters

If you’re looking for a really sweet romcom with the added element of magical realism, then check this one out.

I really enjoyed this story. Cam is funny and has a great inner monologue. I enjoyed the cute small town and its inhabitants that they end up in. I loved the relationship that Ben and Cam developed throughout the book. I do wish there was more about Ben’s story, or even a dual POV story.

I loved Change of Heart by Fallon Ballard!! I find the combination of romance and magical realism to be irresistible!
Cam Andrew’s, a high-powered, workaholic attorney reluctantly goes on a disastrous blind date. Cam wants no distractions from her career. The next morning she wakes up in Heart Springs- a small town straight out of a Hallmark movie, of course Cam’s greatest nightmare. Will, from her blind date is also there- but everyone loves him and not so much Cam. In order to return to her “real” life, Cam must accomplish three tasks, including experiencing true love. I found Cam’s journey of self discovery and expanding horizons to be so well done and very fun to read. Highly recommend!!

Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced reader copy.

I love this author and have read all of her books. That being said, this book just didn't hit me like her others. I didn't dislike it, but I think I set the bar too high. In this book Cam goes on a date, mandated by her grandmother, and ends up in an alternate reality - Hope Springs - where she needs to realize what is important in life in order to move forward. She is tasked with finding a career that she loves, becoming involved in the community and experiencing true love. Ben's copious use of "sweetheart" gave me the ick, but that is just a personal dislike. Terms of endearment are not my thing. I did enjoy the ending when things start to come together, as they always do in a rom-com.

I'd recommend this to people who like their rom-coms with a side of magic. Overall, I am a huge fan of this author, and if I were to recommend you to read just one of her books to try her out, it wouldn't be this one. That being said, I will continue to read whatever she writes, because the odds are in my favor.

A new twist (at least for me) on a meet-cute….bad blind date then forced proximity sparks. Cam is a driven attorney whose Grandmother has groomed her to take over their highly successful (and ruthless) NYC law firm. Grandmother also occasionally set Cam up on blind dates that Cam wants nothing to do with. Cam doesn’t believe in love, sentiment or anything really that succeeding at her career and proving to her Grandmother that she’s worthy of taking over their law firm and that she’s nothing like her Mother who left Cam when she was young as a rebellion against the ambition of her Mother. Cam has nothing to do with her estranged Mother and sees no reason to change that. Her latest, disastrous bling date is with Ben Loving, a pediatric surgeon who’s looking for the right woman to love. Ben is a self described loner but he’s from a loving (no pun intended) family and has managed to achieve some life balance despite the emotional and physical demands of his job trying to cure the sickest of sick children. When Cam arrives at their date, she immediately tells Ben that she’s not interested in a relationship, doesn’t, believe in love and would rather use their time while eating to answer work emails. Ben tries to engage but Cam’s not having it. Mimi, their sweet waitress comps them dinner and leaves the bill with a note that they need to accept the loves that’s around them when they meet again. Ben folds the note and puts it in his pocket, Cam laughs, goes home to prep for a big meeting the next day. But, when she wakes up, she’s not home. She’s in a Truman-like made up town of sweetness and love…and Ben is her next door neighbor. Mimi is also their and Cam tries to find out how she can quickly get back to her life in NYC. Cam and Ben have tasks that they must complete before they can go home and they go on a journey of self-discovery. A fun and a little sexy HEA.

I love Falon’s stories so much. They never get old. I absolutely enjoyed this book. It kinda gave me a Barbie vibe at the beginning. I think this might be her best book yet.

If you know *anything* about the show Schmigadoon, and if it ever brought you any joy, then this is the romance for you. Magical time warp meets small town romance- in the best way! To be completely transparent, I kind of disliked the FMC for the first third of this novel, but to be frank, I think that was the point. Cam was not meant to be overly likable, nor did she like herself very much… cue Dr. Ben Loving, and a side helper of the fairy godmotheresque Mimi, to the rescue. This was a fun read, and Falon Ballard never disappoints. Thank you to Penguin and NetGalley for my gifted ARC.

Once I started I couldn’t put it down! I went into this one blind but it was giving Truman Show and I was here for it.

Cam is a big time lawyer and Ben is a sweet pediatric surgeon…they go on a blind date and Cam is basically horrible. Their server says they are just meant for each other and they don’t see it 😂 they leave and wake up…in an alternate reality stuck until they can finish their tasks. It was honestly so good! I kind of love these types of books! I’ve only read a few but this was so cute!!

Our lives are made up of one moment to the next - moments that are mostly logical and organic as they happen. If we're not careful, those moments that make so much sense up close may lead us down a path we never wanted for ourselves. Sometimes we have to zoom out to make sure we're on the right track. You can do it yourself as part of your planning, goal-setting, or self-care regimens...

*OR*

you might be forced into an alternate dimension by a magic waitress that forces you to examine your life in new ways.

That's what happened to Campbell and the blind date her grandmother set her up with. She was out on another obligatory date, which she had no time for and blatantly blew off, even still at dinner with him, without having had any attempt at conversation with him. Then she wakes up in Heart Springs, a tiny warped town she's stuck in like a waking dream until she fulfills all the right criteria. She must find work she loves, participate in the community, and experience true love. Oh, and the blind date is there too, with his own mission.

Sigh.

If you're looking for a straight up Hallmark movie in a novel, you've found it. Exaggerated, but fun if you don't look too closely and syrupy sweet.

We start with a character who is straight up unlikeable, and by the end she learns important lessons 'the hard way' before her inevitable happily ever after.

I had a few problems with it.

The love interest didn't make any sense. He was pretty much only in Hope Springs as an accessory. He was far underdeveloped and a huge wasted opportunity.

Campbell was just too unlikeable. She doesn't really redeem herself. Her motivation is purely to do whatever she has to to get back home to her shitty New York existence. She changes, but I'm not convinced she's really learned anything long-term. It ends too quickly for someone so flawed, in my opinion.

I didn't care enough. Due to the first two problems, I just didn't really care what happened. There would obviously be a happy ending, and the details didn't interest me much.

Now, this isn't Falon Ballard's first book. In fact, I have two others on my bookshelf right now that I haven't read yet and have been looking forward to. I'm still going to read them and I'm hoping she'll blow away my expectations with those, because this one...didn't.

I can see how this book might appeal to younger romance readers, or ones with a penchant for whimsy. It just didn't work for me.

I appreciate the chance to read this title early as an arc through the publisher and netgalley in exchange for this honest review.

This is my new favorite Falon Ballard novel. I loved the small town setting and the two main characters. If you liked A Novel Love Story by Ashley Poston, then I recommend this book.

CHANGE OF HEART ⭐️⭐️ ⭐️/5. Campbell is a powerhouse partner of her grandmother’s law firm in NYC. Her career always comes first. That is until she is magically transported and wakes up in the picturesque small town of Heart Springs. Can must complete 3 tasks to get back to her reality. This book was cute, but I just hate when I’m reading a book to finish it and move on, versus turning the page due to interest. I also enjoyed the fictional townspeople more than the main characters. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

Cam is a workaholic lawyer who doesn’t believe in love. After a first date with Dr. Ben Loving, the two are transported to Heart Springs. Heart Springs is a fictional town that’s a lot like Stars Hollow. They both have certain goals to accomplish before they can go back home.

Cam must find her passion and true love. Cam and Ben have to work together as they both date other people. But they realize they’re meant to be. Cam finds her true passion for work and makes friends. She learns work is not her entire life.

It took me quite a while to get into this story. The second half really had me interested. I’m thankful there was no break up!

If you’re a fan of A Novel Love Story, I recommend this one!

I loved the writing style and the setting of the book but unfortunately, I felt like the chemistry between the two characters fell extremely flat that it made it unbelievable for me to root for them.