This was...okay?

Just barely scraped 4 stars.

Murphy does a wonderful job portraying plus size girl struggles, and Cindy was such a strong female lead. I also loved her stepsisters and the little twist on Cinderella at the end.

Our main beau, Henry, felt a bit one dimensional for me, and immemorable if I'm being totally honest.

The chemistry wasn't entirely fleshed out, and I felt like there was only so much connection Cindy and Henry could accomplish on a reality TV show that's rigged from the get-go and a few moments of sneaking out and stealing time for themselves.

If this was longer, it may have had five star potential.

Also, I guess I heard "adult romance" and thought 'huh some plus size steammmmm' but nope, I've read a ton of YA books that had hotter kisses.

...Is it wrong to want plus size girls to feel sexy?

I'd recommend this if you're looking for a light summer read, though, I took way too long to finish this. The writing itself is too good to give If The Shoe Fits anything less than 4 stars.

I have received this eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is just adorable. While a mix of Cinderella and The Bachelor sounds like it would be too much, this just works. Cindy is easy to like and Henry was swoon worthy. I wanted just a touch more drama with the reality show. Almost everyone was too nice!  ⭐⭐⭐⭐ I recommend for fans of one to watch.

It's about time that a plus size girl has her time to shine. In this Cinderella re-telling we meet Cindy, the plus-size, fashionista, with the big personality and a great sense of humor. I love that this talked about real world problems that plus size people have to deal with like being nervous about seat-belt extenders, a store not having plus-size options in the store, or having to wear doubty pajamas when everyone else looks cute and sexy. I really enjoyed that in this re-telling the step-family is not awful and are actually a caring and supportive family. I love that this steps into modern times with the addition of the reality TV world, and the look we get behind the curtain of reality tv. Cindy's fight for size acceptance in the real world is inspiring and I wish I had her confidence! This had the perfect ending and the whole thing just made my heart really happy. Overall this was a delightfully funny five star rom com as advertised!

If the shoe fits is a Cinderella retelling with a bachelor/reality show twist. It started out very cutesy and almost comical (I’m unsure if that was intentional or just the narrator) I enjoyed this book and gave it a 3.5 star. It lost stars for lack of originality & predictability. While I love a good Cinderella retelling this one was almost a little over the top. Overall it’s a good quick read and binge worthy.

A retelling of Cinderella with the stepsisters as contestants on a fictionalized version of The Bachelor. Cindy is a just-graduated fashion student who is still getting over the death of her father. When she should be launching herself in the world, she’s lost her design inspiration and her way.

When her stepmother’s offer to have Cindy nanny the triplets, turns into an invitation to the hot dating reality show, Cindy sees this as a time to figure out her life and maybe meet her Prince Charming.

The Cinderella vibes aren’t too heavy handed and fans will enjoy references that are sprinkled in. Cindy is a true heroine who is kind, thinks on her feet, and stands up for herself.

Thanks to @netgalley and the publisher Disney Hyperion for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. This book releases August 3rd! Enjoy with a glass of bubbly! 🥂

I enjoyed so much about this book.
Plus size heroine ✔
reality tv show premise ✔
Lots of heart✔
Humor ✔
And so much more!

There isn't a lot heat in this book. It's definitely rated PG. But the writing and storyline were so good that I didn't even miss it.

I loved how vocal, honest and unapologetic Cindy was about her size. Yes there was a moment or two with some poorly disguised fat shaming, but I really liked how Cindy handled those situations.

Henry really was Prince Charming from the start. It was impossible to not fall for him. I loved how much he was drawn to Cindy from the very go. Their flirtatious banter and small touches throughout the book melted my heart.

The one aspect I didn't quite understand was her cautiousness around her step mother. She seemed to genuinely care about Cindy. She was a bit of a workaholic but still seemed to try her best to be a supportive and kind figure in her life. But Cindy always seemed very hesitant around her, and I couldn't figure out where that came from.

The side characters in this book are EVERYTHING! Anna, Drew, Beck, Stacey, Jay, etc. I adored all of them. I was never bored or just waiting for another scene between the two main characters. All the wonderful supporting characters made the entire book very enjoyable.

This was my first time reading a Julie Murphy book,  but I will certainly be looking for more.

I must say that I so enjoyed this modern-day "Cinderella" story.
I loved the main character; Cindy. She's a recent graduate of a N.Y. fashion design school headed back to L.A. to stay with her family. She has been in a funk for the last year with a mental block when trying to begin any new designs. Oh, and she's a plus-size girl and not afraid to show it. She has a fantastic BFF/roommate; Sierra and unlike the original Cinderella fairy tale; she has a wonderful step-mom and loving step-siblings. Cindy has always had a thing for shoes. She feels that they have always been a way to express oneself. She went to design school because of her love of shoes. Life's been hard for her over the past year and on the flight back home; things start to look up when she meets a funny guy that she almost knocked over before boarding the plane.
Life at home isn't bad; but she can't seem to shake the mental block. Then an opportunity presents itself for her to get out of her comfort-zone and go on a reality TV show. She only agrees to do it in the hopes that it will open some doors to job opportunities. Little does she know what's really in store for her. The surprises keep coming.
This story touches on so many emotions and situations. There is depression and dealing with loss (or maybe not dealing with it); family situations that can be complicated, and of course love in many different forms and romance. This is a very well-written story that gives the reader a sense of hope for the characters. It kept me "turning the pages" to see what would happen next. I will definitely be looking for more titles by this author and see what's next in the "Meant to Be" series!

I absolutely loved this story. I’m a middle-aged overweight woman, so I know that this book isn’t written towards someone who’s a Gen-Xer but let me tell you what I laughed out loud several times, cheered Cindy on, and at one point I thought my heart stopped. I mean stopped. I felt like Fred Sanford, and I was going to join him and Elizabeth. I mean what was the author doing to me. Taking me from such a high watching Cindy and Henry’s relationship play out while they’re filming Before Midnight only to find out the huge plot twist. Then to be hit with another one. OMG my feelings were all over the place and my poor heart didn’t know what to do.
We’ve got Cindy who’s heading home to LA from NYC after graduating from Parson’s School of Design. She’s pretty sad because she didn’t land a job after graduation, but there was a reason. She phoned her final year in. She barely passed. The death of her father finally hit her, and she was grieving. She does have her step-mom and step-sisters, and thankfully in this re-telling they’re not mean or evil. They care for her and give her a place to stay, and truly care about her. Then there’s the triplets, and they’re a trip. So freaking adorable!!
On her way home, at the airport actually, she runs into a handsome man, who actually trades seats to sit next to her, but they don’t exchange numbers, and she doesn’t see him while she’s waiting for all of her luggage.
Once home, she finds out that there’s some openings on her mom’s show Before Midnight. Her step-sisters (who by the way are Instagram influencers) take the spots that are open, but then Cindy talks to everyone about a spot as well. Only thinking about getting her name out there, she knows that she can get her shoe designs seen while on camera. Her step-mom finally agrees, and they set about getting her on the show and to the house. Surprise, Surprise, the bachelor on the show is none other than Henry!! Hiding their surprise, they act like they are strangers, so there is no talk of favoritism.
Henry’s only on Before Midnight as a last ditch effort to save his mother’s fashion empire. Per usual, her designs aren’t meant for plus size women, they’re out of date, and they’re really not enough money left. Henry wants to take the design house in another direction, but he needs the money to bring the idea to fruition.
As usual, there’s the usual stereotypes that are on the show the southern belle, the mean girl, etc. But Cindy becomes not only the staff favorite, but the fan favorite. Will she be Henry’s favorite??
This book does take you on a roller coaster ride of emotions, you can’t stop reading it. At least I couldn’t. I definitely recommend this book!

**I received an ARC of this book from the publisher and NetGalley and this is my honest and voluntary review.

Well this was a total delight to read. I love a fairy tale retelling, and while I am not a fan of reality dating shows, I enjoy them in fictional form. I thought that this one updated really well- ranging from Julie Murphy's depiction of Cindy as the show's first plus contestant, to the positive relationship she has with her stepmother and stepsisters. There are lots of fun homages to the source material in names and scenes, and it's just generally a super cute and fun take on a well trod story.

Julie Murphy’s first adult book, a reimagining of Cinderella is the perfect summer read. The setting of a reality dating show *cough the Bachelor * was enjoyable. Cindy, a plus size fashion school graduate with a love of designing shoes was a strong, relatable heroine. It was enjoyable to see read what happens behind the cameras of a reality show. I wish that some of the story had been written from Henry’s point of view just to see more of what his thoughts were and what his motivations were.

The perfect mix of Cinderella and The Bachelor - romance meets body acceptance in this highly anticipated book!

Cindy is freshly graduated from New York fashion school, where she focused on shoe design - but she's stuck with design block as she learns how to cope through the loss of her father.

She travels across the country to assist her stepmother in nannying her triplet siblings. On her flight, she meets a witty man who keeps her company, but she never thought she'd see him again. Until she volunteers to be cast in a reality TV show, Before Midnight, and they cross paths again. Is this fate? Or is this just a chance for her to reignite her passion for design?

This was such a sweet and fluffy book that worked perfectly as a filler between the heavy fantasy reads that I've been buried under lately. It was so refreshing to read something quick and fun - all while experiencing a character that I can relate to with her sense of humour, her imposter syndrome and her body image. Hello, body acceptance!!

I appreciated that the author didn't focus on an exact re-telling - Cindy's relationship with her stepmother and stepsisters isn't toxic or controlling. It's actually quite endearing to see how the family looks out for each other during the events of the book.

I do feel that Cinderella retellings are being overdone a bit, both in literature and in the constant releases in film. . I believe that Julie could've developed more original names for her characters (ie Cindy, Tremaine, Gus), but I definitely appreciated how she was able to push the theme into a more modern setting with strong emphasis of body acceptance and nods to the LGBTQ community.

Julie incorporates a strong Bachelor overtone, which leads this story to be a fairly predictable outline: Girl meets guy, doesn't think they'll see each other again, finds out he is a key feature in her movement upward in her fashion/fame debut, something happens where they part ways and it all finalizes with them coming together with a sweet bow on top. Not that this is a bad thing, but it does detract from a bit from the originality of the story and characters.

The author keeps the narrative very clean, making this a good read for those who may not be a fan of the more detailed encounters in a romance novel. The fun themes coupled with likeable and relatable characters makes it an easy and quick read for those that enjoy fairytales in real life.

This is the first time I've read something written by Julie Murphy. I enjoy her writing style and I will keep my eyes open for a chance to pick up her other highly-acclaimed series, such as Dumplin' and Faith: Taking Flight.

A made for tv romance. Cindy is a full bodied woman with a love of shoes. Henry is a son trying to rebuild his mother’s business. This is a lighthearted story that is framed on a reality tv show. It has good characters and enjoyable and funny scenes. Both Cindy and Henry are finding pieces of themselves that lead them to falling in love.

I used to not watch the clock but I think the older I get, the more my body demands midnight at the latest. I did stay up past that last night to finish this gem. #noregrets
If the Shoe Fits fit my mood like Cinderella's glass slipper. I expected this retelling to be routine and it beat my expectations. I love so much how it developed, how the wicked stepsisters were delightful and supportive, how Cindy's biggest hurdles were essentially those of her own making.
Aaaaand... it's Cinderella meets The Bachelor. I know fanfic and retellings can be routine, but I think Julie did a fabulous job. This feel good story is the light and bright I needed.
Thank you to Disney Publishing Worldwide and NetGalley for the advanced copy. All thoughts in this review are my own.

The perfect modern Cinderella story! Cindy just graduated design school, but without any job prospects, she returns home to LA with her TV producer step-mom, two beautiful influencer step-sisters, and the triplets, her 4 year-old half siblings). When two contestants drop out of her stepmom's reality competition dating show, Before Midnight (think the Bachelor), one of the show's junior producers convinces Cindy to join the group of women vying for the love of the suitor. Cindy agrees, and enters the competition with no intention of winning, but rather to get some exposure and help launch her fashion career. But then the suitor turns out to be Prince Charming, aka Henry Mackenzie, the man she met and truly connected with on her flight from New York.to LA. Suddenly, Cindy is more interested in winning, and not just to get her hands on the prize money, but how can she tell what is real and what is put on for the show? Everyone knows, "reality TV isn't real."
This was honestly a delightful, easy read. I love fairy-tale retellings, and this was one of the best! I'm a children's librarian, so I rarely review (or even read) adult books, but I am so glad I got my hands on this one. I couldn't put it down! Julie Murphy is the queen of plus-size characters, and she doesn't disappoint here, With Cindy being the first plus-size woman on Before Midnight, she of course becomes an overnight sensation, and America's newest sweetheart, but that doesn't mean things are easy for her on the show. She deals with cleverly disguised rude comments from a fellow contestant, a lack of clothing options from the wardrobe department, and of course her own self-esteem issues from being in a house surrounded by much smaller women. But Cindy takes it all in stride, proves that she can be just as sexy as the rest of them, and finds herself making it farther in the competition than she ever really expected (lucky for her, because her relationship with Henry seems to be developing into something really special).
The Cinderella elements are very obvious here. But, I love how the story is tweaked a bit, making her step family a lovable family who supports Cindy in the wake of losing her father. The family relationships are a real highlight of this story. If you like romance, retellings, or even just shoes, this is the book for you.

This is the perfect rom-com escape! But it also introduced serious topics like body image, grief, and the world of design. I especially liked the fact that Cindy went her own way, rather than comply with producers' expectations on the reality TV show. Thumbs up!

4.5 Stars - Okay, I absolutely loved this! A body positive twist on Cinderella, that's based on a reality dating show?! Absolutely everything I loved. Julie Murphy has a way of making you love her characters pretty instantly, and her quick chapters keep you engaged in the book and wanting to know what's happening next - first book in a while I stayed up late reading because I just wanted more and more! Loved the juicy reality tv style bits and the fashion and shoe references were spot on - I loved that it was just little glimmers of Cinderella hints as opposed to full on Cinderella story and it was so lovely! She needs to do all of these asap.
Review forth coming on the blog soon - https://www.seetheworldinpink.ca/search/label/books?max-results=5

This was a super fun, sweet, Cinderella inspired, closed door (very PG and Disney-esque) romance between Henry, the leading man in a reality dating show and Cindy, a plus-sized shoe designer. When Cindy's stepmother Erica needs extras for the show she executive produces, Cindy and her two stepsisters volunteer. Cindy isn't particularly looking for love but sees the show as a way to raise her profile and potentially land some career leads. The problem is Cindy develops real feelings for 'Prince Charming' but is he looking for love in return??

What I loved: the body positivity and plus size main character. Cindy isn't afraid to call people out on their body shaming and the unrealistic sizes of all the designer fashions on the show.

Lots of great secondary characters: her stepsisters, the school librarian fellow contestant friend and lesbian show runner, Beck all had some hilarious one-liners and insightful life advice for Cindy.

Overall a really enjoyable, light romance recommended for fans of One to watch or The charm offensive. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advance review copies!

Thank you to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for the e-ARC.

This book was a welcomed surprise. The premise of it made me excited--A bachelor-style reimagining of a plus-size Cinderella? Basically, my dream come true. But in full honesty, I wasn't expecting to love it as much as I did. It had amazing humor, moments that really touched the heart, and a reimagining that was better than I could ever dream.
The relationship that Cindy has with the stepmother and stepsisters is a really amazing take on the fairy tale. It made the book all the better, to have them all supporting each other. Sure, Cindy struggles a little bit with her relationship with her stepmother, but Murphy does an amazing job of fleshing that out. And by the end, their relationship seems stronger than ever.
My absolute favorite part was Cindy not giving up her dreams for Prince Charming. "Choose yourself." Brilliant. It used the manipulation of the producers as a way to keep this story moving and not have her settle in. This ending settled everything, nothing was left up in the air.
Cindy found herself and found her Prince.
And the cute twist with the shoe at the end!
I adored this book so much and it makes me so excited for the rest of the Meant to Be series.

I loved this book to pieces. If the Shoe Fits is a Cinderella re-telling by the fabulous Julie Murphy featuring a plus size main character who is going on a show similar to The Bachelor. It was fun, made me smile so big and feel giddy while reading. Cindy is one of the best heroines and Henry was wonderful as well. I loved the romance, watching Cindy go after her dreams, and the family/friendship element. Plus all the fashion stuff was really fun!

Last year I read ‘One to Watch’ which has a similar premise, but that one fell flat for me. This was everything I wanted it to be and more! A new adult romance (that I would consider YA friendly, I will be buying this for my 15 year old niece) that I enjoyed so much! I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again and again- thank you Julie for writing relatable plus size characters! I wish we had this kind of representation when I was young.

This book is basically all my guilty pleasures rolled into one; a rom-com, Cinderella retelling, taking place in The Bachelor-type setting. Is there a meet-cute? Yes. Is it cheesy? Yes. Is it predictable? Yes. Did I read it in less than 24 hours and gobbled it up? Yes, with the caveat that for me the ending falls flat. I am hoping that it was because I was reading an ARC. But either way, I would probably read the next in the series.

I know this is being categorized as "Contemporary Romance", but it still read a little YA to me. Which is fine, I just wanted to throw that out there since that is what Julie Murphy has primarily written in the past.

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