I went into this book not really knowing what to expect and came out loving it completely. Not only is it a slight Cinderella re-write, but it also gives off major "One to Watch" vibes. If you love reality tv and the Bachelor franchise, this book is for you!

Things I loved:
1. I adored how Cindy provides plus-size representation in books but also in the reality tv world. Her interactions with staff, other women, and her love interest were so realistic and raw that I saw myself in her place.
2. I appreciated how her step-family is authentic and loving in their own way, I was hesitant that they were going to be terrible people but I loved the support they provided her throughout the story.
3. An out of college, with no direction protagonist, is exactly what I love to read right now! It validates my experience and gives me hope for the future.

Overall Rating: 5/5
Short Chapter Rating: 4/5

I LOVED this book. It was so fun, a nice light read that had me gripped and I just wanted to see how it worked out for Cindy. It was a good steady pace and felt like the perfect length to wrap up all the details and loose ends.

This story starts off as a premise of Cinderella as Cindy has a step mom and two step sisters. The overall story is very different though and they aren't evil! I also immediately thought of One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London with the reality dating show element. However with Meant to Be: If the Shoe fits body positivity wasn't the sole focus, and it was more on her ambitions and dreams (which I liked).

I enjoyed the friendships with Sierra, Sara Claire, Stacy and the step sisters, and the story between Cindy and Harry. It's a great PG romantic read!

Is this book for you? If you like happy endings, Cinderella stories, bachelor/bachelorette series, romantic reads, liked One to Watch, strong female characters, then this book is for you.

This was a super cute romance novel! I love Julie Murphy's writing style, how the story was based off Cinderella, and of course a fat girl as the main character/love interest! This is not a "steamy" romance novel, if that's what you're looking for... Just heartwarming. Can't wait to see what comes next in this series!

Thank you SO much to the publisher and Netgalley for the arc! As soon as I saw Julie Murphy's name I immediately knew this would be a fun and cute story with potential for deeper undertones. A typical "bachelor" style show plot with several deviations but nevertheless a super sweet story loosely based on Cinderella. Cindy has just graduated from Parsons school of design in NYC and she is on her way back home to LA without a job lined up but agrees to nanny for her triplet half- siblings. What is different from the original Cinderella, Cindy's step mom is Erica, a successful producer on the dating reality show Before Midnight (bachelor equivalent) and she acts as a support to Cindy in several ways but is "evil" through some of the actions on her show. Cindy's step sisters are Anna and Drew, social media influencers who warmly welcomed Cindy into their house when she moved in and are still close to this day. When Erica needs additional contestants on this season of Before Midnight, she asks Cindy, Anna and Drew to participate which they agree to do. There are several more classic characters, settings and plot lines that are similar to the classic fairytale but received an upgrade. Prince charming ends up being the lead on Before Midnight who Cindy might have met on her plane from NYC to LA.
This was an adorable story that was a great rep for Plus-size women without it being the SOLE FOCUS of the story. I think Julie Murphy wrote Cindy's character through a great lens and it made for a candy sweet story. On the other hand, it read very YA for me, the love seemed a little insta-lovey and the relationship lacked some depth but it was a quick binge able book that I am excited to continue in the fairytale retelling series. Great start to the a new take on fairytales!

Delightful contemporary retelling of Cinderella. I was wary of the dating show angle but Cindy and Henry are such a fun couple to watch, I found I didn’t mind.

4.75 Stars

Content Warnings at end of review!


Thank you to Disney Hyperion and Netgalley for an arc of this book.

Cindy is floundering after graduating college, feeling uninspired to continue her work in shoe design or really do anything after the burnout of losing her dad. But when she gets a chance to go on her stepmom's reality tv show, Before Midnight, she takes it! It seems like the perfect opportunity to get her name out there in the world of design, and of course she would never really fall in love...

This book, ya'll! I loved it. I read this whole thing in one sitting and stayed up most of the night doing it. I loved Cindy! Honestly, this is the perfect Fat MC for me: confident about her body, knows what she wants, but is also aware of how other people see her and goes through some self-doubt at times. That is realistic fat rep and I LOVE it!

The other characters in this also made it so great! I loved the friends that Cindy made during the show, as well as her stepsisters. Can I just say that I'm absolutely in love with the idea of a Cinderella retelling where Cinderella is loved and gets along with her step-family after her father's passing! No wicked stepmother for this book! And I loved that support system for her. Henry was also a great love interest and I really enjoyed everything that happened!

My one complaint is that I thought the ending scenes felt a little rushed and I wish they had spent more time on the reconciliation.

Beautiful book!

Pub Date: August 3, 2021

Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Death of parent
Moderate: Sexual content and Fatphobia

CONTENT WARNING: mention of death of a parent, grief, mention of cancer

I just finished this book, and have already raved so much about it to a friend that she added it to her wish list. Because, yeah, it’s that good! I loved everything about it, and there was absolutely nothing that I didn’t enjoy. It reminded me a little of One to Watch with some Cinderella flavor, but plenty of humor and a flavor all its own.

Let me start with the characters. Cindy is amazing. She’s a recent fashion graduate, but is a little adrift in the world, which is a feeling that I can absolutely identify with. Cindy is a hilariously funny, incredibly confident, plus size woman with body-positive vibes galore. She’s easy to love, and her love of shoes stems from a connection to her mother, who passed away when she was young. I enjoyed getting to know all the other characters in the story — no one was quite what I expected (other than Addison, who turned out to be exactly what I expected). Despite the fact that she was competing with a bunch of women for the attention of one man, I loved the way that the vast majority of women developed actual friendships and didn’t get all catty. Henry was an intriguing character as well. Especially since there was such a big difference between who he really was and his on-stage persona.

The setting was a great one. While it’s easy to make reality TV seem glamorous, this offers a behind-the-scenes look. It provides some gritty insight into how what glitters on TV isn’t always gold. And while we can sit and watch these romantic shows, what actually happens isn’t necessarily that way. Especially the “reality” part. It added a whole new layer to the show that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Obviously, a book featuring a plus-size MC, especially one on a reality show, is going to address some fatphobic ideas. First off, I truly appreciated that Cindy is a size 18+ and is still a confident and stylish woman. She addresses the bias in the fashion industry multiple times throughout the story, with various people. A line that specifically stuck out to me was the one where she talks about her own self-image and confidence:

“I’m on live TV practically courting this guy for the whole world to see, but old habits die hard, especially when you’re a fat girl who will forever be untangling her body image issues no matter how okay she is with herself.”

The humor involved in this book had me laughing out loud. So. Many. Times. It’s the kind of humor that I tend to use with my friends, so it was especially funny. The banter between all of the characters is witty, snappy, and at times, self-deprecating. The representation was fabulous as well. There’s characters of color, queer characters, a non-binary character, and of course, the plus size rep. The family dynamics are incredible in this book too. Cindy belongs to a blended family with circumstances that aren’t what I expected, given the Cinderella influences, but I loved seeing. Instead of a wicked stepmother, she has a super supportive stepmother, even if the relationship is a bit awkward. And her stepsisters aren’t evil. They’re super sweet and incredible to her, even if they had a rocky start.

This is one of the best romances that I’ve read this year, and the fairy tale influences just took this story to a whole new level. If there’s one corny, silly, adorable romance that you read this year, let this one be it.

This book was super cute. Cindy was a great role model for girls. Not a pushover by any means. I love that she had a dream and was willing to go for it over being in love. I also love that the story was so inclusive. There were several LGBT characters as well as a non-binary fairy godperson! I really appreciated that Cindy got along with her step-mother and step-sisters instead of them being evil like in the original Cinderella story. There wasn't a whole lot of character development, but this wasn't a super long book. Of course I was happy with the ending; she got her HEA! 3.5 stars rounded down.

“The best part about crossing any bridge is the chance to look back and be able to fully understand where you came from.”

Here we go again, another fairytale retelling! I was skeptical going into this book, Cinderella meets the bachelor, sounds cliche right? Wrong! So wrong! This book is pure serotonin!! I could not put it down. I was invested from page one. If the shoe fits is everything I want in a RomCom. It made me smile, laugh, swoon and cry.
Cindy is a plus size woman and I absolutely adore Julie Murphy for portraying her in the best possible light! This book gives me hope that one day I will find someone that loves me just the way I am, curves and all!

“If i had to choose from a full, long life without you and only seven sweet years with you, i’d choose you every time.”

This Cinderella retelling did not follow the evil stepmother aspect of the original fairytale and I loved that. Cindy, our main character, has a great step mom who is trying to create a genuine relationship with her and two amazing step sisters, who love her to bits!

“You choose yourself…”

Cindy and Henry are so perfect, the chemistry was off the charts!! Not once did he make her feel like she wasn't good enough because she is fat! Instead he looked at her with stars in his eyes, like she was the person he had been waiting for all along!
It’s been a while since I have read a book that I absolutely love, and this book is it! Which is why I am rating it a 5/5

In essence I should've enjoyed this more than I did, but there was something about the way our female lead was written that I could not connect with especially as a plus sized woman myself. It also didn't help that I continued to compare this to One To Watch which was a book that I enjoyed immensely. I couldn't relate to these characters as well as I did Bea. I am grateful for the plus size rep though and want to continue to see more.

Bring me all the fairytales✨I read this in one sitting & I would do it again!

This was perfect! A Cinderella meets The Bachelor meets STRONG bad*ss female lead 🤩

Cindy was a complete breath of fresh air! She’s a shoe designer who knows her strengths & does not back down! An absolutely brilliant character so many people can to relate to 👏🏻💕

The female relationships in this story were great! Cindy’s stepmom & stepsisters we’re likeable, & always looked out for Cindy.

And Henry (aka Prince Charming) was pretty great too. The easy banter between them was fun, & their meet cute was on point 🥰

If you’re looking for a fun loving, swoon worthy, & unique story, definitely check this one out August 3 😍

This book was so great! Julie Murphy is probably my all-time favorite Y.A. author, tied for first with Angie Thomas. So I was very excited to hear about this adult romance novel. I was especially excited about this novel because it is inspired by the Bachelor, which is a very fun show.

I thought the characters were very well fleshed out and were super fun! I also really loved the internal conflicts within the main character Cindy. And I was happy with the choices she made. A fun, exciting love story for sure. Highly recommend!!

4.5 stars!!

I really enjoyed this one, which shouldn't come as a surprise since I love most of Julie Murphy's YA books. I don't normally go for the whole "reality TV bachelor" type set-up because the idea of the MC's love interest also dating multiple other women is gross, but from the beginning you know that Henry is pretty sold on Cindy. Although he does kiss at least one other girl which is....ehhh.

But the story was very well told and paced, and I thought the ending was really great! I loved that Cindy didn't go for the guy, as a normal heroine would. Her career in fashion was important to her, and she made the decision to go after her life-long dream, which I loved. I wish Henry would've fought for Cindy a bit more than he did; he seemed pretty passive about their relationship.

This was a nice (and relatively subtle) fairy tale retelling. I thought it was clever and I loved how completely certain Cindy is of herself and her style, even when her muse has temporarily left her. I liked the meet-cute and the hero, and I was happy to be along for the ride. I also loved watching Unreal (if not the Bachelor), so this was solidly hitting in my interests. Four adorable and totally self-confident stars for a solid heroine who isn't afraid to do what she needs to do to put herself first- and still win the guy along the way. Bonus points for the actual shoes in the book- and how they play a role in the story and finale!

This delightful retelling of the classic Cinderella story is swoony, fun, clever, and body-positive. I loved every page of it!

Cindy Eleanor Woods (Love it, Legally Blonde fans!) is a plus-sized shoe fanatic who barely graduated from fashion design school after her father unexpectedly died. She heads back to the West Coast to live with her (refreshingly) nice and loving stepmother, stepsisters, and step-triplets. On the plane ride home, she clicks with Henry, a Prince Charming-type guy. Little does she know, he ends up being the bachelor on the reality TV show, Before Midnight, that her stepmother runs AND that she just became the latest contestant to be on. Cindy has to battle pushy producers, behind-the-scenes machinations, catty contestants, and the mockery AND adoration that comes with being a viral sensation for being the first plus-sized contestant on the show.

I was grinning ear-to-ear when I finished reading this book. It’s by Julie Murphy, the best-selling author of inclusive books like Dumplin’ and Pumpkin. She has ANOTHER hit on her hands with this sweet tale.

This is the perfect summer read...for the romance, the body-positive joy that is Cindy, and a truly distinct retelling of the classic fairytale. Plus, the shoes sound AH-mazing!

Much thanks to @NetGalley for the free eBook in exchange for an honest review.

How can you not fall in love with Cindy? I did the moment she couldn’t fit all of her shoes in her suitcases! Girl after my own heart right there.

This modern day take on Cinderella meets The Bachelor was so enchanting! A friend and I read it together, and our conversation went something like this…

Me: I can start it now if we only read a little bit each day. I have three other books going!
Nikki: Same!

Both of us while reading…
“So, we’re reading more today, right?”

We finished it in a 24 hour time period...that's how amazing it is!

It was everything I want in a romcom and then some! I highly recommend picking it up if you are a fairytale or Bachelor fan. Hell, I recommend it even if you don’t like either of those things. Just read the book and enjoy! ❤️

Thank you to @disneybooks and @netgalley for this arc!

If the Shoe Fits is Julie Murphy's first adult novel, and my first book by this author. It's a modern-day Cinderella retelling following Cindy, a recent fashion grad who is searching for her next step when she finds herself pulled into her stepmother's reality tv dating show.

Murphy handles the retelling aspect of this tale so well by giving little winks to the reader and making the tale her own. I really liked that she showed Cindy's relationship with her stepfamily as complex, but made it clear that there is strong love shared between them all. It is also so refreshing to see a plus sized 'princess' and Murphy did an excellent job showing the microaggressions that Cindy deals with on a daily basis due to the way society perceives and treats fat people, while still showing Cindy to be a confident, sexy, and a force to be reckoned with. It made my big girl heart happy, and I know will resonate with readers.

Unfortunately, where this book fell short for me was as a romance. I never felt as though we or Cindy got to truly know Henry. As an adult romance reader, I wanted more moments where they were on the page together and more insight into his character. That said, I do think that upper YA readers will find the structure similar to YA books in an enjoyable way and will really like the close focus on Cindy and her goals.

While this book was not a perfect fit for me, there are many readers that I believe will be completely enchanted by this retelling. Fans of The Bachelor and other reality TV dating shows will love the behind-the-scenes glimpse the book gives us into the production side of the shows, and all of the clever nods throughout to iconic dating TV elements and moments. Readers who love fairytale retellings and Disney also won't want to miss out!

Thank you so much to Hyperion Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC Julie Murphy’s latest release ‘If the Shoe Fits.’ This book hits shelves on August 3rd!

CW: loss of parent, grief, body shaming

Put this book on your TBRs! This is Murphy’s first book that is targeted for adults and it’s absolutely wonderful! This book is perfect for fans of The Bachelor as it’s centered around a reality TV show similar to The Bachelor.

In true Julie Murphy fashion, the plus-size representation is perfection. This modern take on a Cinderella story is such a lovely read! Cindy, a recent graduate from the fashion program at Parsons School of Design, has a passion for shoes and one of the best personalities I’ve read in a book lately! The supporting characters are also so fun to read! And HENRY! 🥰 I thought that there was a lot of great growth in each of the characters (except Addison but mean girls know their schtik lol).

This is a fun book with so much heart. I was laughing and even teared up a few times. I loved this book and tore through it! I can’t wait to read more in this series! Add this to your lists!!

IF THE SHOE FITS By Julie Murphy
Romance
304 pages

In this adorable romcom we have Cindy, a plus size girl who is a shoe designer. Cindy's mother died when she was young so it's always been just her and her father. Until her father meets a woman with two daughters. They become a happy little family. Until her father dies suddenly. Cindy goes on to college to try to move on from her grief. Fast forward to now Cindy is home and goes on a dating reality TV show. Will she find love or stardom??

I loved this book!! It is am adorable romcom with lovable characters and you find yourself rooting for everyone to find their happy ever after. It is a very refreshing story and I highly recommend this book.

This was an entertaining, well-written book. It was clever, fun and I didn't want to put it down. I enjoyed this book very much and look forward to reading more books by this author.