Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me an advanced copy of this book to read and review.

Thank you Netgalley for letting me read and review this book. Meant to Be is a romantic comedy that is a retelling of cinderella. It is about Cindy, who just graduated with a degree in shoe design, and trying to get her feet on the ground. She is working for her stepmother, who happens to be the executive producer of America's favorite reality show, "Before Midnight. When a spot on the show needs filling ASAP, Cindy volunteers, hoping it might help jump-start her fashion career, or at least give her something to do while her peers land jobs in the world of high fashion. Turns out being the only plus size woman on a reality dating competition makes a splash, and soon Cindy becomes a body positivity icon for women everywhere. What she doesn't expect? That she may just find inspiration-and love-in the process. Ultimately, Cindy learns that if the shoe doesn't fit, maybe it's time to design your own."

I loved the body positivity in this book and enjoyed reading about Cindy. This was an easy and fluffy read, that has a Bachelor-like show premise. I liked seeing a plus size main character, especially in a rom com. The book was more simple and predictable, but if you enjoy stories like that I think you will enjoy this one.

I love Julie Murphy’s characters. This was an enjoyable romance and I love the body positivity as a plus size girl myself. I would have loved for the sex scenes not to be fade to black.

Loved this take on reality tv and body sizes we don't normally see featured in books and tv. Loved the story and the characters!

A fun take on the reality shows the Bachelor. I enjoyed seeing a character that did not fit within the norm of the women typically seen in these reality shows, perfectly thin bodies. Fun to see a woman outside the "norm" to have the opportunity to compete.

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley from an author new to me. It features clever, witty, and often amusing banter between Cindy and Henry. I don’t want to give away too much about how they meet.

The book contains a body-positive message featuring Cindy as the heroine who’s strong and self-confident, even when she has doubts on the inside. Told entirely from the POV of Cindy, we find she’s a truly caring and considerate person, non-judgmental and inclusive—as is the author with a character who fits the dictionary definition of today’s “they.” Cindy embraces the opportunity to support plus-size women like herself, even though she never wanted to be a spokesperson and prefers to avoid the spotlight. As a result, everyone loves her.

Most of the story takes place on the set of a reality TV show and describes what goes on behind the scenes. Cindy tells us some of the names of the other candidates on this bachelor-themed show. They include Jen S., Jen B., Jen K., Gen with a G, and Jenny—showing they had the Jen-market pretty well represented. Sara-Claire, a bit on the cynical side but one of the other contestants with whom Cindy becomes friends, tells Cindy, “These guys are always some kind of archetype. Country boy with family values looking to settle down? He’s really a rightwing nut with mommy issues. Free-spirited, adventure seeker looking for his soul mate to plant roots with? Immature daredevil who thinks he’s more special than everyone else. You gotta read between the lines.”

One of my favorite scenes was this one: One of the other contestants complains to Cindy that all of her boyfriends have broken up with her because of their mothers. One went so far as to tell her that “the only way she’d give up her son was if she knew the woman she was handing him over to could be a better mother to him…” Cindy has the perfect response:

I hold up a finger. “Okay, first off—men don’t want their partners to be their mothers…and if they do, those aren’t the men we’re looking for… And second,” I add, “gross.”

It’s not all fun and laughs. There’s a letter from Cindy’s mother that brings me to tears, perhaps because I’m a mother myself: “...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. My greatest hope for you, my love, is that you choose yourself as well…” She goes on to tell her not to waste her time on anything that doesn’t bring her joy.

Overall, it’s a fun story which then becomes an emotional story where the reader experiences Cindy’s pain and grief over the death of her parents and then ends up hoping against hope that Cindy and Henry will find their way back to one another. Unfortunately, when presented with an opportunity to provide a meaningful ending, the author goes with a quippy and trite comment instead. I would’ve been fine with integrating the line somewhere else—it was worth including—but the story ended too abruptly after that, without resolving anything with any certainty.

This was an amazing heartfelt story! All of the characters were so well-developed, the plot was captivating, and the story flowed together beautifully. I was so invested in the story that I wanted it to keep going beyond the ending! I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a heartfelt and captivating read.

Recent fashion school grad and shoe designer Cindy is feeling aimless and creatively blocked. Giving up on her dreams of designing shoes and eventually her own fashion line in NYC, she returns to the west coast home she shares with her (nice) stepmother and (nice) stepsisters. Her stepmother Erica is the brains behind Before Midnight, a bachelor-style reality television series. When two contestants are out of the running before filming begins, Erica decides all three of her girls should join the show and compete for the gentleman in question–who turns out to be the seatmate that Cindy had a moment with on the plane trip home. Cindy and Henry agree to pretend not to know one another, and even though they have a tiny history and major chemistry, she has to watch him woo a plethora of other women.

The other contestants, family and crew allow Cindy to develop supportive and adversarial relationships with other women, and create drama. In a twist, her stepsisters are generous and supportive even as they are vying for the suitor. Cindy is plus-sized and comfortable in her own skin, and a wonderful fat heroine. Most pleasing of all is that queer and trans characters are 100% accepted, and the main character follows her own dreams. The fashion details are fun and there is also a lot of behind the scenes about the fakeness of reality television and the influence of producers on the desired outcome. Readers who love all the gory intimate details may be disappointed. That said, this is a little superficial, shallow, sanitized and Disney-fied. Still, if the shoe fits is a sweet story and a strong start to the princess-themed series.

I received a free advance reader’s copy of#MeanttoBeIftheShoeFits from #NetGalley.

A delicious modern day retelling of Cinderella if it was set on The Bachelor with a gorgeous plus sized lead character. I have recommended this book many times at my library. Perfect amount of spice too!

What a fun, cute read! The story follows Cindy as she tries to make it in the world of high fashion and reality dating shows.

I really enjoyed this book because it was so relatable—the main character is not only plus size, but also new to the industry and unsure of her footing. It's hard to know what you're getting into when you try something new, or even if it will work out for you! I loved how Cindy found solace in being herself in the midst of all these changes, and I also really enjoyed her journey as she tried to find her place in the fashion world.

I recommend this book if you want to see a plus size woman who gets what life is like for women struggling with body image issues or trying to find their footing in any kind of career.

3.5⭐️/ 5⭐️

I am definitely in the minority when I say I feel this is an okay read. It is a very sweet and body positive book, which I love. However, I personally don’t love or watch the Bachelor and the premise of this book revolves a very similar plot, so I just wasn’t necessarily wowed.

Overall, it is still a very sweet, fun, positive book that I would still recommend!

Many thanks to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an earc in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great story. As a person who has no interest in reality dating shows, this book was still interesting and fun.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Julie Murphy and Disney Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own and independent of receiving an advance copy.

The first in the “Meant To Be” series, Julie Murphy reinterprets the classic tale, Cinderella. This is the first in a series of books that will take on the Disney princesses and Disney’s first foray into adult novels. Julie Murphy is well know for her “Dumplin” series, the first book turned into a Netflix series.

Here we have Cindy, a recent graduate from Parsons, a famous design school in New York City. Cindy’s first love is designing shoes. As a plus size girl, what her daddy used to call plump, shoes is something that Cindy says always fits and can always make you feel fabulous.
Without any job prospects, she decides to go on a reality show (think The Bachelor) that her stepmother produces. In this version Cindy gets along with her stepmother and her stepsisters are very supportive.

This was a cute story that infuses a fresh perspective on the Cinderella tale. Cindy is a very likeable main character and has the right mix of vulnerability and backbone. You get a fun “back stage” perspective on how reality love shows are produced. I really liked that it didn’t pit the stepmother/stepsisters against Cindy but had them as her cheerleaders. The romance takes a predictable arc but still enjoyable. A nice modern take on a tale as old as time!

Loved this retelling and the characters. It’s so fun and sweet. I love all the nods to the original tale but in a new way. The characters are so well written and feel so right, a must read for any fairy tale rom com fan.

This was just okay for me but also I feel like this book wasn't for me and that's mainly because contemporary has been so hit or miss lately. I wasn't a huge fan of the TV show aspect and generally didn't care about our main characters or Cindy and Henry's relationship.

I did not like the family dynamic and the plus size representation and felt like it was all handled really well. Wish I could have loved this book but overall felt just meh. This book wasn't for me but if you like contemporary romances with a "bachelor" tv show element you will enjoy this!

It took me forever to finally get to this book, which I hate, because I ended up really liking it! It's a Cinderella retelling with a curvy FMC and a plot set against a reality dating TV show. Can you really ask for more?

Cindy was the best FMC. She was strong, a genuinely good person, and a curvy girl! We love to see it. Her journey in this book wasn't focused on her body or loving herself which I was really happy about since many curvy rep books have to do with body image. Instead, she was focused on finding her inspiration to design again. She was so cool throughout the book and I found myself wanting to be best friends with her.

I wasn't *in love* in love with Henry, but I did really like him. It's always hard to see the MMC dating other people as he was as the bachelor in this reality dating tv show. He proved himself in the end which, thank goodness for, but it was hard sometimes in the middle.

I think because I didn't trust Henry completely (going back to him dating like 10 other girls), it was hard for me to commit to the romance in this book. There were some really cute moments towards the end of the book which helped improve my opinion and thoughts on the romance, but it was hard at the beginning.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. The romance could have been fractionally better, but I'd still recommend this book. Also, I'm really excited to read the other books in this series! What a fun concept.

I was fully prepared to hate the stepfamily that Cindy had.

I mean it’s a Cinderella retelling, right? I was wrong.

I absolutely adored it. I did want it a little spicier than what I got but it was so well crafted and, quite frankly, brilliantly nuanced that the spice was the cherry on top.

Julie Murphy did so good at highlighting a lot of the issues that big girls face when it comes to clothes. I haven’t gone shopping for clothes in a new store in years. Nearly all the pants I have I’ve either owned for years or they came from the thrift store.

I legit almost cried the last time I was in Macy’s. I couldn’t find a bathing suit that I liked that fit me. I kept sending my mom to get bigger and bigger sizes. I hated it. And I’m not as big as other girls. I hate that they are going through the same thing. And If The Shoe Fits touched on that.

Julie spoke about how there are unspoken barriers when it comes to sizing and how a lot of “fashion designers” design for the big girls that have a barbie waist but Nicki Minaj boobs and butt.

All in all the book was relatable and captivating and adorable. Cindy and Henry were the cutest I’ve ever read!

They were definitely OTP.

I loved this book. I'm not a huge romance reader but I question why every time I read one. Why don't I do this more. Its a book lke this that draws me back to the genre. I loved Cindy and all she represented both physically and emotionally. Her character was smart and sassy and empowering. She was in touch w herself and all she represented to others. The relationship w Henry was a slow burn and I was there for it.

I realize the book has been out for over a year, I'm just sorry I didn't get to it sooner.

Being fat, I am always drawn to fat main characters and this was such a fresh and fun book. Low on fatphobia, high on cuteness. Cindy is a very likable character and of course she deserves a happy ending that she'll carve herself if the reality around her doesn't fit because others may thing one size fits all. I've always loved Julie Murphy's stories and this adult romcom was just as nice as I thought it was going to be. I love retellings with a twist!

Decent story Meant to Be has an interesting plot but the characters could use some depth I felt like I didn't get to connect with them enough