This book hits all the boxes, which is no surprise for fans of Julie Murphy. Watchers and non-watchers of reality TV will be charmed by this fresh spin on the Cinderella story. Perfect for a plane ride, trip to the beach, or just a day avoiding chores.

me: I'm kinda sick of Cinderella retellings
Julie Murphy: here's my first Adult novel and it is a Cinderella retelling with a plus-size main character
me: SIGN ME UP!!!!!!

How cliche is it to start a book with a plus-size heroine who as a child calls her the pizza delivery guy her knight in shining armor?? Offensive.

One to Watch did this same story much better.

Thank you to Net Galley for the free ARC for an honest review.

This was the perfect, relaxing summer read. This book is a retelling of the classic Cinderella story. As you can see from the cover, our Cinderella isn't the typical model thin beauty. The author also makes the change with the relationship between the stepmom and siblings and Cindy. They actually have a good relationship, and I loved how the author incorporated Jaq and Gus Gus (my personal favorite characters from the Disney version). I enjoyed this book for what it was: a romantic, fun read. The main character was likable, but she still had her flaws. You definitely want to cheer for her. This is my first book that I have read by Murphy, but I'm pretty sure I'll pick up another one in the future.

I’m not a reality dating tv show fan but this was a cute twist on them mixed with a hint of Cinderella. But I love Julie Murphy’s Dumplin series so I had to request this and though I didn’t like it as much as those books, it was still a fun little read.
Cindy is a recent design school graduate who doesn’t know what she’s going to do now so she takes a job being Nanny for her triplet siblings so her stepmother Erica, can work on her Bachelor type show. When some of the contestants drop out right before it’s scheduled to start airing, Cindy’s sisters volunteer to go on the show and one of the other executives decide it’s a good idea for Cindy to go on too. Her friend convinces her it’ll be good exposure for her to make connections in the industry so she agrees and fast becomes America’s sweetheart as the first plus size girl on this type of show.
This was a cute princess style story and Cindy was an easy character to like. And the “Bachelor” of the story was actually not a vapid tool. Perfect beach day story.
Thanks to Hyperion Avenue and Netgalley for this Arc in exchange for my review.

This was the perfect Cinderella retelling that I didn’t know I needed!! Having a plus size Cinderella was amazing. I love the new views this book gave and will definitely be buying the hard copy.

This book is PURE MAGIC!!!

I have never been a fan of reality dating shows, but this book made me think otherwise. If this is what Julie Murphy can do for adult fiction, then I’m definitely here for it!!

A modern retelling of my favorite princess, minus the evil / mean step family.

Plus size princesses are here and here to slay!!

When I saw this new line of Disney re-tellings - and a Cinderella story from Julie Murphy, I had to read it! It’s a fun, modern take on Cinderella with fashion design, a reality TV show, and social media. Cindy is a recent graduate from fashion design school who finds herself cast on a Bachelor-type show produced by her (not evil) stepmother. She is instantly a bachelor and fan favorite! But the real world beckons her, reality TV isn’t kind or inclusive of our plus size heroine, and her heart is still healing from the loss of her father. Just when you think you know what she will do next, Cindy keeps surprising you (and Henry!)

This is a heartwarming, inspiring, and surprising tale. It was a joy to read and a unique retelling. Exactly the quality of writing you’d expect from this author!

I reviewed this book on goodreads (5/17) and instagram (7/3) - links are attached to this review.

This book was a perfect mix of Cinderella meets The Bachelor! It’s about time we have a beautiful plus size female on a show like the bachelor and this was it! It’s your typical romcom, but still so good! Love the body positivity, the inclusion of a non-binary character with their specific pronouns, and the overall story of following your dreams and listening to your heart. Seriously loved this so much I had to read it in one day!

This book has all the great feels you want in a story. The characters were extremely likable and the storyline was comforting. I enjoyed the Cinderella twist of it all. This book is definitely a fun summer read and leaves you smiling.

After graduating with a degree in shoe design, Cindy goes to work for her stepmother, who is also the executive producer for the reality show 'Before Midnight'. When three contestants drop out, Cindy and her two stepsisters fill in.

Cinderella meets The Bachelor in this very modern Cinderella retelling. I really liked this book. It was fast paced and fun. It was a great plus size rep. I liked how Cindy was a confident character. I also like how Cindy's stepfamily was actually nice to her. The romance was also intense, deep, and adorable. I would like to see this book as a movie.

This book was refreshing and fun.

3.5 stars
IF THE SHOE FITS was a really fun rom-com set in the reality TV world with a plus-sized protagonist breaking the barriers society has put in place. Cindy was an incredible main character, headstrong and determined and creative and all the things you love to see in a female protagonist. She's also a fashion designer fresh out of college who loves shoes and it was really fun to read about her designing and working her way through a creative drought in the midst of the love story. Speaking of which, her experience on the reality TV dating show was lots of fun. There was plenty of drama and friendships throughout the book and it made for an entertaining plot to push the story along. Henry was a sweet love interest but he wasn't quite as developed as I would have liked and their relationship overall lacked the chemistry that really made it stand out; in part I'm sure this is because he was also "dating" 10 other girls on the show but I felt like in order to really be sold on the relationship there needed to be more interactions between them, and even the ones we got weren't as convincing as I'd like. The Cinderella elements were strong in this book but there were also some spins that don't completely line up which were lots of fun. I loved when Cindy spent time with/talked about her family, those were definite high points as well. This is a great summer rom-com and I look forward to what comes next in this series.

This fantastic summer read has romance, friendship, and the perfect villain. It reads quickly and was downright enjoyable!

This book is adult but it does read a lot like a YA. There's even censored cursing which I find a little odd. Overall, if I'm going to read Adult romance I do think personally I like it a bit steamier, as the most we got was a fade to black. There's nothing wrong with that at all, I just wish we had gotten like one step above that.

This book was really cute and sweet! I love this modernized fairytale with an inclusive touch (plus size main character and LGBTQ characters). It’s a light read that leaves you feeling happy!

Oh this book! I was so pleasantly surprised by this book. This is my first book by Julie Murphy. I know she wrote Dumplin and that many of her heroine's are plus-size. As a plus-size woman myself, I was excited to read a book centered around one and was crossing my fingers it didn't have all the cliches that some of these types of stories do.

So If The Shoe Fits is a sort-of modern retelling of Cinderella with a twist. The story start with Cindy (our Cinderella). When we meet her she is packing up to move back to Los Angeles from New York City, where she recently graduated from Parsons School of Design. She was mostly designing shoes. She has run out of inspiration and has no prospects of a job. She is moving back to LA to move back in with her step-mother, Erica.

If you think that this is where she has a hateful step-mother and mean step-sisters, you're wrong. She has an amazing step-family as well as triplet half-siblings and she loves them all. Her step-mother Erica is a pioneer in reality television and created a long-running dating show ala The Bachelor, called Before Midnight (more Cinderella references).

The whole story revolves around Cindy becoming a contestant on the show. There are some great twists in the story. The look behind the scenes of these types of reality shows is really fun and eye-opening. There are your typical stereotypes that these shows consist of, like the southern belle, the catty beauty, the sassy intelligent girl, etc. But you see that each of those girls, minus the catty girl, is more than meets the eye.

I also loved the interactions Cindy has with the bachelor, Henry. Their journey is not what you expect, especially with their beginnings. And Henry becomes a swoon-worthy hero.

I wasn't sure what to expect with how the writer would address and play out Cindy's size. Would it be so cliche and have all these people use her size to bring her down at every angle? Would our bachelor mention that he "sees beyond her size"? I was pleasantly surprised to see how it was all handled. I was glad that it wasn't a point of contention between her and the other girls, like how can a girl like THAT be in this type of show but she was accepted by the others (for the most part and it wasn't because of her size).

I could not put this book down. I can't recommend it enough! It was a fun, sweet and thoughtful story.

This book was wonderful! This fast paced romance is perfect for the fans of the Bachelor universe. It follows aspiring designer Cindy who moves back home only to accidentally end up starring on her stepmom’s reality dating show. She figures what the hell? The show will give her the exposure for her budding career. But what does she not expect? Henry! This is a story of finding love in unexpected places. This is also a story of not being afraid to follow your dreams no matter what you have to sacrifice. This is a book about self love and a critique on society’s views of body types. It’s also a Cinderella retelling! I appreciated that it didn’t follow the fairy tale to a tee but took its own unique spin on the story. All this in 300 pages. Now that’s talent! Overall, I loved it so much and I’m so happy that this is the first in a series!? Who’s story do we get next!?

Cindy has just graduated from design school and, not having anything lined up, returns to her stepmother's house to nanny her triplet siblings until she can get her life together. Her stepmother is the executive producer of the hottest reality show, Before Midnight, and when spots open up, Cindy and her 2 stepsisters jump in. But being plus-sized puts a new twist on the show, and soon Cindy is wondering if her happily ever after is coming or if she needs to design her own.

Julie Murphy gives us her first adult novel and aren't we so happy she did? This fun retelling of Cinderella focuses on Cindy, who has lost both her parents and is struggling to find her way in the world. You'll find a few nods to the beloved fairy tale but Murphy really puts a new spin on it. Putting Cindy in the world of Bachelor-esque reality tv was so fun and I especially enjoyed the "behind the scenes" viewpoint.

Available August 3, 2021.

I received an advanced digital copy of the book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A plus-sized recent design school graduate obsessed with shoes heads home to figure her next steps in life, and she and her stepsisters end up filling in for some last-minute drop-out contestants on her stepmother's hit dating reality show, where she becomes a body positivity sensation. The other surprise twist? The eligible suitor is the cute guy she hit it off with on the plane ride back to California - and the son of a famous designer. I really appreciated Cindy's positive relationships with her stepmother and stepsisters and Cindy's general awesomeness. True love doesn't magically solve everything in this story: Cindy has to figure out what she really wants out of life and make a lot of decisions first. We ordered five copies, and my manager and I both anticipate joyfully suggesting this book to our readers.

First let me say this book was super cute and had swoon worthy moments. It was very clear that it was a Cinderella comparison within the first chapter and kept the pace going. Why I gave it three stars is because it just didn’t have enough realism for me. It lacked apathy and passion and felt forced in some parts. I wouldn’t not read this book but I wouldn’t put it at the very top of your tbr