I loved that 1- she removed the evil from the evil stepsisters and stepmother. There's a certain distance between them instead which felt realistic, and removing the abuse and bitchiness felt- almost like applying aloe to a sunburn. Like yes, this is a classic tale, but Julie Murphy is going to do it BETTER.
2- Women supporting women. We need more of this, and Julie gave it to us in spades. *SCREAMS*
3- Body Positivity. There was so much of it, it brought tears to my eyes. She SHINES with this in her books, and my soul needs it. I could not be more excited for a series of adult romance fairy tale retellings with plus-size leads. We DESERVE this.
4. JAY. YAAAAAS JAY. Could've used less Beck, more Jay but Jay may have sparkled enough for both.
5. Slow burn romance. I loooove a slow burn romance and this one felt good.

I've only recently been incorporating anti-fat bias learning into the classroom explicitly. Puddin' and interviews with Julie Murphy, plus Faith, have been awesome to reach students and get the to start thinking about this issue.
This Cinderella re-telling is another tour de force from the prolific Julie Murphy. I struggled with fairy tale retellings because it can be so easy and yet so challenging to make the old new - and yet, Murphy absolutely does this.
If you do a school unit of fairy tale retellings, which so many teachers do, this novel should be top of the list to include. It is fun, funny, moving, and ultimately hopeful; it captures the ways young people think and speak, and makes an old fairy tale relevant. You students will be able to make so many connections to the past and to the world today, and they'll do so with excitement and high engagement with this novel!

4.5 stars
This is an incredibly sweet, thoughtful, emotional retelling of a classic, with enough twists to make it feel shiny and new.

Firstly, I was incredibly excited to see a retelling of Cinderella in which the stepmother and stepsisters were not evil! Sure, their relationships could be complicated at times, but at the end of the day, they all loved and supported each other.

The inclusion of the mice characters from the Disney classic (given this is an adult Disney-published book) as Cindy's adorable triplet siblings was a nice touch.

This played with "reality" tv tropes, meet cutes, and dreaming (which is a wish your heart makes) all while centring a fat protagonist who does not apologize for her size (because no one should have to). I very much enjoyed this retelling.

This was an adorable book with a similar inspiration as One to Watch.
This book was cute! Likeable characters, not so likeable ones, and a few little plot twists all come together!
This “Cinderella” is a plus sized woman with a mission to make herself known in the fashion industry.
Very cute enjoyable book!

If the Shoe Fits is lighthearted and fun. I was taken by the description thinking it sounded good and I wasn’t disappointed. It lived up to all its promises.

This book is a great comforting, beach read.

Loved this!! The perfect romance to read during quarantine. I’m love modern retellings of classic stories, and this Cinderella story is perfect!

This book was a delight - for fans of the Bachelor franchise and coming of age stories. I really liked the characters and could not put this well paced novel down. Highly recommended summer read!

I really enjoyed the newest from Julie Murphy and am starting to think she can do no wrong.
I loved Cindy's story. She is a smart and driven character. She is also plus size. Characters like Cindy are rare and it is refreshing to have a book like If the Shoe Fits.

Cindy's love story is by no mean typical but it is thoroughly enjoyable! It is a cross between an episode of The Bachelor and Pretty Woman!

Read it! It is great!

3.5 stars
Let me start with this- I love that body positivity is becoming a topic of discussion in literature, as it SHOULD be.
Cindy is a terrific heroine. She's smart, kind, and comfortable in her own skin. I loved how real she seemed.
I also loved that the stepmother and stepsisters weren't wicked, and that Cindy had decent relationships with all three. Honestly, that's the part of Cinderella that I like the least, the cruelty. I thought it was so cute that one of the triplets was named Gus!
This book was super inclusive- gender, race, body type- all were depicted respectfully and honestly, and I really appreciated it. Do I think people in general are this accepting in real life? No. But it's nice to dream.
The cheese factor in this book is off the charts, which prevents me from giving rating it higher. I like a good cheesy rom-com just as much as the next person, but this seemed a little over-the-top at times (the one-on-one date in NYC, for example).
Overall, I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others.

Thank you to NetGalley and Disney Publishing Worldwide for the ARC!

This book is a Cinderella, modern day retailing. Cindy has just graduated from Parson Design in NYC and wants to design shoes. With no job prospects she returns home to California. Her step-mom and sisters are loving and supportive (yay for changing my least favorite part of the fairy tale). Step-mom is the creator and producer of a reality TV series like the Bachelor. When a few contestants quite at the last minute Cindy and her sisters go on the show. The bachelor on the show is Henry, the cute guy Cindy flirted with on her flight home.

I love the book's positive representation of a plus size woman who isn't trying to change her body. She points out some of the challenges, like the wardrobe department didn't think of her size when selecting evening dresses or outfitting the women challenges. I enjoyed the behinds the scenes look at how unreal, reality tv can be. There is diversity and inclusivity but more as an add on and not part of the main plot.

But over-all I wasn't totally satisfied or blown away. Only being from Cindy's POV limits the perspective. The potential romance is hard to see develop because technically Henry can't say anything about a possible future. It is far fetched that in this media age that the three daughters can go on the show without someone from their lives outing them as being related to the producer. The end itself didn't payoff in a big way to make me think that Cindy and Henry were going to have a HEA. I wish there was an epilogue to let me believe they were still together.

Overall a fun, light read. Yay for positive body representation. Mild cursing and clean for explicitness. Would recommend for YA and up. Thank you NetGalley and Disney Publishing Worldwide for and ARC ebook in exchange for an honest review.

3.5/4 stars

If the Shoe Fits is a modern day Cinderella retelling that explores grief and identity and, of course, romance.

Cindy, our modern day Cinderella, is a recent Parsons grad and fat woman who decides to join her decidedly NOT evil stepsisters on her questionably moral stepmother's version of the Bachelor. Her Prince Charming is the lucky bachelor himself...who she already had a meet cute with at the airport. While I don't love watching reality TV, I thoroughly enjoyed this behind-the-scenes look into that world..

TBH, I struggled to rate this one because there were parts I really loved, and parts I didn't. Cindy is plus-sized and unapologetic about it. The book doesn't shy away from showing our world's fatphobia, especially in fashion, but it also doesn't deny her joy. Cindy calls it like she sees it, has a small but mighty support system (I want more Sierra!!!), and makes the best decisions at the best times. I loved watching her lean into her joy, her dreams, and her desires. I also deeply appreciated that the story axed the "evil" in her step-family and instead focused on the bumps and joy of bringing together two families after a tragedy.

And yet, somethings really didn't work for me. The HEA felt unclear...and there was no epilogue to showcase more of their adventures (did they have any?). The pacing, especially towards the end felt rushed. In particular, there was an awkward time jump when Cindy heads back to NYC that had me flipping back to make sure I hadn't missed some pages. I also got confused by the sheer number of names and characters DURING the filming scenes and felt like some of that could have been tightened, trimmed. And, lastly, the throwaway comment about rheumatoid arthritis. It wasn't necessary or explored, so it read as ableist to me. As a young person with arthritis, seeing it presented on the page as "the worst thing ever" and then never hearing about it after that felt really shitty.

Because of the characters' ages, the themes explored, and lack of sex on the page, this read to me more like a New Adult novel. I enjoyed it and I actually would LOVE to read a a novella of Henry and Cindy's time in Italy!

Overall I enjoyed this book an am glad I read it.


Thank you to Netgalley and Disney-Hyperion for gifting me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

There was a lot to like about this book. As soon as I started reading about Cindy's father remarrying and there being two step-sisters in the mix, I honestly anticipated that the story would follow the Cinderella trope and her step-family would be awful to her. But instead, they were wonderfully supportive and protective of her. That was great to read.

And I loved the relationship between Cindy and Henry. The banter was cute, and I looked forward to them finding their happily ever after.

As a fan of the Bachelor franchise, it was entertaining to see how the fictitious reality TV show "Before Midnight" compared. I especially appreciated how supportive (almost) everyone was of one another.

That said, I know there is an emphasis on diversity and inclusion in the publishing world today, yet there were scenes where I felt like the tail was wagging the dog here and it definitely distracted me from the story.

This was a non guilty read for me to enjoy over a weekend to myself. I didn't expect to get swept up in the story, but here we are. I'm left with that strange and possibly sad feeling at the end of a book where you are not ready to say goodbye to the characters yet.

It's always extra fun to see yourself in the story or place of some of the characters. I really enjoy how Henry and Cindy first met. I loved The sisterly relationships within the story. I did not expect the plot to go in the direction it did.

Plus sized fiction has its place in an industry where it has been long neglected. I hope to see more stories on the coming years that feature a diverse character lineup.

I do wish there was a second book and an extension of some of the character lines. I was left with some character and timeline questions and wanting more information. Excuse me while I now go catch up on everything else Julie Murphy.

Special thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this work, in exchange for my fair and honest review.

It always makes me happy to see plus size representation and this book was absolutely perfect for it. Cute retelling and getting to see myself in a character was everything

Great modern taken on this story. Love the lack of cat fighting and the focus on personal growth. Would definitely recommend.

I read this in one plane ride and was praying I would finish before landing because I desperately needed to know how it ended. Thank goodness I was able to finish!

This is the kind of book that you gobble up, but it warms your heart for days after. It’s no secret that Julie Murphy is a master at creating characters with depth and revolved phenomenal stories around body positivity, but I loved this even more than I expected to.

• Plot: “Cindy loves shoes. A well-placed bow or a chic stacked heel is her form of self-expression. As a fashion-obsessed plus-size woman, she can never find designer clothes that work on her body, but a special pair of shoes always fits just right.

With a shiny new design degree but no job in sight, Cindy moves back in with her stepmother, Erica Tremaine, the executive producer of the world’s biggest dating reality show. When a contestant on Before Midnight bows out at the last minute, Cindy is thrust into the spotlight. Showcasing her killer shoe collection on network TV seems like a great way to jump-start her career. And, while she’s at it, why not go on a few lavish dates with an eligible suitor?

But being the first and only fat contestant on Before Midnight turns her into a viral sensation—and a body-positivity icon—overnight. Even harder to believe? She can actually see herself falling for this Prince Charming. To make it to the end, despite the fans, the haters, and a house full of fellow contestants she’s not sure she can trust, Cindy will have to take a leap of faith and hope her heels— and her heart—don’t break in the process.

Best-selling author Julie Murphy’s reimagining of a beloved fairy tale is an enchanting story of self-love and believing in the happy ending each and every one of us deserves.”

• Thoughts: Murphy’s adult novel debut is a home run. I don’t even have enough words to properly describe how much I loved it. She gave a more mature and spicier edge to the body positivity and characters that she is well known for. I recommend Murphy’s books time and again, and this one will be no different.

Contemporary romance fans and Disney fans will absolutely love this story, as will any woman that needs some body positivity in her life.

•Rating: Absolutely, hands down five stars. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

**Many, many, many thanks to NetGalley and Disney-Hyperion for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review. My opinions are my own.”

#contemporaryromance #disneypublishing #JulieMurphy #Bodypositivity

A fun take on the classic fairy tale trope, set amidst a reality show dating competition. Likeable characters, a fun lighthearted read.

What a sweet story! I needed something light and fun and this definitely fit the bill. This is a blatant modification of Cinderella (Cindy, Anna, Drew, Mrs Tremaine, all of the shoes) but I think it works. It is incredibly easy to compare this book to One To Watch, another fairly recent release with a plus sized female in a role in a Bachelor-esque francise - this one as one of the hopefuls, One To Watch as the lead. I would say I enjoyed both stories almost equally and think both are worth reading. I loved the relationships in this one - Cindy with her stepmom and stepsisters, Cindy and her best friend, and especially Cindy and Henry. It honestly feel like it could happen and just made me smile many times. It's heartwarming and charming. 3.75 stars.

This is apparently the first in a new series - I would certainly read the next book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for my ARC of this book - all opinions are my own.

An excellent and fun read about a plus size reality dating show contestant. It reminded me a lot of one to watch and I found myself really rooting for the confident main character. Very inspirational!

Read it in one sitting after getting my copy from NetGalley- so I suppose you could say I dug it! It was just so witty and yummy! So full of fat, too. Which I also really loved. I mean, if I hear one more fat person described as “brave,” (although, let’s be real, it’s always a woman/girl, never a man, because the stakes are different for women and appearance always) I will scream as I pull out my hair. Existing is not brave. Wearing clothes that fit, or expecting them, is not brave. This book? Not brave. But so friggin good. 💜💜💜📚