An amazing Cinderella retelling full of well written and diverse characters—seriously the representation of not only weight, but race and LGBTQ was aaamazing. I was honestly really surprised by how much I enjoyed this story!!

Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.
Another Cinderella retelling but this one is for adults and stars plus sized leads! A win in my book! This book was absolutely delightful! Julie Murphy makes it clear from the beginning that this story is not the story of an unloved, unwanted Cinderella. Instead, Cindy's relationship with her step-family is quite lovely . Erica, loved Cindy's father; and therefore, she shows love to Cindy as well.. Cindy also has a lovely relationship with her stepsisters. This is the Cinderella story that I've been wanting No not everyone is perfect but family is important and this book makes you realize how your normal is way different from someone elses. A charming Rom com!

I am a massive fan of a Cinderella story. I love the 1950 Disney film and grew up watching Ever After all of the time. When I saw Disney started a series of adult books of modern adaptations of fairy tales, I was excited to read them. If the Shoe Fits certainly lives up on my expectations. I devoured it and loved every page.

In If the Shoe Fits, Cindy, a recent fashion school graduate, returns home to be the nanny for her three half-siblings. She ends up on Before Midnight (a fictional show with many similarities to The Bachelor) as a favor to her stepmom, the executive producer of the show, when a spot needs to be filled at the last minute. She hopes to get some exposure that we help launch a fashion career, but she ends up falling for Henry Mackenzie, the suitor on Before Midnight.

First of all, I was thrilled that the “princess” in this version of Cinderella is a plus-sized queen. She also seems very comfortable in her body, and the story doesn’t focus on her trying to lose weight. She even encourages Henry’s mom, Lucy, to make her fashion lines more size inclusive. I can imagine how powerful it would be for people to watch Cindy on Before Midnight and to have her as a body positivity role model.

Cindy is an incredibly likable protaganist. It is easy to criticize other versions of Cinderella for not having any flaws, but that is not the case here. Cindy is a real woman who doubts herself and is worried that she’ll never find love. She is still incredibly kind and loyal to her friends and family. This all makes Cindy both relatable and easy to root for. It makes sense that the viewers of Before Midnight

It is also great to see LGBTQ representation in a book from Disney. Beck, one of the producers of Before Midnight, identifies herself as a lesbian and even gets the studio to greenlight a queer version of the show. I hope we see more of this going forward in Disney’s films as well. I also would love to see a queer version of The Bachelor or Bachelorette.

I also loved that Cindy had a good relationship with her stepmother, Erica Tremaine, and her stepsisters, Anna and Drew. The versions of these characters in If the Shoe Fits still made sense as versions of the characters they’re based on without being evil. Erica is a high powered television producer, and Anna and Drew are both Instagram influencers. The fact that they loved and cared for Cindy made the focus of the story more about Cindy’s search for professional and romantic success, which I really enjoyed.

There are also a few little fun nods to the 1950 Disney film. Erica’s last name is Tremaine, which echoes Lady Tremaine from the film. Two of Cindy’s half siblings are Jack and Gus, which references the mice Gus Gus and Jacques in the film. Cindy also refers to Henry as “Prince Charming” when she meets him on the plane before she learns his real name. These little details made me smile.

I look forward to reading the next book in this series. I am so glad that Disney Books has started publishing books for adults who are big Disney fans like me.

Thank you so much to the publisher for providing me an eARC for review!

First I want to say, I loved this book. It was so cute and I thought the Cinderella retelling was well done. I also liked the concept of a reality tv dating show, it was also cute. Cindy was a likeable character, even if sometimes her dialogue seemed a little bit childish given her age. I liked how real she felt when she talked about grief, and I really enjoyed her body positivity, and that’s the part I want to emphasize.

This book talks a lot about body positivity and some ways that larger people can struggle with something as simple as finding their size. I thought this was really eye opening and well done in the book, and I love that the author went this route with Cindy’s character. It was really refreshing.

In terms of steam, the book says adult but it’s not really a sexy book. It’s more of a sweet romance and the author doesn’t go in detail about anything besides kissing. I found it a really enjoyable light read if you’re looking for a quick feel good romance!

Cute romance retelling of Cinderella!! The MC was likable and sweet, same with most of the other characters. The banter was a lot of fun. Also the body positivity was AMAZING!! Such a refresher to read in romance.

I very much enjoyed this book as a whole.

Pros: Likeable characters, solid characterization, exceptional body positivity, well flowing dialogue.

Cons: There were a number of errors even for an ARC. Hopefully these will be resolved in a further editing process.

There were numerous mentions of skin color or race: "White woman", "black girl", etc. There was no relevance in these to the overall plot, and they simply seemed randomly thrown out.

It bills itself as a Cinderella story. While it's a fun and very cute novel, the only true thing it bears in common with Cinderella is the shoe element.

Finally, there was one significant plot hole: Strong emphasis is put on the twins having been born via surrogate. It's a recurring bit throughout the novel, but then towards the end mention is made of when Erica was pregnant with the twins.

Overall, I did enjoy this novel. It was a fun story, Cindy and "Prince Charming" were likeable characters, it was refreshing to see Cindy's relationship with her step family. I loved Cindy's over all confidence and willing to stand up for herself. Also the casual inclusion of LGBTQ characters was a strong positive.

I would recommend this book to others, though I hope the errors will be fixed in the final editing process.

I totally loved this book! I have to start with the fact that the plus sized rep was PHENOMENAL, just like you would think coming from a Julie Murphy novel. I absolutely loved the way she tied in Cinderella aspects as well! It was really great to see the stepmom and stepsisters as allies instead of enemies. Henry was just perfect, and I really loved all the interaction with him and Cindy. My other favorite thing was the casual diversity - with race, gender, and sexuality. I think the only thing that keeps me from loving it completely is that it was a little too cutsey/innocent for me. This isn’t a knock on the book at all, just doesn’t align with my personal preferences! I tend to like my adult romances to be a little spicier.

I totally loved this book! I have to start with the fact that the plus sized rep was PHENOMENAL, just like you would think coming from a Julie Murphy novel. I absolutely loved the way she tied in Cinderella aspects as well! It was really great to see the stepmom and stepsisters as allies instead of enemies. Henry was just perfect, and I really loved all the interaction with him and Cindy. My other favorite thing was the casual diversity - with race, gender, and sexuality. I think the only thing that keeps me from loving it completely is that it was a little too cutsey/innocent for me. This isn’t a knock on the book at all, just doesn’t align with my personal preferences! I tend to like my adult romances to be a little spicier.

This book is low angst, low conflict that reflected body positivity. I like this book better than One to Watch. Love Cindy had a passion for design and shoes and she made it known. to the hero.

I was really excited to read this book and it did not disappoint. I have been long over due for a romcom and a modern fairy tale retelling was just what I needed to get out of a reading slump. I loved this Cinderella retelling- we follow Cindy through her post graduation journey of going on a reality T.V. series, attempting to make a name for herself in the fashion industry. "Meant to Be: If the Shoe Fits" was a fast paced read and is perfect for fans of The Bachelor and The Selection by Kiera Cass. Like most romcoms, there are characters with big personalities and cheesy dialogue, but I honestly ate it up. However, I do wish the character's relationships with one another were explored a bit more- sometimes it felt like I was just getting the surface level of each friendship/ relationship and there were opportunities for more elaborate subplots that weren't taken. Other than that, I've got no complaints!

This was such a fun, sweet story. I’d definitely recommend to others.. I think people will definitely enjoy the banter and story of this one. I can’t wait to see what the author does next

In my opinion, Cinderella should always be fat.. Julie Murphy always knocks it out of the park, and I absolutely fell for this story. Happily Ever After, indeed!

This was such a cute, fun read. If you like romance, this book has it all! The main character is a plus sized version of Cinderella, and I could not put this book down. I finished this book in less than 24 hours, and I cannot wait for the rest of the series. I loved the chemistry between Cindy and Henry, and I felt like the book had a lot of believable aspects for a romance book. I thought the pacing of the story was spot on, and I just fell in love with the writing. I think this book has a strong body positivity message, and I thought the inclusivity in this story was well done. I am looking forward to the rest of the books in the series!! Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for providing this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Reviewing
Meant To Be: If The Show Fits
By Julie Murphy

If you love reality TV and rom-coms, then you need to add this one to your TBR list right now!

Okay....now that you’ve done that, let’s get into it.

Murphy introduces readers to confident and sassy Cindy, a plus size beauty who truly loves her body just as it is, thank you very much! Her positive body image and acceptance leaps off the pages, inspiring readers to reconsider how they think of their own bodies.

All of the fun characters, the chemistry between Henry and Cindy, and the reality show set up is sure to keep readers on the edge of their seats with anticipation. I have no doubt that this modern day nod to the classic Cinderella story will fly off the shelves and be a book club favorite for years to come.

Julies writing style flows effortlessly from page to page at a wonderful pace with just enough give and take to keep readers happy.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 fun stars for this splendid read with a brilliant self love message for rom-com lovers around the world. 14+ rating.

This was such a fun, body positive, Cinderella retelling! I love how shoes were incorporated throughout. Perfect for fans of The Bachelor, it would make a great beach read. Highly recommended for grades 9 & up.

This was such a sweet and inspiring retelling of Cinderella and I’m still swooning as I’m writing this.💕

I loved this book so much and how beautifully the author tackled so many important topics for today’s society.

First, I have to say I loved how wonderful her step-family was. They cared so much about her and tryly loved her. Their support was truly heartwarming. I also loved the dating show concept and dynamics and all the aspects of the fashion world I learned about. It was very interesting to see Cindy interacting and bonding with other contestants and putting her fashion knowledge into action. She was such a gentle soul and kind spirit. I loved how she never lost her authenticity, even being surrounded by cameras, that’s why she became a T.V. icon and role model. I loved seeing her and Henry having a real connection because of how deeply they got to know each other and shared so much.

Henry was charming and sweet. I loved how despite of being influenced by the expectations of his family and all the falshood and pressure of the show, he was able to show his true self to Cindy and found in her the love he didn’t know he needed and wanted.

This was an enjoyable, fast paced read and I definitely recommend it!

This book comes out on August 3, 2021.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for gifting me this ARC.

Julie Murphy is an absolute gem, and her novels are a wonderful addition to any shelf. Cinderella gets a modern remake better than you could have possibly imagined. It's Dumplin' (Muprhy) meets The Bachelor, with a sprinkle of Devil Wears Prada..

This was so cute! Absolutely adorable and wonderful retelling of modern Cinderella without being too predictable or similar. It was light, but still very enjoyable. There's funny banter between the characters, and it's always so nice to see more representation in the romance genre. I'd like to think that it's a pretty truthful portrayal of reality television, but it's heavily inspired by The Bachelor which I do like to watch from time to time. The cover is also beautiful and I loved everything about it. Would recommend!

4.5 stars rounded up! I adored this sweet, modern story that’s Cinderella re-telling meets the Bachelor.

Thanks so much to #NetGalley and the author for the gifted ARC copy - I’m thrilled to leave my honest review and share that I LOVED this story 💕

So exciting to see Julie Murphy writing in adult romance! This sharp and funny Cinderella retelling will definitely be popular with adult fans of Murphy's YA as well as romance readers who enjoy authors like Jasmine Guillory and Olivia Dade.