Precious and adorable - I’m always a sucker for a plus sized leading lady. Cindy is relatable and nuanced although the fact that she’s only 22 seems a bit off given the way she carries herself. Toss in all the snarky fashion comments and this one was a winner for me.

Julie Murphy does it again! I absolutely loved this story. The character development and growth was clear and the way they all rooted for each other was so sweet. Highly recommend!

this book was fun to read if you like reality tv shows kind of books. wasn't my favorite tho read but overall i liked the characters, the plot and romance were good.

This book was a cute and fun reference to Cinderella. The Bachelor style premise was also a fun addition because that show is my guilty pleasure. I absolutely loved how our main character is not your typical tall skinny woman "bachelorette" but instead, plus size and proud. This was a beautiful addition to the story. I feel like this plot has been overdone lately, but this was still a fun little ride. I loved the characters but didn't completely vibe with the romance. Still a fun read.

4 stars. A great story with a tribute to Cinderella and really brings in the stressors of everyday life for someone who isn't considered "normal" body weight. It's very "bachelorette-esque" It was a good read.

I absolutely loved this book. It was so fun and entertaining, and also discussed topics that need to be brought up more in romance! I thought both the main characters were likable, and I was curious to learn more about them throughout the book. I cannot wait to read the next book in this series.

The Bachelor meets Cinderella in this body-positive retelling. The heroine, Cindy is honest, confident, and resilient as she fights to belong in the world of fashion and reality tv, finding love and acceptance along the way. Overall this is a funny and uplifting take on Cinderella, with a few twists to the classic tale, my favorite being no evil step-sisters and a mostly supportive step-mom. My only issue with Meant to Be was the lack of romance between Cindy and Henry. I enjoyed their initial meet cute, but didn't always feel the spark later on. However, Meant to Be tells a powerful story of loving yourself, which is more important than a fairytale romance.

Loved the plus size rep in this book - we need more of these stories! I found it a bit cheesy but overall it was fun and snappy.

It was a cute and sweet story and a nice take on a Cinderella retelling. Lighthearted and fun with body positivity, it was very enjoyable.

I thoroughly enjoyed this one. It felt very hallmark style sweet, if you're looking for body positive gentle romance, would recommend.

While the egalley of this book had many errors (grammatical, spelling, and formatting) I also received a print ARC and it did not have the same problems.
Julie Murphy's newest romance definitely stands true to her reputation for great romances. In IF THE SHOE FITS Cindy is a recent fashion grad with a love for shoes. (Ahem if yall don't know this, I'm OBSESSED with shoes, so I automatically LOVED Cindy) and wants to design them. After college graduation, she returns home to live with her stepmother and half-siblings. I loved that this Cinderella retelling didn't make the stepmom out to be a witch and the stepsisters were lovely as well. As a stepmother myself, I always take offense when stepmothers are made out to be mean and wicked. Anyway, Cindy returns home and is entered into a reality show similar to The Bachelor where she has to fight for true love. SUCH a good romance while also being a great display of a woman who wants to be happy and find her place in the world. 5 stars!

This was cute! I'm not huge on Disney retellings, but this was sweet and I always enjoy Julie Murphy's writing.

I don't know how to put into words how much I loved this book. It was my first Julie Murphy read and I'm so excited to see what she writes next for adults. The characters were perfect and I loved how juicy this book felt. I absolutely loved it and highly recommend it!

I loved this book so much! It was so much better than I ever imagined and I'm thrilled that this was not a classic Cinderella in terms of the family dynamics. It meant so much to me that the sisters were a united front and that Erica treated Cindy as her own.

I appreciated that Cindy's weight was not her personality and hardly mentioned if not for the mean girls in the house. It wasn't a point of contention for Prince Charming and it was really beautiful to see. This book was well written and with the subtle nods to Disney and Cinderella, it made my Disney heart happy!

I loved Julie Murthy’s take on Cinderella, and she always does a marvelous job with body positivity. The couple was also adorable!

Just darling!! I loved the mix between The Bachelor-esque shows and fairytale of Cinderella! I loved Cindy and her body positivity and Henry was a perfect leading man. This was sweet and sexy - a perfect escape read!

This was a fun, lighthearted read! I like the representation, but felt like that was too much of an emphasis for the storyline. I did feel like I was in Cindy's shoes and felt the same emotions she was when dealing with some of the mean girls, so the description and wordplay was very well done.

A combination of a Cinderella retelling, a Bachelor style show, and a body positive main character? SIGN ME UP!
This was such a delightful read. It was quick & it really brought me joy. I absolutely loved Cindy as a main character, and thought all of her interactions were great. The aspect of clothing design that was involved in this was fun as well. This was my first book by Julie Murphy & it was a winner!

Rating: 4/5

This was such a delightful re-telling of Cinderella in the modern world.

The novel takes place in New York and LA in the 2020s. Cindy has moved back to LA from the Big Apple to be with her family after struggling in design school. A similar set-up to the classic Cinderella story is established, Cindy has a step-mom and step-sisters and a father and mother who have previously passed away. Her step-mother is a producer on one of the hottest television shows in the nation, a Bachelor style show, and her step-sisters are going to be contestants. At the last minute, Cindy joins the show as a contestant and is surprised to see that the man she was on a flight with when she came back to LA is the bachelor. Cindy doesn’t feel like she will win nor does she have the desire to instead she feels this is an opportunity to get her shoe designs some media attention and maybe spark some inspiration.

Although the general plot progression is similar to the original Cinderella, Julie Murphy really makes this story her own and very in line with modern times. The step-family is not “evil” but instead very supportive and wants the best for Cindy. Cindy is a woman not necessarily looking for love but looking to find herself and pursue her passion for fashion shoe design.

In the bachelor show, there are of course conflicts between the contestants as they vie for the attention of the bachelor, but there’s also a vibe of women supporting women and friendship between the contestants that I really enjoyed seeing. Every time I thought there was going to be a super evil person to hate, Murphy defied my expectations. All characters have some flaw but it doesn’t define them (although one of the contestants gets really close).

When it comes to the romance, I absolutely loved that the OG story is dropped. Rather than Cinderella meeting Prince Charming and falling in love despite never saying a word to each other. Cindy goes on dates during the show and we actually get to see them form a connection. It makes the ending conflict and resolution all the more believable, an ending that seems realistic not just a “fairy tale”.

I'm a sucker for retelling of a Cinderella story and throw in some Bachelor vibes..pop out the book and get me a glass of wine! This was a super easy fun read. I liked that the book was a fresh take on the Cinderella spin.