I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. From chapter 1 I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is a twist on the Cinderella story. There is still a stepmother and stepsisters, Prince Charming, a few fairy godmother and a cute shoe moment. The twist was refreshing and not just another rehash. Cindy is a wonderful relatable character and would absolutely watch a bachelor/ette type show if she were on it. Well done Julie Murphy!

I fully enjoyed this modern retelling of Cinderella, where shoe designer Cindy has a meet cute with Henry on a plane, only to find that he's the suitor on the dating reality show she joined to gain the notoriety she needs to launch her fashion brand. Their connection was immediate, but now she needs to make sure she is the one he chooses.

There were some excellent elements to this book: I appreciated the absolute lack of hatred between Cindy and her step-mother Erica and her step-sisters Anna and Drew. Although they have different interests and do not fully understand one another, their attempts to build relationships seemed realistic, and I was glad to see the evil-stepmother-trope avoided.

Perhaps my favorite aspect of the book had to do with Cindy herself. She is a plus-sized woman who unashamedly uses the word "fat" to describe herself. As a fat woman in the fashion industry, she has definite work ahead to improve body inclusivity, including in the fashion line founded by Henry's mother. Her own professional goals are ones that motivate her, even aside from her desire to find love with Henry.

There were a few points at which the pacing felt a little rushed, but overall, this was a fun read.

(I received a review copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.)

Do we really need another Cinderella retelling? Yes, in fact we do. Julie Murphy shines in her first adult novel, which is also a twist on cinderella. Plus size Cindy? LOVE! Reality Show format? Surprisingly good and not cheesy. I hate reality shows so this was something I wasn't sure about but I ended up loving it. Honestly, there's not much say about this book. If the Shoe Fits was a pure delight to read. It was a breath of fresh air for a retelling. I loved the writing, characters and Pacing. I can not wait to pick up a copy when it's out!

I really loved Ms. Murphy's YA series Dumplin' and I was very excited to receive this ARC of her adult series. And I was not disappointed. Her easy writing transferred to the adult genre effortlessly and I couldn't be more pleased to connect immediately with Cindy. I might not work on a reality show, but I can definitely relate to her inner dialogue.

The story was a quick read and while touching on modern topics, it stayed true to the overall feel of Cinderella. Definitely a great retelling and an easy summer read!

This was awesome retelling of Cinderella with a modern twist. A one-sit reading binge.
Henry and Cindy are both two wonderfully crafted and incredibly relatable protagonists, them as couple was so fun together, their banter was fun and never forced.
Cindy's relationship with her step family great, they all cared about each other and I would love to see the other sisters as the next heroine in this series.
The writing style is very delightful, and fun and it will arrive without doubts to your heart, besides it's a light and fast reading !

Special thanks to NetGalley and Disney Publishing Worldwide for sharing this ARC with me in exchange for an honest review.

I adore Julie Murphy's books and I was thrilled she was moving into adult fiction. Perhaps my expectations were too high, because I still very much enjoyed this book though it's not my favorite of hers. Because the main female character is a new college grad, she is in such an uncertain place in her life that the story still feels quite YA even if she is an adult. That said, I thought the idea to adapt a Cinderella story to a Bachelor-like dating show is inspired, because what is that whole ball in Cinderella if not an episode of the Bachelor? As she always does, Murphy cares for each and every character and gives them a loving portrayal. The book is a single first-person POV on Cindy, and in its way becomes more of a women's fiction with romantic elements than a true romance, because her personal/career journey is equally important in the narrative as the romance. Not a bad thing, but I was hoping to flesh out our Prince Charming character more, and I feel like we primarily get to know his professional side. I am always a sucker for a reality television narrative, and the way the Cinderells story was woven into it was tremendous fun, and I couldn't always guess which way it was going to go. Overall a very fun and satisfying read.

Though I’m not really a fan of The Bachelor franchise, I do love me some body positivity in books. IF THE SHOE FITS was a fun twist on a modern contemporary Cinderella. I loved how Murphy modified the “wicked step family” trope while keeping the fairytale themes in tact.

I enjoyed how this book addressed fatphobia without making it the center of everything. Cindy thrives as romantic lead without the whole story being about her body. I also thought this story was a good depiction of grief - Cindy’s healthy relationship with her step sisters, step mother, and the memories of parents were really poignant.

While I liked the story overall, IF THE SHOE FITS is not paced like a typical romance. Cindy’s story was more focused on her career, family relationships, and friendships with the other contestants. Which are good things! However, the love interest and romance plot did get a lot less page time than expected.

This book was a lot of fun! I wish there was a proper smut scene, but I can also appreciate that this is an adult Disney novel. I hope Julie Murphy writes more adult romance books soon!

IF THE SHOE FITS was a really fun twist on the cinderella +The Bachelor trope. I really loved the combination of the two and the narrative liberties Julie Murphy took with modifying the “wicked step family” trope and showing the background and behind the scenes of reality tv.

This book did a decent job of openly addressing fat phobia without making it the hallmark of the book. Cindy gets to exist as a romantic lead without the whole story revolving around how other people perceive her body as a “bad thing.”

The depiction of grief throughout the story and family is also super heartwarming. Cindy’s healthy relationship with her step sisters, step mother, and her memories and grief tied to her late parents were really well written and earnest.

The book did tend to focus more on Cindy’s career, family relationships, and friendships with the other contestants that the actual relationship with the romantic lead but it was still a relationship I rooted for despite getting less page time than expected.

Overall, I enjoyed this book quite a lot. I have no idea why we were robbed of a proper smut scene but that didn’t take away from the overall fun of the book.

I love Julie Murphy's teen books, but her take on Cinderella was fantastic. The story was compelling and I love Cindy and her strength and attitude. The development of the plot kept me wanting more and more.

I liked this story and I would read it again. It’s a cute little beach read type of book. It took me about 4 hours total to finish it.
Pro - well written, satisfying ending, plus size representation, strong, likable heroine, body positive message, entertaining read
Con - her weight was mentioned nonstop. She wasn’t a character who just happened to be plus sized. Being plus sized was mentioned on every other page to the point where it felt like it was part of her personality. The hero was also a little infuriating. As like with a lot of stories, the main conflict for the whole story could have simply been solved with *communication*.
But again, like I said, I really liked this book and if the author wants to come out with a modern fairytale series, I will definitely be tuning in!

This is a sweet yet modern take on the Cinderella fairytale. A really positive difference in this story is that her stepmother and stepsisters are actually really loving and supportive and are financially well off. Honestly dealing with the emotional trauma of having two dead parents is enough! As a plus size woman on a tv show, you’d expect Cindy to face a lot more prejudice than she does, but as a plus size woman myself, I was relieved to avoid being re-traumatized. I felt like Henry’s character was the least developed and his dialogue felted cliche or stilted. Overall, a sweet PG romance.

OK WOW, This book was absolutely beautiful. I fell in love with Cindy & Henry immediately. I loved all of the Cinderella Easter eggs & the relationships we got to see in this story. The grief rep was incredible. I was hooked and drawn in from the first moment. Somehow I simultaneously never wanted it to end and couldn’t put it down. Getting to see a fat girl as a modern day princess was wonderful. The casual queerness was a breath of fresh air. Julie Murphy is everything.

Cindy is a well thought out character that’s not just a plus sized character for once! She’s a fully developed human whose size doesn’t define her. It’s about time. Fun take on a reality genre (think The Bachelor franchise) with positive LGBTQ+ representation. I know that’s a fairytale all it’s own (the positive representation by a bachelor franchise). Cindy is a strong, positive, female character who we need in media.

Having more plus-size women in fiction is an aspect that should have happened ages ago. The writing industry still lacks body shape diversity and seeing a plus-size protagonist was refreshing. This is why it shame's me that I couldn't get into this story. I found that the plot was too fast-paced, which neglected time for the romance in the story to blossom. There wasn't much drama and since I couldn't connect with both of the main characters, it was hard to be emotionally attached to this tale. I did really appreciate the flaws in the fashion industry that are presented, especially the lack of diversity in clothing sizes. Overall, this story was one that I couldn't connect to but could appreciate the diversity presented and the critics on the fashion industry.

I’ve been a fan of Julie Murphy’s YA books for years, so I was thrilled to see her branching out into the world of adult fiction. This book is a retelling of Cinderella mixed with a season of a reality dating show (think The Batchelor) and–spoiler alert–it’s a lot of fun.

Shoe-obsessed Cindy has just (barely) graduated from Parsons after a disastrous final year when the reality of her father’s death finally hits her. She manages to graduate, but her spark for designing is gone and she’s unable to land a job. She heads back to California to nanny for her triplet younger siblings while she figures out what to do with her life. She meets a cute stranger on the flight home. Imagine her surprise when, after volunteering to fill a slot on her mom’s reality dating show, the eligible batchelor is none other than the cutie from her flight.

One thing I really loved about this book is that while it was a Cinderella retelling, Cindy actually has a great relationship with both her stepmother and her stepsisters. Yes, her stepmother is a reality TV powerhouse, very different from Cindy’s own mom who died when she was younger, but her stepmother does everything she can to support Cindy and try to protect her. Cindy’s stepsisters are Instagram influencers, who could have been written as shallow and vain, but they too love Cindy and have her back at every opportunity. These characterizations were so refreshing in a fairy tale retelling.

I have never seen a single episode of The Batchelor so I don’t know how close to real life the depiction of a reality dating show is, but I suspect it’s pretty close. This was another really fun way to create some drama and over-the-top situations that give Cindy the opportunity to shine.

I would be remiss to mention that Cindy is a plus size heroine. While that fact is mentioned occasionally, it’s not Cindy’s defining characteristic. Cindy is a fashion icon, rocking whatever she wears, while occasionally underscoring the difficulty women like her can have in finding fun and fashionable clothing. I understand this book is the first in a series of fairy tale retellings with plus size protagonists, and I’m so excited to read the rest.

Overall, this was a very fun adult fairy tale retelling that I think will have wide appeal.

I was so excited to score this ARC! If The Shoe Fits was an absolutely phenomenal read!

Straight out of college and back in her stepmother's home, fashion major and shoe addict, Cindy, is at a crossroads. With no job prospects and still grieving the loss of both her mother and father, Cindy has to decide what to do with her life. For now, Cindy has agreed to come home and help her stepmother, Erica, take care of her triplet siblings. On the flight home, Cindy meets her very own Prince Charming, Henry. They only exchange minimal information, like their first names, but Henry leaves an impression on Cindy. He's charming and sweet and Cindy regrets not at least attempting to get his number or more information about him to find him on social media.
At home, her stepmother, and a friend/fellow producer, Beck, are working hard on Erica's hit reality tv show, Before Midnight, where a suitor looks for love with 25 women vying for his affection. The winner gets a proposal from the suitor and a hundred grand cash prize. Two of the selected women have dropped out of the show last minute. Beck suggests adding Erica's three daughters to the show. Erica agrees to have her two daughters, Anna and Drew, on the show but not Cindy. Cindy doesn't mind, though she's concerned about Erica's reasons why it was an automatic shut down. Cindy is plus size and there has never been anyone like her on the reality show before. When she approaches Erica about why she shot down Cindy, Erica tells her that she loves Cindy and thinks she'd be a wonderful candidate for the show, but she knows how sensitive Cindy is and how hurt Cindy could be by the media and others with horrible opinions. She tells Cindy she didn't want to disappoint Cindy's father by having her on a show that could potentially damage her heart and sweet personality. Cindy agrees that it was probably for the best, and is relieved to hear it wasn't because of her size. Beck, however, approaches Cindy again and tells her that as long as Cindy knows who she is - she has nothing to fear, the show will bring exposure to her fashion and shoe designs and that can only bring job opportunities, and if she wins the show, she could get a hundred grand cash prize to help her start her dream fashion line. It was a win win either way. Cindy agrees with Beck, and decides to go on Before Midnight. Beck and Cindy approach Erica, who after hearing her pitch, agrees that it would be a good idea and adds her to the show. Cindy then goes on a whirlwind of preparations for the show, new wardrobe, hair and makeup, and learning lines! Yes, not even reality tv is all real! But the real shock is when Cindy steps out of the limo and meets Before Midnight's suitor! Cindy struggles with new friendships, catty women, no phone, strict Before Midnight rules, wardrobe issues, and her true feelings as she navigates her standing in Before Midnight.
I won't say anymore for spoilers, but this is definitely a must read!
Cindy was a completely relatable character! She's a little lost after losing both her parents, worried about how to get her career jumpstarted since finishing college, and her confidence waivers but she never leans too insecure or overly confident. Cindy wasn't afraid to speak her mind and she was completely fierce! Cindy was the kind of role model I needed as a kid, and that I still need as an adult! Our hero, Henry, is wonderful. He's sweet and charming and I really enjoyed his interactions with Cindy. It was refreshing! The step sisters, Anna and Drew, were awesome and I loved how they always had Cindy's back! There were mentions of Cindy and the sisters having issues when they were growing up/in high school, but none of that drama carried over, and it was a refreshing take! Cindy's relationship with her step family was pretty much drama free. They all cared about each other and looked out for each other, especially after Cindy's father's death. The half-sibling triplets were adorable and I almost wish there were more scenes with them! All of the characters are well developed and diverse, there's a non binary character who is referred to with proper pronouns.
There were a few errors in names during reading that need to be edited, as this was an ARC, that was to be expected. For example, Cindy is talking to Sarah Claire about a fellow contestant, but then Sarah Claire's name changed to Chloe. I had to go back to check that Chloe hadn't dropped into the conversation, she hadn't. It was still Sarah Claire speaking, but the wrong name was written. This happened again later with Wes and Zeke. Zeke was caught with a contestant, then later Cindy refers to Wes as the being the one caught with the contestant, then back to Zeke. I don't know if the author switched up names and characters and these were mistakes, or added in new characters and forgot to make all the changes, but it took you out of moments and had you re-reading the scenes because they didn't make sense. They were minimal and certainly didn't ruin the story, but it made me do a double take.
As a whole, I could have easily read a hundred more pages with these characters! I was so caught up in the story that I lost track of time! I really enjoyed If The Shoe Fits and can't wait to read what's next in the series! Julie Murphy created a modern day fairy tale that will resonate with everyone! Do not miss this one!

Before you read, you should know that this "reality dating competition" is essentially the Bachelor. I think I would have gone in with different expectations had I known that. I have yet to find a book about a ficitonal Bachelor that really works without having some element of awkwardness. I also kept thinking of ONE TO WATCH so I had that comparison already in my mind, and I think this one just didn't quite hold up. The fairy tale mould was sweet, but this felt very forced into the mould and the shoe did not fit.

<spoiler>This mainly didn't hold up due to the darn instalove! Why did Henry give her a walkie-talkie? Because she was oh so special? Tell us why she's special. Tell us what made that plane ride so interesting. Show us more of their connection. I mean, Clare and Dale have now set the stage for instalove, but at least with Clare we saw her falling. Here, Henry felt so 2D that I didn't really believe him falling at all. Also, still dying to know what it was Addison said that almost got her kicked off.

The sibling element was...entirely unnecessary? And I find it really weird that any producer would put their three daughters on their show. Nope, not buying it. And if they did, it would be engineered for the drama. And if not, then in a fictional universe the boy wouldn't be like "oh that's fine." Come on, this is fiction, we're here to be entertained.</spoiler>

Overall, I just felt like there wasn't any huge conflict here despite having so much potential for conflict. I hope with the next retelling Murphy doesn't force the story to fit in with the elements of the fairytale, but instead lets it be its own organic fairytale.

Book Review for Meant to Be: If the Shoe Fits
Full review for this title will be posted at: @cattleboobooks on Instagram!

This book was such a pleasant surprise and a really fun read. I loved it from the beginning and it totally delivered throughout including a great ending. I've read books about reality dating shows before and even about plus-size participants in reality dating shows but this definitely did it better than the others and deserved the 5th star that I rarely give romance books.

To start, I loved Cindy. Her personality, her background, her family, it was so well done and I couldn't help but love her and want to route for her. I too have a love of shoes so that part was just fun. The thing I liked best about Cindy was that while she was plus-sized (which I thought was handled well and realistically), it wasn't the only thing that defined her. It certainly comes up throughout the book but it isn't the main thing about her. So many books want to include plus-sized women but do it in a way that makes that their only defining characteristic but with Cindy, it's just one thing about a well developed character. There was also a fair amount of LGBTQ+ representation throughout the book that was refreshing and handled well.

This book is billed as a Cinderella retelling and while there are a lot of Cinderella elements, it's not a straight retelling. Yes, her name is Cindy and she has a stepmother with the last name Tremaine but it doesn't feel like a plain retelling. The reality show serves as the ball but it's so much longer and drawn out that it doesn't have that insta-love quality of the actual Cinderella story which I really appreciated. On the other hand, I'm a big Disney fan and did appreciate the Cinderella references, the "mice" were just adorable and I loved the way they were included. This is also a pretty feminist retelling of Cinderella. Cindy fights for herself in a way Cinderella never did and that's great to see.

Overall, I would highly recommend this book to those looking for a fun contemporary romance. It reads a little on the young side so young adults or adults who also read YA are the perfect audience for this one.

In this Cinderella retelling, with a twist, comes a tale about Cindy, who just graduated from Parson's school of design, but has no job prospects..

She jumps at the chance to compete in her stepmother's reality show, with her two stepsisters to give herself and her shoe designs some on air exposure. Imagine her surprise when she not only clicks with the bachelor, but starts to have feelings for him.

This is a Disne-esque sweet, and sometimes sappy story, but it endorses positive body image (you don't have to be a twig to be considered beautiful)and was an entertaining read.

Thank you to Net Galley for the advanced copy.