What a perfect novel to read on Valentine's Day weekend!! Julie Murphy has recreated the story of Cinderella with a modern twist; Cindy, a recent Parsons grad, is a contestant on the bachelor-like series, "Before Midnight". Cindy's stepmother is the show's executive producer, and her stepsisters, Drew and Anna, are also on the show. However, so is the handsome man that Cindy meant on the plane back to California from New York. Cindy is a plus-size woman who sizzles on the screen, and the reader will root for her as the novel continues. I loved this novel and definitely will buy a copy of it as soon as it comes out. Thank you to Netgalley/Disney books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

5 enthusiastic stars for this loose re-telling of Cinderella with a plus-size main character. It really reminded me of the same sense of empowerment found in One to Watch for plus-size characters as well as the reality show setting. Julie Murphy never disappoints and I would highly recommend this read!

Cinderella meets the Bachelor in this fun and romantic story. Cindy is a hopeful shoe designer who has lost her way, Henry has to save his mother’s fashion house and to show his devotion. What could possibly go wrong? This book was fun and fast moving and I was genuinely rooting for the characters from the beginning. As always Julie Murphy’s characters have big personalities and bigger hearts.

I loved reading the first adult title by this traditionally YA author. Her character development was amazing, and I was rooting for the main character the whole time. Absolutely loved the empowering messages and will definitely be recommending this to many patrons!

Cindy's dream of being a fashion designer seems to be at a (hopefully) temporary halt. Though her father died a few years ago, this last year has been filled with delayed grief and no creative inspiration to be found. As she heads home to care for her triplet half-siblings, she also hopes that she will be able to get her life turned around quickly. When her step-mother's show, Before Midnight, needs new girls to fill in for a chance to win the heart of the most recent bachelor, Cindy hesitantly agrees to be one of those girls. Convinced that she may be able to launch her fashion career (but not particularly interested in finding love) Cindy's breath is taken away when she finds that the bachelor is the handsome stranger she met on her flight home.

Throw in some not-at-all-evil stepsisters, fabulous shoes, and more balls than Cinderella ever imagined and you have a charming retelling of a classic fairytale.

Murphy's writing is as fun as ever- though the tropes that go along with the Cinderella tale made it easy to predict where the story would go. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a quick, easy read just for fun.

Thanks to netgalley for this advanced reader's copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was super excited about reading this book with the way it presented itself as a modern take on the Cinderella story. When I first heard that my mind went to the Cinderella story movies that are always on, but this was a more realistic take on the fairy tale. The protagonist is a plus size woman recently graduated from design school and loves shoes. Her step family are not mean or evil. In fact her step sisters almost thrown down a sales lady for having the nerve to not come correct in regards to their sister and her plus size needs. There's of course a boy and the romantic aspect of the story is great, but at the end of the day the story is about overcoming the grief of losing a loved one and figuring out who you are and where you're going with your life which, along with the protagonist being someone like me by way of looks, was very refreshing. I'll be keeping a look out for this author to see what her next project is and I hope that they'll continue with this series with other well known and beloved fairy tales!

I love this author and this book did not disappoint. The characters that Julie Murphy creates are relatable and people that I see in day to day life. This book is fairytale-ish and one I would recommend to older teens. Once I started this book, I couldn't put it down.

Harry is on an airplane, agreeing to be on a reality show to find his soulmate. What he really wants to do is help his mother’s fashion business. The publicity and perks for doing the show should make a big difference. Cindy has had a hard time in her first year at design school in New York. She misses her dad and mom, both dying when she needed them most. She is going to LA to spend the summer with her stepmom who is producing the reality show. When a few girls drop out, Cindy is going to participate along with her 2 stepsisters. Cindy hopes the time away will help get her creativity going and help her make some contacts with the fashion industry. Harry ends up sitting next to Cindy on the plane and is surprised to find she is one of the contestants. Cindy is reluctant to be a focus on the show since all the other girls are slim and she is a plus size. She realizes she has been made fun of all her life and this will give her a chance to show the world plus sizes are okay. Her sparkling personality endears her to the audience, and she is a fan favorite. Harry enjoys reuniting with Cindy and they become fast friends. The show has already picked a wife for Harry. He is not so sure. Great book, good look at family, friends, and love relationships, and a fun read with lots to think about.

Julie Murphy's books leave me smiling ear-to-ear, and this one was no exception. I loved how she wove in classical fairy tales to this story. I will read everything she writes!

"If the Shoe Fits", by Julie Murphy, is the first book in the Meant to Be series. Cindy, a plus-size shoe/fashion designer has just graduated from fashion school and doesn't know what to do next, so she moves back home. Her mom is the creator/producer of "Before Midnight", a fictional Bachelor-type show. When Cindy decides to join the show as a way to increase attention on her shoe designs, she's shocked to find out who the Bachelor is: a man she had a meet-cute with just weeks earlier! As the sparks fly and the attraction grows, will Cindy reveal the secrets she's hiding? And does Henry (the Bachelor) have secrets of his own?

This was an adorable, cute, and feel-good book. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

I started this book with high expectations as I am an avid fan of Julie Murphy. She has a way of capturing what it is to not fit in the perfect mold of what contemporary society says is beautiful and appropriate without it being the only purpose of the story. This story is lovely and predictable. However, the journey of the protagonist is a bit different than expected giving it a fun and much deserved ending. Julie Murphy is brilliant at making lovable main characters that not only grow to be stronger themselves, but strengthen those around them.

This book was exactly what I needed to read heading into the Valentine's Day season. *swoon* I love everything about it's sweet contents - the loveable and relatable characters, a bit of drama, romance, reality TV, and its a modern retelling of one of my favorite fairytales unlike any I have ventured to read thus far. This book was purely romantic. It also included a blurb about a programming librarian (which fits my description), and after further digging I found that the author, Julie Murphy, was a programming librarian before she became an author.

I cannot wait for this book to hit the streets! This is one that I want to add to my physical bookshelf!

This was such a fun book! A precious, easy to read romance! It relates similar to One To Watch. I really enjoyed it

Julie Murphy is the best! I had so much fun diving into Meant to Be; If the Shoe Fits! I meant to read just a few minutes, and ended up not able to put it down until I read the last page. In a size 14 and under world, Julie Murphy is constantly making plus size girls feel seen and not only deserving of love, but of lust.

An adorable Cinderella retelling with a gorgeous fat girl protagonist, amazing shoes, and not-so-evil stepsisters, IF THE SHOE FITS by Julie Murphy is just right for readers that would love a fluffy romance with endearing characters and a lively reality show setting. For fans of fashion, The Bachelor, or rom-coms, this is an easy recommendation! I can't wait to read more from the series.

This re-imagined Cinderella story brought joy and laughter to my life, and I can't wait to book talk it with my students when it's released in August!

When Cindy graduates from Parsons with a degree in fashion design, a passion for shoes, and no job prospects, she moves back home to LA to nanny for her young siblings (cleverly named Gus, Jack, and Mary). Overnight, her plans change when she and her step-sisters become contestants on their mom, Erica's, Bachelor-like reality TV show. While Cindy is hiding the fact that her stepmom is the show's producer, she is also hiding the fact that she met the eligible bachelor on the plane from NY to LA. Will sparks continue to fly with Henry during filming, or is this pseudo-relationship going nowhere?

Julie Murphy brings such fun, modern twists to the classic Cinderella story--it was such a fast, heart-warming read! If the Shoe Fits is also full of diverse characters to love, including a plus-size Cinderella and a non-binary fashion designer. I highly recommend this closed-door romance for fans of fairytale-retellings and feel-good stories. I am eagerly waiting for the next installment in this new Disney series! Thanks to Netgalley and Disney-Hyperion for the librarian preview copy.

2.5 Stars

Cindy has just graduated from Parsons and dreams of a future in fashion, but the job offers she'd hoped would flood in just haven't materialized. She heads home to nanny for her 3 young half-siblings until she can figure out what to do, but then her TV producer stepmother offers her the chance of a lifetime: go on a Bachelor-style dating show with 24 other women to get exposure for her career (everyone knows you don't go on those to actually fall in love). Cindy feels good about the opportunity to be a "contestant" who doesn't fit the usual mold, even as she worries about whether the costumers will have styles to fit her plus-size frame. And once she's on set, despite anticipating Mean Girl-antics, she finds herself making a few friends. Not to mention that the man whose attentions they're all vying for is someone she met on the plane ride home to LA and had major sparks with. The whole experience is not at all what Cindy expected. Can she be brave enough to risk her heart for real when her future is on the line?

Ok, I really, really wanted to like this book. I've loved Julie Murphy's YA novels. Her breezy writing style is so easy to read, and her sense of humor really shines through in her characters. However, this one, Murphy's first foray into the New Adult genre, just didn't work for me for 2 major reasons: 1) the tone is still entirely YA and 2) One to Watch just came out a few months ago with exactly the same premise (minus the Cinderella part) and was just better. Funnier, edgier, hotter, more clever. Now, if this had been shelved as a YA book, maybe I'd have been able to just roll with the simple, innocent tone a little more. And since it's being produced by Disney, maybe there's a show or movie in the works that will help explain the really young-sounding voice? I also know that, because this is an advanced copy, my issue is something that might be addressed in future editing passes. But as it is, this one was pretty disappointing for me.

Kudos to Murphy for trying out a new genre, but New Adult generally involves more swoon, more than just an implied love-scene, and just a little more maturity. I mean, who am I kidding? A lot of YA books have those things. I think this is the first in a series, so here's hoping that she can age-up her characters and tone a bit in the next ones.

**Thank you to NetGalley and Disney/Hyperion for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!**

For anyone who wants a "Dumplin" book for adults-well here you go! What a fun romp this book was. Thankful to NetGalley for allowing me to read this title for review.

A fun, fast read that takes a positive, yet realistic spin on reality dating shows, the Cinderella myth and step-family dynamics. Once again Murphy gives us a female protagonist with flaws, dreams and feelings about her body that don't fall into the "cheery fat girl" stereotype. There's lots to root for here!

What a delightful book! I can't wait to read the follow ups in this series.

A retelling of Cinderella told through the storyline of a "Bachelorette" type dating show. I found the characters enjoyable and endearing. It was fun to pick up on all the "nuggets" of the classic Cinderella storyline throughout the book.

Cindy was a great protagonist and someone you were really rooting for. Her arc was well developed and I found the ending to be satisfying.

What a great idea to reimagine the classic Disney princesses. This series is sure to be a hit! The cover of the book was also amazing as an added bonus!