Freshing up Cinderella with a reality show spinoff! I fell in love with Cin and Prince Charming; I also adored that the "evil" queen was portrayed as a loving and vulnerable mom and stepmom! I had a hard time putting this down once I started. You'll love it too!

Compulsively readable, adorable rom-com blending fairy tale elements from Cinderella and modern day dating reality television. The heroine is plus sized, and beautiful, but best of all, she stays true to herself. I enjoyed most of the book, but at times the author does drag on a bit about the protagonist's deceased parents. I understand it, but it got a touch heavy handed and could just use a bit of trimming. I hope to see more from this author.

When the fat girl enters the cast of a reality tv show, "Before Midnight" (think: "The Bachelor") she's in it for just two things: the prize money and the recognition it will give her name. Cindy is straight out of fashion design school and has no job prospects when this story begins. Living with her stepmom and two stepsisters seems like the begiining of another Cinderella fairy tale, but THIS Cindy gets along with everyone and is treated well too. Easily my favorite book of 2021 so far (although that's not hard because it's early in the year and I've only read 5 books so far), If you loved Julie Murphy before, you're really going to love her now. I hope to see Cindy and Henry in another book.

A precious, easy to read romance! I wasn’t sure about a Cinderella retelling, but I loved the modern updates and twists that Julie Murphy added.
Cindy has just graduated from Parsons School of Design and wants to start her own shoe line, but she has no job offers, and she moves back to LA to help out her stepmom until she can figure out her next step.
I loved that Cindy and her stepmom had a good relationship, and that Cindy and her step siblings also had a good relationship. Obviously there were a lot of issues to be worked through, but I was glad that her family wasn’t terrible like in the original.
Henry felt a little flat to me, but I really enjoyed reading about the girls competing on Before Midnight and I liked reading about what the show looked like behind the scenes.
An enjoyable and quick read that I would recommend to anyone!

This was a delightful Cinderella re-telling. I really liked that she actually has a good relationship with the step mom and step sisters. They are people who have their flaws but it felt more realistic then them just being "evil". I always enjoy a bachelor style tv show setting and this one didn't disappoint. The publisher is Disney so needless to say it is all fade to black.

Julie Murphy does yet more wonderful work in this book. It’s a powerful story of identity, selfhood, and self-acceptance. So ready for young readers!

Any review that starts with "I wanted to love this." is not great. Yet....I wanted to love this. And I did not.

I'm not clear on who the audience is supposed to be for this. New Adult? YA? It doesn't feel like an adult book, I'll tell you that. It felt very YA to me, and I'm not sure if that's because that's what Julie Murphy has really written before now. (And for the record, I adore her YA books.) But hiding the sex behind a closed door was a really weird decision to me, and part of me wonders if it's the Disney factor ('we can't have princesses doing SEX') or what....but it super did not work for me.

Then there's the complicated truth that another book about a plus-size dating show contestant came out last year and is frankly, superior to this book is almost every way.

Anyway.

Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for the ARC.

Julie Murphy author of awesome YA books like Dumplin' is making her foray into New Adult with If the Shoe Fits, the first book in the Meant to Be series.

This contemporary retelling of Cinderella is a total delight! Cindy's just graduated from design school with no true plans or prospects so she moves back home with her stepmom, stepsisters, and triplet half-sibs. Her stepmom is the executive producer of America's favorite reality dating show (think The Bachelor/Bachelorette), Before Midnight.

Cindy's most intense dream is to design shoes. Yet due to lingering grief from her father's sudden and unexpected death has left her feeling uninspired. Then an assistant producer from Before Midnight approaches Cindy and asks her to be a contestant on the show. At first hesitant because of her weight, Cindy agrees to do it. She hopes that being a contestant will give her a moment of fame that she can use to jumpstart her design career.

Imagine Cindy's surprise when she discovers that the Prince is Henry, the hottie she shared a moment with on her flight from New York home to California. Maybe their connection was real but what does that mean now that she's one of two dozen women vying for Henry's attention.

This book gave me so many reasons to love it. Cindy was consistently relatable. I appreciated that she was fashionable and unapologetic about her size, even when surrounded by thinner, more conventionally attractive women. Despite her grief, she was determined and mostly upbeat. While she was open to a relationship, she wasn't seeking one out to "complete" herself. In fact, I'm glad that she got to show that what she valued most was herself.

The storyline is character-driven and as a fairy tale retelling, I'm so glad that the author made the choice to update Cindy's stepmom and stepsisters. They weren't cruel or evil. All of them were kind, loving, and supportive of each other. The same with the other contestants (mostly) - while they were competing for Henry's attention, they weren't usually cruel to one another. I'm so over women being depicted as shallow, backstabbers competing for men's attention so THANK YOU, Julie Murphy!

Also a shout out for If the Shoe Fits including LGBTQ+ and nonbinary rep in an honest way instead of a "hey, look, we have a Token Character here" fashion.

If you're a fan of One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London, you'll enjoy If the Shoe Fits. Both books feature fashion-conscious, plus size women who call out the industry for its lack of options for plus size women and are determined to find happiness and success.

Hello, body positivity!

This was a sweet NA romance with lots of sweet charm and only a little trope.

Recommend.

Meant to Be : If the Shoe Fits was the first book I read written by Julie Murphy and I fell in love with her writing. When I read the description my first thought was oh another cinderella remake. But, I loved this twist on the classic story and enjoyed how different it was. The world needs more characters like Cindy in movies, books, and tv. Also, Henry was amazing and definitely book boyfriend material. Great Book and I can't wait to read the next one.

First book read in 2021! What a fun book to start off the year with. Cindy was an engaging modern "Cinderella." A well-balanced fluffy New Adult read. Really looking forward to more books in this series.

I am not a Disney person. I am especially not normally interested in Disney Princesses™. I was ready to pass on this retelling of the Cinderella story geared towards an adult audience, but then I saw that Julie Murphy wrote this book AND that Cinderella (Cindy in this story) is now a fat girl with killer fashion sense! I really, really liked Julie Murphy’s other two YA books featuring awesome fat girls living their lives in their conservative small town. This book builds on what was good about those books by telling the story about fat girls harnessing their confidence and surprising everyone, while placing it in a more grown-up application. I also love, love, love a romance featuring fat girls as the protagonists - representation is everything! This book delivered on that.

Like I said, this is a modern-day retelling of Cinderella. Cindy is a recent fashion school graduate who has zero prospects after leaving school. She moves from NYC back to LA to stay with her step-mother and step-siblings for the summer and figure out her next move. Cindy’s (not-so-evil) step-mother is actually the executive producer of a hugely popular Bachelor-like dating reality show. Cindy and her two step-sisters (Anna and Drew) are roped into being contestants on the show, for the exposure and potential $100,000 prize (and true love, I guess). Drama ensues. Also a really sweet love story between Cindy and Henry, her *Prince Charming*, in the middle of a crazy, sometimes cutthroat, dating game.

This book was a 10/10 for fat girl representation. Cindy is a talented shoe designer (get it?) with a great eye for fashion, even if most of the fashion world hasn’t quite embraced plus-sized bodies. She has real confidence, dry wit, and is all around awesome. She charmed the hell out of me for sure. Overall, she is a really good protagonist - she has been through some major trials in her life (including depression) and you really want her to have her happily ever after ending. I also appreciated that there were a few queer and/or non-binary characters in this story.

Overall, this book was comforting and fun to read. It is a pretty traditional rom-com, but I was surprised that this book made me feel real feelings of loss at times. With so much happening in the world right now, it was very nice to unplug and get lost in a fun and light book where everything works out for everyone in the end. Julie Murphy bats it out of the park once again with this new, modern take on the Cinderella story.

I read this on the heals of Kate' Stayman-London's One to Watch. Both are about full-figured women on reality shows. I thought this one was really unique even still. Lots of body positivity, humor, and romance. Cinderella is one of my least favorites for retellings, but this one was delightful.

This is a light, fun read that you would expect from Julie Murphy. The retelling of Cinderella is refreshing. Rather than painting the step-mother and step-sisters as villians they are likable supporters of Cindy. I kept waiting for the shoe to drop and their ulterior motives to come to the surface, but they actually evolved positively, which was a great relief! Cindy was lovable and relatable. I loved that her perspective was full of body positivity, and not focused on body negativity toward the other contestants. Overall, this was a sweet romance and a fun take on the classic Cinderella story.

Finally: a Disney re-telling for adults! Our main character, Cindy, is a shoe designer who can’t find a “real” job so, with some pixie dust from her not evil stepmother, winds up on a Bachelor-Esque television show. She is plus sized and not ashamed: she is who she is. (As a fellow plus size lady, I really loved this). I cared about Cindy and the other characters in this novel. It was fun, frothy, and filled with heart! Thanks to netgalley and Disney Hyperion for the ARC!

This book is very fun and engaging. Things I liked:
1) Plus size heroine who doesn't really have body issues.
2) Cinderella's step mother and sisters are not evil. They love her and want her to succeed.
3) The Bachelor-vibe is fun and relatable, even if you've never watched the show.
4) Shoes.
5) There are queer characters all over the place and it is just, like, cool whatever, instead of a Big Dramatic Thing.

Go read it!

I was sure what to expect when I started this book. I wondered if it would be a little cheesy or predictable... which it was. But what I didn't expect was to absolutely love it. I read it in one sitting as I just couldn't put it down. I HAD to know what to happen. with Cindy and Henry. I loved that I felt like I was watching an episode of the Bachelorette while also falling in love with Cindy. She was a well developed character that really addressed what some of the issues facing plus size girls in the real world. I also really loved how it wasn't a complete "cinderella" retelling. Her family was warm and loveable. I definitely would recommend this book and I can't wait to see what is next from Murphy!

I’m so disappointed!! I LOVE Julie Murphy and I LOVE fairy tales (especially when they’re modernized!) and was so excited to get this ARC,...but so let down! The reason for my admiration of Ms. Murphy is that she’s so great at having non traditional characters populate her novels. My student cheer for an average or plus-sized heroine - especially when she’s strong, confident, and admired. Characters are non-binary, and it’s just there - not deallt with as an “issue” - it’s almost like size, shape, sexual identity or orientation is just another character trait like blond haired. What I love is that the size and shape of these heroines is so much a “not issue” - yes, Dumplin’ is big, but you don’t even think about that until you’re reminded... she’s just NORMAL, and charming, and you root for her. That could have been Cindy, but it wasn’t. I just didn’t buy it. It was like Murphy had to keep reminding us how big she is or how tragic her life has been to make us like her. And, that bled into other characters - why is everyone identified as “white” or not? I could never cheer for Cindy because I just didn’t care - everything was soooo obvious and routine and unoriginal- the complete opposite of what I look to THIS author for. Each character was a caricature. I kept thinking “Julie Murphy could not have written this.”
Also, I’ve read a lot of ARC, but this was the most “raw” and there were too many distracting errors for me - I kept ha big to go back and reread things to figure out what it was saying because of typos or grammar or mechanics/spelling errors.
All that said, it wasn’t horrible, and it’s a quick read. It just makes me sad that this will be some middle school-ish kids first introduction to Murphy because I think her other books are geared a little older .

I was provided an e-ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is not your average Cinderella retelling. I'm always a little hesitant going into retellings because, more often than not, they fall into the same tired tropes and become the same tired story. For example, my biggest pet peeve with Cinderella retellings is the over-the-top stepmom and stepsisters who are vain, shallow, and so obviously awful people that they're simply caricature instead of actual characters.

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 healthy. Sure, they have the typical stumbles that someone would have when being parented by someone who is not your parent, but there is genuine love and admiration for each other. Cindy's stepmom, Erica, loved Cindy's father; and therefore, she shows love to Cindy as well. Is it overly motherly affectionate love? No, but it's love, and I appreciated that their tension seemed based on real possibilities instead of contrived "You're not my mom!" and "I only wanted your dad for his money" tropes. Cindy also has a lovely relationship with her stepsisters. They're definitely a contrast of Cindy, but they lift each other up instead of berating each other for simply existing. It was the Cinderella stepfamily I didn't know I needed.

Now - onto the other stuff. The love stuff. NetGalley and Julie's website both describe the book as "perfect for adult readers who crave contemporary, escapist rom-coms." If there's one thing you can trust from Julie Murphy, it's this: a stress-free read that leaves a smile on your face, a hope in your heart, and a satisfied glow as you close the book. You'll get that with Meant to Be: If the Show Fits. If you're coming here looking for heart racing plot twists, nail biting cliff-hangers, and gut-wrenching one-liners, then I think we both know that you're in the wrong place. This book gives you what you expect, and that's one of the things I appreciate about contemporary, escapist rom-coms and Julie Murphy. This book is a reliable, friendly hugIt's the hand on your shoulder. It's bubble baths and wine. You know that, and that's why you're here, and you're going to leave happy and satisfied.

I love a story with a plus size heroine, and we definitely get one here! Cindy (for the take on Cinderella!) is a confident and fabulous woman who takes a chance on herself when she decides to appear on a find-love reality show. Some of her outfits that she puts together looked amazing in my head, and I have had the same experiences as her when it comes to finding classy clothes that fit larger sizes. There are supporting characters who use the pronouns they/them, and the author chooses not to explain or, but just lets it happen naturally, which I love. All in all, a wonderful novel! I can't wait for others in the series!