This was my first read of 2022 and it was such a fun romcom to kick off the new year reading, I really enjoyed the Bachelor style of this book and loved the plus size representation. It was a fast paced read and I could really connect with all the characters. Highly recommend.

I truly loved this book and I am not a huge romance reader anymore. I loved the body positivity in the book and the relationships that were formed, not just the romantic one!

With the bachelor and bachelorette having a huge following it's a breath of fresh air to have body inclusivity done so well. In Meant to Be: If The Shoe Fits, Murphy executes a realistic plot involving a protagonist that breaks molds of stereotypic romance heroines. Cindy is in a rut and she needs something to boost her back. Her stepmother is a producer of a dating show and needs women to fill in. Cindy (not a size 0) wants to participate, her stepmother originally hesitates. BUT GUESS WHAT!?!? They have a conversation, there is honest concern AND her sisters love and support her. I just love how this book balances unhealthy perspectives of women's bodies but also embraces females supporting each other for who they are.

A plus size Cinderella retelling. It was entertaining, but not amazing. I really did want to love this, but the romance was not there for me. It was refreshing to know the stepfamily was not wicked.

A cute, slight little romance inspired by The Bachelor and other reality dating shows. It's clear Murphy knows her stuff when it comes to the reality TV side of things, and I appreciated the fact that our heroine was a plus sized woman. However, many of the characters felt underdeveloped, and the romance felt under-baked to me. This will work for fans of light rom-coms that are also light on the actual romantic content - especially if they prefer their books to be closed-door.

Thank you NetGalley for an early copy for an honest review.
Meant to Be: If the Shoe Fits was really cute and an enjoyable read. Meant to Be is a Cinderella retelling and to be honest, I haven't read many retellings. Julie Murphy is a plus-sized character who is to be on a show similar to the Bachelor and meets Henry. I loved the romance between the two and the character development.

As someone who doesn't watch dating shows like The Bachelor, this was still EXTREMELY enjoyable! Cindy was a fun protagonist to follow and I loved that her stepfamily was far from wicked. Excited to see what Julie Murphy brings next in this series.

A great twist on Cinderella!

I loved the changes Julie Murphy made to the well-known story – Cindy’s relationship with her step-mom and -sisters being my favorite.

The relationship was sweet and so easy to root for from their first meeting.

<i>If the Shoe Fits</i> was fun and unputdownable. I’m excited to read the next book adaptation in Meant to Be!

This book was incredible! I have loved what I've read of Murphy's work and was excited for her first book for adults, especially as someone who grew up in the 90s with Disney everything. A Cinderella retelling with a fat protagonist on a dating reality show? Sign me up! It did not disappoint.

I loved reading this. I loved the realism. It was a fun novel with depth. I have been encouraging many others to also read it.

IF THE SHOE FITS by Julie Murphy is a really cute novel! It’s a retelling of Cinderella featuring Cindy, a plus size shoe designer, and her love interest Henry. The plot revolves around them both being in a dating reality tv show like The Bachelor. Several parts were definitely over the top and fun and the romance was sweet. This is a quick feel good read that I wanted to read since I loved Dumplin’ and Puddin’ but I’d say both of those books are better than this one. If you like retellings then you’d enjoy this book too.
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Thank you to Disney Books via NetGalley for my advance review copy!

This book was so cute. But you can tell it’s a Disney story and the expectations are a little unreal. It’s one of those books where you know the girl Is gonna win. And she should cause she is strong and independent. I enjoyed reading this and would purchasing this for some of my beiges as the get a little older.

This. Book. I could not put it down.

I'm a big, big fan of romance books based on the Bachelor/Bachelorette franchise, but often times I find that they fall short of meeting my expectations. This book did NOT fall short. It reminded me of One to Watch as both followed a main character who was fat, but I thought this book did a much better job of showcasing the difficulties fat people face in the world and I liked the storytelling much better in this book. It was amazing to see a character who advocated for herself as much as she did, regardless of negative repercussions. I definitely picked up on the Cinderella retelling, especially given the main character's obsession with shoes.

Overall, I think this book outshines many of the other books that share a similar premise, and I can't wait to see what else comes out of this series.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book.

Author Julie Murphy continues to address 'size issues' in this book where Cindy, a less-than-petite girl ends up on her step-mother's reality TV show. A group of young women are contestants vying for the attention of the male bachelor.

A recent graduate of fashion school, Cindy doesn't have a job and moves back to care for her 3 younger siblings (born after the death of her father). Instead, she takes a spot on "After Midnight," the TV show along with her two stepsisters. Turns out the bachelor is heir to a dying fashion dynasty and the reality TV show isn't so real after all. But Cindy falls hard for the bachelor. With an obvious nod to Cinderella, Murphy adds to her book list with another story to which young women will relate.

Recommended for fans of Murphy's other books and those who like feel-good romances.

3.5/5 stars

I really enjoyed this Cinderella, reality tv show retelling! It was YA sweet with tons of body positivity struggles and feels throughout the story. Cindy, the curvy shoe designer, and Henry, the eligible bachelor, definitely worked together. The attraction between them was instant at the meet cute and kept me reading for more! Although the chemistry was good, I was hoping for a bit more steam. This romcom had more of a YA retelling feel with the writing, dialogue and the fade to black scenes. Overall, I enjoyed this one and would recommend it to any contemporary romantic retelling fans looking for a lighter romance!

When I saw that Julie Murphy had a new book coming out, I was very excited. She did not disappoint! If the Shoe Fits was a cute mash-up of Cinderella, One to Watch, The Bachelorette, Devil Wears Prada, along with the plus-size charm of her earlier works, Dumplin' and Puddin'.

Cindy moves back home to her step-mother's house after graduating from college. When she first hears about the show "Before Midnight" (think Bachelorette) she is turned off and knows there's no point in even caring about the reality show. However, after overhearing that she *couldn't* do it, Cindy becomes determined to prove a point.

If the Shoe Fits follows Cindy as she navigates post-graduate life such as figuring out where she's going to live, finding a career in her field, and finding love. I would definitely recommend this book and I'm looking forward to the next installment with Jasmine Guillory's By The Book.

I loved this! I really liked the MC and loved the interactions between the love interests. I’m excited to listen to this as an audiobook eventually because I feel like it would be a great audiobook!

This was really cute. IT had great representation and real life like situations. I felt for Cindy when she couldn't find a towel to fit, the plight of hotel towels. This didn't delve too deep into the cattiness that could happen on a bacheloresque set but it gave us just enough. The chemistry between Henry and Cindy was present from beginning to end, even while he's courting 20 girls. I also really liked how the step sisters weren't mean girls. They are typical California girls that actually look out for Cindy. The stepmother was also not evil! And I loved how the triplets born later in life for Cindy were similar to the animals in the Cinderella story. Her tiny friends/siblings. Cindy is an up and coming designer who doesn't know what to do after graduation who ends up going on a dating show to make a name for herself. What she doesn't expect is to meet new friends and an amazing suitor. It's a fun joyful ride through a cinderella reality tv setting.

e loved Julie Murphy’s books and their messages about body positivity and loving yourself for a while If the Shoe Fits is no exception. As someone who has enjoyed a season or two of the Bachelor, I instantly loved the backdrop to this love story. The set-up of competition & dates was perfect to give the book a good cadence to the action. I’m honestly surprised that I haven’t seen this premise before for a romance novel, it worked out well.

Honestly, I was all in just for the descriptions of the shoes! Murphy has an eye towards the important details, the shoes being key for this book. She has a way of humanizing and allowing us to see behind the curtain of what it’s like for marginalized groups of people but still keeping the story campy and light. Murphy writes fully realistic and human characters; I totally identified with Cindy and loved her outlook on not only the competition but also what she wanted for her life’s goals. I even appreciated the ending, as this was a story about Cindy and her success, not necessarily about getting the guy.

I recommend this book if you like well setup romances and if you binged the last season of the Bachelor!

I love Julie Murphy, and I love Disney, so I had to check this out. Cinderella meets The Bachelor? Yes please!! This was just such a fun read. I loved all of the nods to the fairy tale, but it definitely had a modern spin that it didn't feel boring or too predictable. Cindy's character was so great, and I really enjoyed her relationship with her stepmom and siblings, who actually weren't evil at all!

I would definitely recommend this book to romance-, Disney-, and reality TV lovers alike!