If the shoe fits is a Cinderella retelling with a bachelor/reality show twist. It started out very cutesy and almost comical (I’m unsure if that was intentional or just the narrator) I enjoyed this book and gave it a 3.5 star. It lost stars for lack of originality & predictability. While I love a good Cinderella retelling this one was almost a little over the top. Overall it’s a good quick read and binge worthy.

This was a super fun, sweet, Cinderella inspired, closed door (very PG and Disney-esque) romance between Henry, the leading man in a reality dating show and Cindy, a plus-sized shoe designer. When Cindy's stepmother Erica needs extras for the show she executive produces, Cindy and her two stepsisters volunteer. Cindy isn't particularly looking for love but sees the show as a way to raise her profile and potentially land some career leads. The problem is Cindy develops real feelings for 'Prince Charming' but is he looking for love in return??

What I loved: the body positivity and plus size main character. Cindy isn't afraid to call people out on their body shaming and the unrealistic sizes of all the designer fashions on the show.

Lots of great secondary characters: her stepsisters, the school librarian fellow contestant friend and lesbian show runner, Beck all had some hilarious one-liners and insightful life advice for Cindy.

I really enjoyed the audio narration by Jen Ponton. I switched between reading this in print and listening to the audiobook and Jen really brought all the characters to life and infused real emotion into the lines that just didn't come across to the same degree on the page.

Overall a really enjoyable, light romance recommended for fans of One to watch or The charm offensive. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advance review copies!

This is one of the best Cinderella retellings I've ever read. Cindy is such a wonderfully kind character with a strong sense of self. I loved the dynamics between her and her step-family and the setting of a reality TV show (which I didn't expect to love because I'm generally not a fan of them!)

Julie Murphy just writes with so much heart. I highly recommend to anyone on the hunt for a sweet romcom.

If the Shoe Fits is Julie Murphy's first adult novel, and my first book by this author. It's a modern-day Cinderella retelling following Cindy, a recent fashion grad who is searching for her next step when she finds herself pulled into her stepmother's reality tv dating show.

Murphy handles the retelling aspect of this tale so well by giving little winks to the reader and making the tale her own. I really liked that she showed Cindy's relationship with her stepfamily as complex, but made it clear that there is strong love shared between them all. It is also so refreshing to see a plus sized 'princess' and Murphy did an excellent job showing the microaggressions that Cindy deals with on a daily basis due to the way society perceives and treats fat people, while still showing Cindy to be a confident, sexy, and a force to be reckoned with. It made my big girl heart happy, and I know will resonate with readers.

Unfortunately, where this book fell short for me was as a romance. I never felt as though we or Cindy got to truly know Henry. As an adult romance reader, I wanted more moments where they were on the page together and more insight into his character. That said, I do think that upper YA readers will find the structure similar to YA books in an enjoyable way and will really like the close focus on Cindy and her goals.

This audiobook was narrated by Jen Ponton, who I thought did a fantastic job! Jen nicely captured each individual character's voice, and really nailed Cindy's wry humor. I would very much like to listen to more audiobooks with her as the narrator.

While this book was not a perfect fit for me, there are many readers that I believe will be completely enchanted by this retelling. Fans of The Bachelor and other reality TV dating shows will love the behind-the-scenes glimpse the book gives us into the production side of the shows, and all of the clever nods throughout to iconic dating TV elements and moments. Readers who love fairytale retellings and Disney also won't want to miss out!

A modern-day retelling of Cinderella could not have been done better! What a fantastic story - loved the characters and their flaws and funnies. There was just the right amount of romance, in my opinion. I'm not a Bachelor fan, but I could see the similarities and I didn't mind them.

This book is the kind of romance you would imagine it to be, and I enjoyed every minute of escape into this Cinderella meets The Bachelor fairy tale. I appreciated the author's decision to make the step-mother and two step-sisters more allies than enemies, and I enjoyed her spin on "Prince Charming" delivering the glass slipper. The audiobook enhanced the listening experience with Cinderella style music at the intro and outro. It was a light and quick read, and I look forward to the next books in the series.
Thank you Netgalley and Hyperion Title Audiobooks for an advance audio copy of this book.

If the Shoe Fits, a story about Cindy, a full-figured post grad who ends up as a last minute contestant on a reality dating show, is a nice blend of present day and the fairy tales girls have grown up reading. With plenty of homage to the classic tale of Cinderella, the Easter eggs almost had me concerned it was just going to be another retelling, but Murphy breaks the stereotypes of the evil stepmother and stepsisters. There is plenty of shade being thrown by a few contestants on the reality show "Before Midnight" to keep it interesting though. And far from meek, Cindy is a lovable character that readers can relate to and will find themselves rooting for.

This audiobook is one that had me hooked to see if Cindy would get a happy ending and I enjoyed hearing her thoughts about how annoying body positivity comments can be from those who have never lived as a plus sized person. It was great representation without making the character too much about one thing or another but a whole, relatively balanced person. This is perfect for anyone who reads chick lit and wants a fun book to listen to.

I was given access to an early audiobook through NetGalley, but unfortunately the playback was very poor. Nearly every chapter would end and then require multiple application restarts in order to continue the story. This I'm sure affected my enjoyment of the story, because it's very difficult to feel invested in a couple's growing romance when you're constantly dealing with technological difficulties. I enjoyed how they made Cindy's weight a concern for the crew of the reality dating show, but never a concern for Henry. His obvious attraction to her is never overly focused on her body type, just a natural chemistry that builds into love.

Thank you to @netgalley for this free audiobook! PUB DAY: 8/3 I have loved Julie Murphy's Dumplin' series and was so happy to get this egalley. I absolutely loved Cindy! She was such a sweet character, and I loved the way she loved her family. This was a great retelling, and I appreciated that the step-family was good to her. Henry had my head spilling for a minute wondering if he was going to be true. The narrator was great, and gave heart to voicing CindyI look forward to more in this series.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic copy to read as well as the audio to listen to.

This is a very cute love story with lots of wonderful elements. As a (very loose) retelling of Cinderella, it features a stepmother and two stepsisters. I loved the family - the stepmother was not evil and the stepsisters were actually pretty great and adorable to Cindy, the main character. A few things I really appreciate in the book - diverse characters and relationships, female characters that are confident and good at their jobs, characters that can actually speak to each other in the way you would expect real people to. The book gives a behind the scenes look at online reality dating shows and is very similar as One To Watch by Kate Syaman-London (which I also loved). This is definitely work picking up and jumping into - either in print or over audio, as the narrator did a pretty good job.

Thanks to Disney Hyperion for the ARC and to NetGalley for the ALC. An un-put-downable Cinderella inspired romance. For fans of Stayman-London’s “One To Watch”, or four anyone who loves a twenty-something professionals in the city romances.

Do we really need another Cinderella retelling? YES! So much YES when it’s Julie Murphy writing a contemporary rom-com with a plus-size main character at the center of a super cute love story! I laughed. I sighed in relating way too closely. I loved all of it!

This is the first book in a series where Disney takes on modernizing their classic fairy tales for an adult book audience. I really loved the creative changes Murphy took to the well-known story. It was refreshing!

This Cinderella retelling, "If the Shoe Fits" comes out August 3, 2021. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!!! I’m excited for the next installment of the new "Meant to Be" series when it comes out!

Calling all fans of Cinderella and The Bachelor! 22 year old Cindy is a recent Parsons grad with a passion for shoes, and accepts a spot on a reality dating show to get her name out there. When the suitor on the show happens to be the handsome guy she met on the plane days earlier, they're both shocked, but they've got to play it cool....the whole world is watching, after all! I absolutely adored this super sweet romance, and I happily recommend it to older teens and adults alike! I finished it in a day and was smiling the whole time!

This book was a lot of fun! It’s is a VERY loose adaptation of Cinderella, and I think that’s how it should be in 2021. That said, I am getting a little tired of all these “we met on a dating reality show” books. And this one has some super lenient producers, which, as a rule follower, I wasn’t a super big fan of (it ruins the verisimilitude). I was pleased with the ending though. Cindy gets her dream AND the guy. Not what you expect from reality dating shows.

PS The voice actor who does the audiobook knocks it out of the park!

If the shoe fits. This is a modern day fairy tale. The fat career girl. Gets the handsome rich man. Complete with reality bachelor show

This was cute and quick and utterly readable. Definitely recommend for romance readers. It doesn't get too steamy and could be appropriate for older teens.

I really enjoyed this! Cindy was a fun main character and I loved her love of fashion. I especially enjoyed the ways she interacted with fashion and expression through clothes as a fat person. I also appreciated the inclusion of queer characters and discussion of the heteronormativeness of dating shows! I liked the bachelor-esque vibe to her journey on Before Midnight, but generally found the TV format could've been utilized more. I wish we'd seen more of the behind-the-scenes workings, as it felt a little too perfectly produced for the reader. Unfortunately I was underwhelmed by the ending, which in contrast to the rest of the book lacked that certain sense of dramatic flair, and I didn't love Henry--he was honestly just kind of boring and I thought Cindy could do way better. I wish we'd seen more of his personality come through. Overall a fun read.

Meant To Be: If The Shoe Fits, was the perfect mix of a modern-day retelling of Cinderella and had elements of the reality series The Bachelor. I absolutely adored this unique retelling, it was swoon worthy and delightful! Always and forever a fan of Julie Murphy! Thanks to NetGalley for the advance e-copy!

I was apprehensive that this "Cinderella Story" would pit the main character, Cindy against her step-mother and (thinner) step sisters. I was happy that this wasn't the case. Cindy, a recent Parsons School of Design grad, is still trying to process the deaths of her parents, and navigate the world in her (larger sized) body. After a chance encounter on an airplane with "Prince Charming", she ends up on a reality dating show where he is the bachelor. The plot is light-hearted, but sensitive, with deeper themes than first expected. Will Cindy choose her prince or choose herself?

I enjoyed the lighter storyline in this story. I found myself rooting for the main character and hoping that she would find her happy ending. Will recommend to others who enjoy chick lit!