Member Review
Review by
Kait S, Reviewer
3.5/4 stars
If the Shoe Fits is a modern day Cinderella retelling that explores grief and identity and, of course, romance.
Cindy, our modern day Cinderella, is a recent Parsons grad and fat woman who decides to join her decidedly NOT evil stepsisters on her questionably moral stepmother's version of the Bachelor. Her Prince Charming is the lucky bachelor himself...who she already had a meet cute with at the airport. While I don't love watching reality TV, I thoroughly enjoyed this behind-the-scenes look into that world..
TBH, I struggled to rate this one because there were parts I really loved, and parts I didn't. Cindy is plus-sized and unapologetic about it. The book doesn't shy away from showing our world's fatphobia, especially in fashion, but it also doesn't deny her joy. Cindy calls it like she sees it, has a small but mighty support system (I want more Sierra!!!), and makes the best decisions at the best times. I loved watching her lean into her joy, her dreams, and her desires. I also deeply appreciated that the story axed the "evil" in her step-family and instead focused on the bumps and joy of bringing together two families after a tragedy.
And yet, somethings really didn't work for me. The HEA felt unclear...and there was no epilogue to showcase more of their adventures (did they have any?). The pacing, especially towards the end felt rushed. In particular, there was an awkward time jump when Cindy heads back to NYC that had me flipping back to make sure I hadn't missed some pages. I also got confused by the sheer number of names and characters DURING the filming scenes and felt like some of that could have been tightened, trimmed. And, lastly, the throwaway comment about rheumatoid arthritis. It wasn't necessary or explored, so it read as ableist to me. As a young person with arthritis, seeing it presented on the page as "the worst thing ever" and then never hearing about it after that felt really shitty.
Because of the characters' ages, the themes explored, and lack of sex on the page, this read to me more like a New Adult novel. I enjoyed it and I actually would LOVE to read a a novella of Henry and Cindy's time in Italy!
Overall I enjoyed this book an am glad I read it.
Thank you to Netgalley and Disney-Hyperion for gifting me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
If the Shoe Fits is a modern day Cinderella retelling that explores grief and identity and, of course, romance.
Cindy, our modern day Cinderella, is a recent Parsons grad and fat woman who decides to join her decidedly NOT evil stepsisters on her questionably moral stepmother's version of the Bachelor. Her Prince Charming is the lucky bachelor himself...who she already had a meet cute with at the airport. While I don't love watching reality TV, I thoroughly enjoyed this behind-the-scenes look into that world..
TBH, I struggled to rate this one because there were parts I really loved, and parts I didn't. Cindy is plus-sized and unapologetic about it. The book doesn't shy away from showing our world's fatphobia, especially in fashion, but it also doesn't deny her joy. Cindy calls it like she sees it, has a small but mighty support system (I want more Sierra!!!), and makes the best decisions at the best times. I loved watching her lean into her joy, her dreams, and her desires. I also deeply appreciated that the story axed the "evil" in her step-family and instead focused on the bumps and joy of bringing together two families after a tragedy.
And yet, somethings really didn't work for me. The HEA felt unclear...and there was no epilogue to showcase more of their adventures (did they have any?). The pacing, especially towards the end felt rushed. In particular, there was an awkward time jump when Cindy heads back to NYC that had me flipping back to make sure I hadn't missed some pages. I also got confused by the sheer number of names and characters DURING the filming scenes and felt like some of that could have been tightened, trimmed. And, lastly, the throwaway comment about rheumatoid arthritis. It wasn't necessary or explored, so it read as ableist to me. As a young person with arthritis, seeing it presented on the page as "the worst thing ever" and then never hearing about it after that felt really shitty.
Because of the characters' ages, the themes explored, and lack of sex on the page, this read to me more like a New Adult novel. I enjoyed it and I actually would LOVE to read a a novella of Henry and Cindy's time in Italy!
Overall I enjoyed this book an am glad I read it.
Thank you to Netgalley and Disney-Hyperion for gifting me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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