I've read a couple of books by Julie Murphy, Dumplin' and Puddin', and when I read the synopsis of this one, I knew I wanted to read it. Thank you @disneybooks for sending me a copy of If the Shoe Fits. I have seen some comparisons to a recent BOTM pick, One to Watch, which I haven't read but have heard good things about. I loved Cindy and Henry. Cindy was funny, resourceful, genuine, and kind. Henry was swoon-worthy, and I loved how gentle and sweet he was. This story is advertised as a plus-sized Cinderella retelling, and it was nice to see Julie Murphy trying her hand at a novel geared towards adults. Julie Murphy handles the topics in this story with the sensitivity and wit that only Julie Murphy can do. Admittedly, I'm not really a fan of the Bachelor and other TV shows of the like, but I did enjoy that aspect of this book as well. It was entertaining and I read it in a matter of two hours. It'll be out on August 3, so definitely add it to your radar if you haven't yet!

I was up until almost 2 am reading If the Shoe Fits in basically one sitting. Julie Murphy is the first author to publish in Disney's first take on modernizing their classic fairy tales for an adult book audience. This first novel is a reinterpretation of Cinderella. Cindy is returning to live in California with her step-mother, step-sisters, and half-siblings after graduating with a design degree from an NYC university. Once there, her step-mother's tv show, Before Midnight, a Bachelor analog has multiple contestants drop out last minute, and Cindy is volunteered. Cindy is the first fat woman to be on the show and becomes a bit of a body positivity icon.

I was excited about this book from the moment I saw the cover. I like a lot of Disney's properties, as most do, and was so excited for modern rom-com's inspired by the Disney princesses. Starting out with Cinderella absolutely did not disappoint. I was also excited because I had read and really liked Dumplin years ago, so I was quite excited for Murphy's first adult novel.

This book is very, very funny. I laughed out loud multiple times throughout the story; it was truly so much fun. I did also cry, so it worked on my emotions on both fronts. I am always annoyed when something is pitched as a rom-com and then doesn't deliver on the comedy side of that equation, but If the Shoe Fits is certainly funny. This story was so enjoyable; I read it in one sitting because I was just enjoying it far too much to put the book down or to be distracted by my phone.

The way Murphy interprets so much of the story into a contemporary story was delightful and often hilarious. Obviously, there are still serious parts of the Cinderella story leftover; Cindy's mom died when she was quite young, and her dad died a few years after marrying her step-mother, but in this version, Cindy has an occasionally contentious but mostly supportive relationship with the Tremaine's. Cindy really really loves shoes, it was her focus in school, and she has an incredible collection. Her half-siblings are the mice; I found this absolutely charming. I could list funny analogs, but I don't want to spoil too much of the surprise.

I also really loved the places where Murphy deviated from the Cinderella structure. I thought each reference and each deviation was very well thought out and really helped to tell this story in a meaningful and interesting way. There are also a few changes to the structure of The Bachelor to make it more plot-friendly and Disney-friendly (though I think Disney owns the show?). I have not actually watched any of The Bachelor's family of products (except once as a child with my babysitter), but I did listen to a now-defunct podcast about the show a few years ago, so I know enough about the program to get some of the jokes and references. The biggest change is that the show is airing while filming is happening; I think this works very well for the plot, even if it seems like it would be a production nightmare.

Cindy's experience as a fat woman is written so well (and just as a heads up, fat is Cindy's preferred description, there are a few times in the book where folks tap dance around the word in a quite funny way). We have airplane scenes and clothing disasters on the page that are able to talk about being fat in the world very frankly and really work to show the ways fatphobia keeps fat people from certain experiences. I also really enjoyed that this book isn't about Cindy gaining self-acceptance; she already views herself as a person deserving of respect and love, and dignity and already feels positively about herself. There are books about that journey, but this one happens to have different things as emotional conflict. Cindy is just a fat woman who is at the center of this love story.

The romance is so incredibly cute. Murphy spends quite a bit of the beginning of this book lets the reader get to know and love Cindy; it really was excellent to have so much time with our heroine before we start getting to know Prince Charming. The initial time spent with Cindy really pays off with the romance; you really root for Cindy because you know who she is and what she wants and not just because she is the lead character. As a heads up, this is a fade to black kind of book and not a, as TikTok would say, spice kind of book.

Getting to know the male lead of this book was just as delightful as getting to know Cindy. The banter is absolutely excellent. It is absolutely what kept me turning pages at 1 am when I might have otherwise picked sleep. I really liked the way his character's backstory and emotional arc contrasted so well with Cindy's. Murphy writes romance so well, I really hope she writes more adult romance in the future.

I loved the way Cindy's step-family was approached. I thought it was a perfect handling. They weren't absolute angels who had never had problems with each other, but they were also treated as full people who are a family unit even if they haven't always gotten along perfectly. I have had other retellings fail completely for me because I hate the way they handle the villains, this book didn't have them as an abusive family, but it is clear that Murphy put a lot of thought into how to keep some of their personality traits the same in this interpretation.

I could write for pages and pages about how much fun I had while reading. But I should probably wrap it up at some point. I am so excited to get a finished copy with the book is properly out on August 3rd, and I am so excited to read more in this series!

I was provided a free copy of this by @netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
This was such a fun, cute romance story! I flew through it! Cinderella-ish, with a Bachelor twist! When Cindy gets the opportunity to be a contestant on Before Midnight she views it as an opportunity to jumpstart her fashion career. But, after she meets the eligible bachelor, plans begin to change! Cindy blazes her own trail, and shows the world who she is. I was rooting for her, excited to find out what happened, and totally invested in this story!
If you enjoy fun quick romances, I would definitely recommend this one coming out 3 August!
#MeantToBeIfTheShoeFits #NetGalley

I love Julie Murphy. I’ve read almost all of her books, I think she can do no wrong, and this one is no exception. Such a sweet retelling, modernized just perfectly!!

Let me preface this review with I do not watch the Bachelor nor the Bachelorette, it is not my style of show. I don't like how forced or how unrealistic it seems. That being said I am a huge sucker for fairytale retellings and who does fairy tale retellings better then Disney. Very few people. And once again they have not disappointed with this book . I love how real Cindy is and how she is able to embrace not only who she is but how she looks and doesn't let that hold her back in the competition. I love the representation overall in this book! I honestly just don't have enough good words to say about it. I am a fast reader in general but it is very rare these days that I just want to sit down and binge a book. This one is very much binge worthy.

Thank you Disney and Netgalley for allowing me to read this book early. It was a perfect treat and a lovely surprise!

Thank you so much @DisneyBooks & @NetGalley for giving me this physical ARC in exchange for my honest and unbiased review (Release Date | 03 August 2021)

SYNOPSIS | Cindy's mother is the executive producer of America's favourite reality show (Before Midnight). This bachelor style show needs one more contestant & Cindy agrees hoping that the exposure will help kickstart her fashion career. It turns out that being the only plus sized woman on a reality dating show gives her a lot more attention than she anticipated.

WHAT I LIKED:
- this had such a YA One to Watch vibes
- who doesn't love a Cinderella retelling?! (there were some really nice nods to the original)
- really great diversity & representation within the characters

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
- this is intended to be an adult romcom, but it still had a very YA vibe
- it also felt very short & the story wasn't as flushed out as I would have liked
- the whole Cindy / Henry romance was too insta-lovey for me so I didn't really find myself rooting for them

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?

An enjoyable read! Cindy was fun, body positive, and with a good attitude. There wasn’t an ‘evil’ stepmom and step sisters, though you grow to dislike the stepmom because of the behind the scenes of her job. The stepsisters are great, kind people.

I didn’t see as much of a resolution of the non-romance plot as i would have liked. What happens to his company? His mom? The romance had one closed door scene.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for my honest review. Thanks to NetGalley and Disney-Hyperion for providing me with access.

I love Cinderella retellings and this one was just as adorable as the others I've read. It was a bit rough around the edges, but overall I enjoyed the story. I also enjoyed the behind the scenes look into the not so real world of reality TV. I'm not really a fan of the Bachelor Franchise and honestly, this book really solidified my reasons why. But other than that, the story was cute, the characters were fun, and I loved the happily ever after at the end.

This is a really cute YA-ish romance that ties together Disney and reality TV. It reminded me of the perfect marriage of One to Watch and A Cinderella Story. I enjoyed the plus size protagonist and the overall fast pace of the story.

I have never disliked a Julie Murphy book, and this one is just as enchanting and of the moment as her others. This book has great crossover appeal as the only thing that makes it adult instead of YA is the age of the protagonist. I loved that the stepmother and stepsisters were nice and supportive in this retelling. The main romantic plot was a little predictive, but the ending was still satisfying and the look behind the scenes of Bachelor-style reality tv shows was so fun.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Thank you to Netgalley and Disney Publishing for a chance to read and review an early copy of this adorable Cinderella retelling: If the Shoe Fits! And yes, it’s a new series!

I loved everything about this. It has reality tv and a plus sized female, just like One to Watch. But in this one, Cindy is on the show trying to find true love as opposed to Bea being the suitor.

Cindy actually has a nice stepmother and loving step sisters and loves shoes. It was adorable and fun, with a nice mix of some quirkiness. It was light hearted and had me smiling from ear to ear. I was rooting for Cindy and I adored her body positivity, and how she embraced her curves. I feel like every girl and woman can appreciate that and needs to hear about it. And our male lead was a sweetheart, and I was very impressed with his character development!

Overall, a fun and cute read. It was addicting at times and predictable in some ways but still enjoyable. I am excited to see what comes next in this series and hope that we get to follow one of the step sisters in the next one.

I also need to pick up Julie Murphy’s other books ASAP!

I absolutely adore Murphy's new Cinderella retelling! Full of connections to Cinderella with everything from calling Henry "Prince Charming" from the first time she met him, to Cindy's name, I was surprised to find myself falling in love. Murphy really pulled it off with just the right amount of rom-com-dram in this Cinderella meets The Bachelor. I'm not the biggest princess person, and even less so a Bachelor fan, so I was even more impressed by how easy and enjoyable this was to read.
Cindy is an incredibly likeable character. She's into fashion, struggling to make ends meet in New York with her best friend post-graduation, and still recovering from her father's recent death. She's flexible at home with her stepmom, always giving her the benefit of the doubt and taking care of the triplets as their nanny. She's almost too likeable, but I didn't find that it bothered me because it felt like she had enough going on otherwise. I appreciated that her main dilemmas came from deciding between furthering her career or pursuing a relationship - that seems to be a common theme among women my age.
Henry oscillates between jackass extraordinaire and Prince Charming. He clearly adores Cindy from the start, and continues to demonstrate that in their one-on-one interactions. The hard part in their relationship seems to stem from when he's in the public eye. He can't seem to shake his rich kid persona, the one where he gets to have as many one night stands as he wants without a care in the world for the women he's going through. Of course, being on a reality TV show likened to The Bachelor doesn't help that image at all. Cindy calls attention to that plenty throughout the story.
Looking back on this book, Cindy and Henry were both a bit unbelievable, but in the moment this didn't have any bearing on my reading. I sped through the pages, finding full enjoyment from the ways in which they were each using the show to further their own interests, and casually falling in love on the sidelines. I loved that their meet cute was in the airport before the show even started. They share enough in common to make their romance feel believable.
Fat positivity, fat visibility, and LGBT visibility are front and center to the book, true to Murphy form. She weaves these effortlessly into the plot (the way they should be) and provides ample opportunity for the characters to call each other out when necessary. I continue to appreciate the contributions to what's available, and am so glad that authors are making their way through the publishing world to continue to questions our biases as individuals and as a society.
While this book may not give you many deep thoughts to contemplate, you might find you'll stay up late anyway for the sheer enjoyment of reading this book.

Thank you to the publisher for an eARC of this book via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

So I absolutely loved this! It was subtle with the Cinderella references and was just an absolute delight to read. I always love Julie Murphy’s characters and Cindy and Henry are no exception! I don’t enjoy reality TV but I definitely enjoyed reading about the behind the scenes of one. This was a great beach read, light and fluffy .

CW: grief, death of parents

This was a sweet, cute read. I read the majority of it in one sitting! It was a quick one.
I've never watched the Bachelor or anything, I can't stand those shows, but I didn't mind that type of show being the setting in this book. I thought it was cool that for the most part, the girls were nice. I also liked that even though this was a Cinderella retelling, that the step-family wasn't evil. I agree with another review I saw that the ending was a bit abrupt, but that's the only thing that really bothered me.

If the Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy is a charmingly funny romantic comedy that gave me a reason to believe that happily ever after's still do happen.

I loved the modern twist given to the bits of the original Cinderella tale thrown into the story. From the glass slipper to the stepmother and two stepsisters, these little bits from the original Cinderella fairytale connected me to the story in unexpected ways. Bringing up happy memories from childhood stories gives the novel a magical fairytale quality that helped me tap into all that is good and right. When a story has all those positive traits, it surely will touch the heart and put a smile on your face, and If the Shoe Fits did that and more.

The story is entirely predictable, but what makes it a five-star story that easily held my unwavering attention from page one to the last page is the characters. Cindy and Henry are completely relatable with complexities and layers that give them that genuine feel I look for in any story. I wanted them to have their happily ever after more than anything, and I could not put the book down until I knew that they did – however that might look.

I also enjoyed the use of a Bachelor-type reality show the story centers around because, let us face it, that is something that can bring on all the chuckles and smiles. The story never takes the reality series seriously. Instead, satirization is achieved by playing up all the unreality of reality. It is so much fun and hits on many truths that take this story to a whole other deeper level.

The story also has a character lineup that includes much diversity, and it does so in a respectful and completely natural manner. It never feels like it is trying to be diverse for diversity's sake, but that is truly a microcosm of our world today.

To Read or Not to Read

If you are looking for a story that will make you believe in happily-ever-after again, If The Shoe Fits will do that with many chuckles along the way.

When you read a book that give you The Bachelor Vibes!!! When I started If the Shoe Fits By Julie Murphy I couldn't put it down. I loved the plus size representation. I loved how confident Cindy the main character was. I loved how a book could be so emotional. Trigger warning ⚠️ death of parents... but at the same time make you so happy. Finding your true Love 💘. When Cindy graduates College when a degree in shoe design she decides to head. The boy she meets on the plane is the last person she thought would end up being the suitor in the Before Midnight Show that at the last minute Cindy decides to participate. A+

Thank you Netgalley and Disney-Hyperion for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

#meanttobeiftheshoefits #juliemurphy #collegegrauate #rom-com #youngadult #gameshow #realitytv #family #death #stepsiblings #stepmom #bookstagram #booklover

I absolutely fell head over heels in love with this plus-size Cinderella retelling! I read it pretty much in a single sitting because I could not put it down! It was unputdownable!!

Cindy was probably the most perfect MC. Seriously, I loved her tenacity and her overall vibe. And Henry was really sweet as the love interest. I loved the reasoning behind Cindy deciding to join the reality dating show and having it be all about her instead of actively seeking love and reassurance. Cindy was so honest and unshakeable in what she wanted, it was so refreshing.

Also, I’ve recently become a watcher of the Bachelor/Bachelorette franchise so having a book that has a similar reality show at its center was the cherry on top. I love messy drama!

This definitely has similar vibes to One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London - so if you were a fan of that one like I was, I 10/10 recommend!

I loved this modern day remake of the classic fairy tale, Cinderella. The main character’s name is Cindy, naturally. She has a stepmother, two step sisters, and triplets who will steal,your heart. Throw in a modern reality matchmaker show, with Prince Charming named Henry (hello, echoes of the movie Ever After) and the scene is set. I liked Cindy. She makes mistakes, but does try to be true to herself. I loved the prototype she makes and the endearing twist on an integral part of the fairy tale that is sure to please modernists. I’m drawn to books that do a retelling in such a smooth, endearing way. Don’t leave your shoes behind as you zip to the nearest bookstore when this comes out. Mice are optional.

I have a confession to make... Much to my chagrin, I actually watch the hell out of The Bachelor franchise. It is complete and utter trash, but sometimes that is exactly what I need.

When I found out Julie Murphy was releasing her first adult title, a contemporary romance following a fat mc on a reality dating show heavily inspired by The Bachelor, I knew I had to read it. If the Shoe Fits is loosely inspired Cinderella retelling and follows recent fashion grad, Cindy, who has the opportunity to be on popular reality dating show Before Midnight. Excited at the prospect to boost her non-existent career, Cindy jumps at the chance. But being the first fat woman on a popular dating show comes with it's own minefield and Cindy becomes an overnight sensation. All the while, she has to navigate some very real feelings for the lead of the show, and major complications ensue.

I think this served exactly what Julie Murphy was intending. A super fast paced and engaging read, with some great commentary. I especially loved that Cindy was a character that had already done the work and while she does face some bad actors, her whole storyline isn't about fat acceptance, (from her or the love interest, thank god).

I was initially thrown by our mc being 22. When I tend to read romances I prefer the characters to be a little older. I did like the addition of almost a coming of age subplot. Cindy displays a lot of growth and ultimately makes decisions with her own goals in mind, much to pushback from others. I liked the romance enough, but it definitely could have been developed a little more. Even with its Bachelor premise I think we needed more time with the two interacting.

I think this book does require a bit of suspension of disbelief. If you are someone who gets caught up in logistics of how certain things behind the curtain work, this definitely is not the book for you. You can't think too hard, or some things will definitely not start adding up.

I was really impressed with the family dynamics and the way Murphy put her own spin on the classic Cinderella beats regarding family. I loved that her step family embraced and supported Cindy. While definitely messy, we do avoid the hateful stepmother and wicked stepsisters and it was just so refreshing.

I had a really fun time overall. I just think it's especially important with this one to go into it with the right expectations and I think you'll have a great time.