I've been in a bit of a reading funk and this snapped me right out of it. I started reading yesterday and couldn't put it down. This modern mix of Cinderella, The Bachelor, and Dumplin' (written by @andimjulie Julie Murphy, author of Dumplin') is a fun, endearing, slightly spicy tale of a recent Parsons graduate who joins a reality dating show to further her career. And, yes, there are glass slipper-esque heels and a Prince Charming.

I believe this is the first of a new series and I am here for it. Can't wait for more. ❤️👸🏼🤴🏻 Thanks to @netgalley and @disney_hyperion for the advanced ebook!!

I love a good Cinderella retelling and I love Julie Murphy so this was a no brainer to request from netgalley and I LOVED IT! The romance, the fun, the swoon worthy moments, the self acceptance and the whole story set with the backdrop of a reality show like the Bachelor? Fantastic and fun and I can't wait for the next one! Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion!

LOVE! Such a fun read for us plus size girls who love the reality dating shows. It was a perfect escape during this pandemic and a joy to read Julie Murphy in an adult rom-com with a retold classic twist.

I love everything Julie Murphy does and this was no exception. My favorite thing about her writing is the relationship you have with the characters. It takes about a page and a half for her to feel like she is someone I know or could be friends with. If you liked One to Watch you will also love this book!

I stayed up ‘til 2:00 AM to finish this book. And honestly, it was just what I was hoping for. Fluff that featured a plus size heroine, without it explicitly focusing on her relationship with her weight. Cindy doesn’t have to “come to terms with her plus size body” or “build confidence to be the best she can be” or any of those other plus size tropes, and it was a relief. Just a woman in a body I can identify with fighting for love on a Bachelor-esque show. I loved it. I went in a little hesitant that I’d be comparing this to One to Watch the entire time I was reading it, and I can honestly say that I didn’t find them similar at all. If you love plus size leading ladies, fairytale retellings, or romances light on spice and heavy on fluff, this is the right choice for you.

A generally fun homage to Cinderella. Even though the story took place in the real world, some aspects felt too smooth. The stepsisters were really nice when I thought there should have been a little meanness to uphold the trope.

Cindy Woods, recent Parsons Design graduate and stepdaughter to a reality show powerhouse producer and step sister to two daughter her same age, and three young step siblings (triplets, no less), has left her beloved New York to return to California and her loving family to figure things out. Her career as a an up and coming shoe designer has hit a fallow period, and she needs to find a new direction. The curve ball is that she ends up on her step mom’s latest reality show, Beyond Midnight. But before her planes lands, she’s ‘met cute’ with a guy so cute he could have stepped out of central casting. As a plus size woman, she’s used to being overlooked by the Prince Charmings of the world, but this guy seems different, and ….interested. The biggest curve ball of all is that Henry turns out to be the bachelor contestant on Beyond Midnight, and Cindy’s amidst hot competition from a bevy of other women, all of whom are after one thing – Henry. From California chateaus to Mexican villas and beyond, Cindy navigates the ups and downs of reality show competition with wry humor, a reemerging sense of design, and at the last, a refound sense of purpose. Will that include Henry? Julie Murphy handles a complex set of characters with ease, bringing Cindy to life with all the foibles and strengths you’d want to find in a BFF – a BFF you end up cheering for to go the distance.

Love this! If you are a fan of reality TV, this is a book for you. I do not watch reality TV, but I still really enjoyed this Julie Murphy's Cinderella twist in Meant to Be: If the Shoe Fits. A young woman does not only seek out romance, but also comes to terms with the only family she has left in this lovely twist on a timeless classic. No evil stepmother here. #netgalley

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!

Oh what a fun experience it was to read an adult Julie Murphy book! As a long time fan of her writing, I really enjoyed her new venture into adult romances.

This story felt light & easy, yet still packed that Julie Murphy emotional punch. She knows how to write straight to your heart!

Cindy is a plus size girl getting on a a plane. As a plus size girl, myself, you don’t know how much stress this causes. Well, before boarding she meets Prince Charming. They end up having a great conversation and go their separate ways. However, they end up on the same flight and he switches seats to continue their enlightening conversation. Julie Murphy is a real person, who makes you love her quirky, all feeling characters. She does such a great job with vocalizing feelings and insecurities and then spins in humor all the way. Cindy is a shoe a holic and has decided to leave the big Apple when she doesn’t have a job lines up after fashion school. She is resigned to go home to LA and be the nanny to her step triplets. She is in a low place. Prince Charming is struggling with his own issues but we don’t really know what they are. Cindy decides to go on the bachelor despite her step mother discouraging her because of her size. The prize is 100,000 that could help her Jump start a brand, so why not? But is she ready for the spotlight to reveal the mean things people say and the uncomfortable situations big girls get unknowingly put into? And....We know Prince Charming is in LA and will show up at some point, right?

A quick, enjoyable read! I was swept up into this ridiculous fairy tale - and I'm so glad that Julie Murphy continues to write romance with a plus size lead, and works to include a racially diverse community in her stories, with everyday queer characters.

This is such a fun take on Cinderella with The Bachelor/unReal vibes. Julie Murphy makes you care for all of her characters, just like she has done in all her other books.

I was excited to see this upcoming book, and opportunity to read ARC.

A plus-sized/plump/oddball/curvy/chubby/dumpy/big girl with a shoe obsession
I immediately fell in like with her. I was cheering for her.
I love the message she received, realized, and lived!!

I love this book,
I want more of this story and these characters!

Julie Murphy's first book for adults, If the Shoe Fits, is a delightful retelling of Cinderella with a Bachelor inspired twist and that's not all, our protagonist is a plus sized, hilarious, aspiring shoe designer named Cindy. Having recently graduated from Parson's school of design, Cindy finds herself on a plane home to Los Angeles where she will be the nanny to her 4 year old triplet step-siblings. While boarding, a man who can only be described as Prince Charming stops her in the airport to return a shoe of hers that fell out of her purse. Later, Cindy and her two older step-sisters find themselves as contestants on a Bachelor like dating show, which Cindy's step-mother just happens to be a producer on. Cindy is shocked to find that the mysterious Prince Charming from the airplane is the man all of the women are competing to marry! If the Shoe Fits is the body positive Cinderella story we've been waiting for. Highly recommended!

Julie Murphy can do no wrong! I loved this re-telling of Cinderella with our plus sized heroine become a body positive icon and finding her HEA in unexpected ways. Hurray for Julie!

I've been a fan of Julie Murphy's work for a while now, which up until this point has been exclusively YA. As part of a new series from Disney publishing, she's writing the first in a series of adult romances that modernize some of the classic Disney princess narratives.

To be clear...I have never been a Disney princess person. Like, ever. But I love a good romcom, and this is the second book recently to fictionalize the Bachelor/Bachelorette. While IF THE SHOE FITS will inevitably draw comparisons to last year's ONE TO WATCH, I found them both super fun reads that centered fat women. Of course, since this is both a retelling of Disney and a romance, nothing about IF THE SHOE FITS is going to come as a surprise. However, I really appreciated that Julie Murphy gave Cindy a supportive stepmom and stepsisters in lieu of making them "evil".

Will I read more in this series? Maybe. Was this worth reading? For sure. I loved Cindy's voice and the humor was much needed after some more intense reads.

I LOVED THIS BOOK. I also love "The Bachelor" franchise shows. I am recommending this book to all my friends who watch The Bachelor and they can't wait to read it when it comes out!

What a charming read! Modern fairytale retellings are a complete guilty pleasure. Cindy, a budding shoe designer, returns home to her (not evil) stepmother and step and half siblings following her education at Parson's. On a whim, she decides to enter as a contestant on the Bachelor-esque reality TV show produced by her famous stepmother, alongside her 2 step sisters. But, plot twist, Cindy already met the Suitor! Their chemistry developed over the flight from NYC to CA. Not surprisingly, as the show progresses and the behind-the-scenes look at reality TV demonstrates the scripted nature of such things, Cindy becomes unsure of her chances for true love and has to decide what's most important to her for securing her future happiness. Does someone end up on one knew, sliding a slipper onto the foot of their beloved? You'll have to read it to find out!

My favorite change to this clever adaptation was the support Cindy gets from her stepmother and stepsisters throughout. They truly love and adore her, and that was refreshing in a Cinderella story. The ending was more abrupt that I anticipated, and not as fulfilling as the rest of the story. Cindy truly shines through as a lovely character. The only complaint I had with her characterization is the sense that "she's not like other girls". I highly enjoyed this lighthearted read!

I loved this book! It had me up until 2 am multiple nights after I told myself just one more chapter.
One of the things that had me so excited was the female relationships in this book, it was so refreshing to see a healthy bond between Cindy and her stepmother and step sisters. Its not without its complications but it was just so nice to get a Cinderella retelling where women aren't all horrible to each other.
The full cast of characters in the book is amazing, there's a badass librarian (my fav), a gender neutral designer, and so many more that you fall in love with!
Finally I loved that we got a plus sized character that wasn't constantly internally berating herself, the book has a lot of great discussions about the fashion industry and how they need to be more inclusive.