If the Shoe Fits (Meant To Be)

I am so used to angst that this book was just a breath of fresh air. I absolutly loved it and I really do recomended if you are looking for a fun, cute , and intretaing book this is the one. I will say it is not spicy enough for booktok (which is where I found this book) but I love it!

This is a modern day Cinderella tale. Cindy is a fashion student who is in a creative slump. Living in NYC with her best friend, she hasn’t put pen to paper in a while. You see, she’s been through a rough patch: she lost her mom when she was seven, her dad remarried, and he recently passed away. No, no, no, stop right there: her stepmother is pretty cool, her stepsisters love her and she has the cutest half-siblings (triplets!!!). But she’s just graduated, her future is uncertain and all her grief has decided to surface.So, Cindy goes back home to LA, where her family lives. On the flight home, she has this cute meet cute with a guy she nicknames Prince Charming. He’s adorable and handsome, they have a wonderful time, but they lose track of each other at the airport…Back at home, she is going to spend time being a temporary nanny for the triplets. Her super busy stepmom is like the Queen of Reality TV and runs a “The Bachelor” type of show. When they suddenly lose a few contestants in pre-production, her stepsisters are asked to join in. Cindy feels left out and she calls out her stepmom for not asking her too because she is a plus-size girl. Erica wanted to protect her. She knows that social media will be on her like vultures… But, add one meddling junior producer and a girl determined not to be put in a corner because of her size and Cindy joins the show. Now here’s the kicker: “Prince Charming” is the star of the show! Will they find love under the watchful eyes of the cameras and the world?I loved the story. It’s fun and sweet and it’s spot on in the representation of a fat woman (yes, I went there and used the FAT word. As a fat person myself, I hate the euphemisms: curvy, voluptuous…I’m fat.) The scene in the airplane where Cindy is self-conscious of not bumping into people, squishing herself all the way in her seat so that she is not an imposition to the fellow passenger, the seat-belt extender anxiety, it all rings true. And yes, we love shoes. Why? Because shoes are not judgy, shoes don’t care if you are a size zero or a size 16. They are the common denominator when you go shopping with your friends because you KNOW you won’t find that cute outfit in your size (you”ll be lucky if the salesperson doesn’t look at you from head to toe when they tell you they don’t cater to your size.) I love that Cindy doesn’t take it and lower her head. She calls people out on the (even if subtle) fat-shaming. You go girl!And if you like The Bachelor tv show franchise, you will love this one. I particularly despise that show, but it didn’t bother me reading about a similar show in this book.I would have given this book the full five stars (though I rounded them up on Goodreads) if it hadn’t shied away from giving the fat girl the hot sex scenes. Yes, GASP!, fat people have sex! Good sex! And this was a good opportunity for the author to use Cindy to show more body positivity. I understand that some authors may still be uncomfortable writing sex scenes with heavier people, but we all know that, when it comes to sex, we read ALL. KINDS. OF. STUFF. in romance books (kinky stuff, weird, stuff, VERY weird stuff). It’s about time we have more regular people having sex. Like, you know, in the real world.It’s a wonderful retelling of the Cinderella classic and if you want to spend some time having fun with very well-written characters, this book is for you!

I just loved Cindy, she was so real, I feel like we could be friends!It was interesting learning more about shows like the "Bachelor", that was fun!Nice ending, too!

Gave me that ooey gooey feeling like a warm chocolate chip cookie. Loved Cindy and Sierra and several other characters. This book kept me entertained during breastfeeding my newborn. I even willingly gave up some sleep to read it.

If you like romance, love stories, The Bachelor, and a hint of fairytale magic this is your book! It was so good! Amazing job to Julie Murphy, it was masterfully written.

Wow, I always love different takes on the Cinderella story. This has to be one my favorites! I love how real and relatable Cindy is. I think one really refreshing take on the story is her step mom and step sisters aren't terrible. Highly recommend

I will be honest here. I chose this book to fulfill the KU Spring challenge for a 2021 best of, and this one was only $.99. Reality TV is on my least favorite list. Young adult isn't on that list, but neither is it on my favorites list. However, I do like fashion. Shoes? Not so much, but they are part of the fashion scene. The Cinderella flavor also piqued my interest too. So,I actually pushed myself to actually read this book.The first part of the book was every thing one expects from a young adult story. Angst! Angst! And more angst! *groan* Why that trope isn't a fav. Then there was the TV stuff. Yep! That lived up to my expectations too. *gag* The Cinderella angle? Interesting. Mixed feelings about that. The nice step mother and sideline of messed with my head a bit. Then I realized this entire story was couched in the PC world. Even the "mean girl" was down played. All well and good, but more fantasy than reality.Surprisingly, I found myself kind of hooked. I think I was waiting for the usual reality show scandal. We did eventually have a minor one, but there was so much fodder for scandal that wasn't mined. I like the choice Cindy made, but I found the ending abrupt. They made up. The end.

I want to recommend this to all of my friends, mostly because almost every character in here is my new best friend. This book was literally laugh out loud funny and had the perfect ending I was hoping for.

This is sooo cute, I haven’t finished it yet but so far I’m loving it and I can’t wait to see how it ends

I really enjoyed this book. I'm not one for romantic novels but I couldn't put it down. It's a wee bit predictable in places but all in all an enjoyable read.

From beginning to end a most captivating read

I am in love with everything about this book. The characters are fantastic, likeable and relatable. The story is on point with the original story while making it modern and it’s own.I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a feel good romantic read.

If you are in a place where you are craving some fluff, like I am, this is the book for you. Sweet from the get go. Kept me engaged till the last page.