If the Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy (ARC Review)

Title: If the Shoe Fits
Author: Julie Murphy
Type: Fiction
Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Publisher: Hyperion Avenue
(Disney Publishing)
Date published: August 3, 2021

A complimentary physical copy of this book was kindly provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

After having just graduated with a degree in shoe design, and trying to get her feet on the ground, Cindy is working for her stepmother, who happens to be the executive producer of America’s favorite reality show, Before Midnight. When a spot on the show needs filling ASAP, Cindy volunteers, hoping it might help jump-start her fashion career, or at least give her something to do while her peers land jobs in the world of high fashion.

Turns out being the only plus size woman on a reality dating competition makes a splash, and soon Cindy becomes a body positivity icon for women everywhere. What she doesn’t expect? That she may just find inspiration-and love-in the process. Ultimately, Cindy learns that if the shoe doesn’t fit, maybe it’s time to design your own.

⤖ My Review ⬻

If the Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy was the romcom that I didn’t know I needed until it landed in my hands. I’m really happy to see more body positive and body diverse novels making their way into main stream publishing. I was also excited for this book because it’s Julie Murphy’s first adult release and I was excited to see what her writing for an adult book would be like.

I wasn’t sure how I felt about the fact that If the Shoe Fits was a Cinderella retelling because I have read a few too many Cinderella retellings and was thinking I needed a break…however I’m happy to report that I was pleasantly surprised when I realize that this was actually a gender bent adult romcom retelling of Cinderella!

The main character, Cindy, was a lot of fun to read about and I found that I actually really enjoyed the reality TV competition part of the plot. This was another pleasant surprise because I was never really excited about the prospect of a group of women competing for the attention of one man. But Julie Murphy not only made it work but she also made it fun to read about!

I enjoyed If the Shoe Fits quite a bit and I really hope Murphy writes more adult romcoms–I am here for it. I saw that the series will continue with an addition by another author (Jasmine Guillory) which is exciting! Again though–I’m putting this out into the universe by saying it one more time–I hope Murphy writes more adult romance books!

⤖ About the Author ⬻

Julie Murphy lives in North Texas with her husband who loves her, her dog who adores her, and her cats who tolerate her. After several wonderful years in the library world, Julie now writes full-time. When she’s not writing or reliving her reference desk glory days, she can be found watching made-for-TV movies, hunting for the perfect slice of cheese pizza, and planning her next great travel adventure. She is also the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the young adult novels Dumplin’ (now a film on Netflix), Puddin’, Ramona Blue, and Side Effects May Vary. Dear Sweet Pea is her debut middle grade novel.