If the Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy is an enchanting Cinderella-inspired story

If a dream really is a wish your heart makes, then wishes came true with Julie Murphy’s If the Shoe Fits. This enchanting modern spin on Cinderella will have you reading into the wee hours of the morning. It’s everything you could ever ask for in a romantic comedy, and then some. Trust me when I say that you won’t be able to put it down. Because you won’t.

Cindy is a recent Parsons design alum who is returning home to Los Angeles from New York to help her stepmother with her triplet stepsiblings. She lost her mother when she was young and her father passed away recently, and thankfully she has the support and love from her stepmother Erica and stepsisters Anna and Drew.

Erica is the executive producer of the hottest reality dating series on television, Before Midnight, and when the show needs a few more contestants Cindy, Anna and Drew are there to fill in. Erica loves the idea of her girls being on the show, but she’s worried about Cindy because she would become the first plus-size contestant on the show. Cindy understands the concern but she’s not worried about it, knowing that it’s also a great way to generate buzz for her fashion.

Cindy becomes an overnight sensation among Before Midnight fans, but before she can help it she also finds herself falling for Prince Charming. The longer she stays on the show, the more she wonders if she, too, might find true love’s kiss.

If the Shoe Fits is a modern day fairytale with a heroine to root for

Coming in at just under 300 pages, it’s not hard to finish If the Shoe Fits in a single reading if that’s your style. It’s hard not to get caught up in Murphy’s story because she writes with a kinetic, cinematic flourish that makes it easy to imagine the story playing out on television.

Thanks to the reality TV competition, there are plenty of villains to keep things lively, but more importantly the book features characters that are so easy to root for. Cindy has been through a lot and it’s easy to relate to her drive to keep moving forward at all costs. She also deals with so many issues that women deal with on a regular basis, from dealing with catty remarks about her looks to not being able to find clothing that fits because it’s all size zero. Cindy is an absolute breath of fresh air.

Prince Charming is almost too-good-to-be-true because he is, in fact, a really good guy. He, too, has his own motivations and complications that make things challenging, but once he gets out from under the production lights he’s the total package. I think that’s what makes him such a compelling hero in this case, because he really is the real deal.

If the Shoe Fits features a diverse cast of characters from all backgrounds and walks of life. From Becks the producer who is angling to create a Before Midnight spinoff for the LGBTQ community to Jay, a fashion designer whose sense of style rivals their personality, and to Cindy’s aspiring influencer stepsisters Anna and Drew, who are so supportive of their sibling.

One of the things that sets the story apart from traditional Cinderella tales is that Murphy decided not to cast Cindy’s family as the villains of the story. They’re all amazing characters themselves and knowing that so many people are in Cindy’s corner make it a stronger story. (If only we all had that kind of support in our corner!)

I want to know more about all of the supporting characters, and wouldn’t mind a bit if they all had spin off books at some point.

Truth be told, I wouldn’t mind a sequel, either. I need more Cindy and more Prince Charming!

If the Shoe Fits is part of the Meant to Be series created for Disney’s Hyperion Avenue imprint for adults. The new imprint, which launched in April 2021, features a wide range of projects, many of which could be picked up by Disney+ or Hulu as series or movies. (If you can hear me, Disney, please make If the Shoe Fits into a movie…it would be the perfect movie!)

If the Shoe Fits is available now.