If The Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy Book Review

“Wow, this is weird.’

‘You’re the one who chose to date twenty-plus women on a television show.’

‘Well, you are one of those twenty-plus women who chose to be here.’

‘Touché.'”

(pg. 129)

About

Author: Julie Murphy

Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance

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Synopsis

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.

Review

Spoilers Contained Below

To those who had to create their own shoes,

We all know the tale . . . as old as time, and I’m not talking about Beauty and the Beast. I am talking about Cinderella. You know, one of the most iconic princess. When I found out Julie Murphy was writing a body inclusive version of a well-loved tell, all I had to say was it WAS ABOUT DARN TIME someone wrote a body inclusive version of a princess 👏🏼!!! I mean, we need body inclusive stories—-princess all the more.

“The future isn’t exclusive. It’s inclusive.”

(pg. 180)

So DUH, I had to read If The Shoe Fits. To be honest, I wasn’t sure what the plot was about besides a Cinderella story because when it’s Julie Murphy’s one of my pride and true authors. I call her a pride and true author because I just buy and read without knowing too much about the book because I already love the author 💙. So The Bachelor aspect took me by surprise. I mean, how iconic 👌🏼. I freaking cracked up when thy had the rose/scroll ceremony.

“‘Will you accept this scroll?’ asks Henry as he hands me the final one.'”

(pg. 90)

Not the scroll 😂!! Hahahahaha. I just loved all the parallels I could see between Forever Midnight and The Bachelor— the limousine opening scene, the first night, the infamous Bachelor house, group activities, the fated single date, the travel, and the end ceremony. I was looking forward to the meet the family day. Do they still do that on Bachelor? It’s been FOREVER since I watched The Bachelor, so I’m not too sure what they do anymore on the show. I started watching The Bachelor when I was in second or third grade. I think it was because The Bachelor would always play before or after Dancing With the Stars, and my family was a big DWTS fan. Anyway, I stopped watching it when I was in middle school because I realized that no one actually finds real love on The Bachelor. The show was more for entertainment. I don’t know, the show also just seemed a bit wrong to me how one guy would have all these girls convinced that they were in love with the only guy in their near vincity. Yea, it’s hard not to fall in love with a guy who’s the only guy on sight 😂.

Then a couple of years ago, The Bachelor was all the rave and people suddenly had house parties and Twitter wars over the show. I still don’t watch The Bachelor, but I have been tempted to watch it because you can’t say the show isn’t entertaining. I have to say, there are three types of television 1) Reality 2) Shows 3) Trash TV. Trash TV are shows that are entertaining but don’t add any real value, and they’re also addictively fun. Everyone has a different opinion about The Bachelor, but personally I think it’s trash TV in the best way. It’s good TV; it’s good entertainment. I don’t know if people still like The Bachelor because of recent controversies, but I do think the show still has an interesting concept and they should progress or pizzazz things up if they want to keep their viewership. I recently got into watching Love Is Blind last year, and I absolutely loved the show. Love Is Blind is also kind of trash TV, but again, in a good, fun way. I hear people watch Love Island, Too Hot to Handle, The Circle, or Bachelor’s in Paradise these days. I might, might, watch Love Island if I’m convinced. I heard Love Island was good.

“It’s a reminder that this isn’t about falling in love. It’s about entertainment.”

(pg. 157)

Its interesting though, how many shows were created to expand the concept of The Bachelor.

I digress about my trash romance TV. Suffice to say, there was a time and place where I loved watching The Bachelor, and I don’t think the concept will ever not be interesting.

I must say, I loved the bode to midnight with the title of the show—Before Midnight—was spot on.

“True love is on the line. The clock in ticking.”

(pg. 120)

I also loved how Before Midnight was produced by the “evil” stepmother, Erica.

One of the things I loved most about this book besides The Bachelor concept was the odes to the original Cinderella story and all the fresh aspects. I loved how Julie Murphy made the stepmom and stepsisters nice—-it was a nice change to see these infamously mean characters as complex characters. Erica had her moments because she was navigating what it meant to be Cindy’s stepmom, which had to be hard for her too because Cindy wasn’t really her daughter. Erica wasn’t sure what boundaries she could step over with Cindy, and she didn’t want to step too far to push Cindy away. Cindy also felt conflicted about Erica. She loved Erica because Erica was kind and hospitable to her, but Cindy knew Erica could never love her in the same way her dad and mom did. Cindy also didn’t feel like she belonged in Cindy, Anna, Drew, and the three twins lives because they weren’t really her family, so she didn’t know what she was overstepping. I think both toed the line of their relationship, but they genuinely did care about each other. I enjoyed the beginning scene between Erica and Cindy when Cindy asked Erica why she didn’t want Cindy to be a fill-in on Before Midnight. Erica explained how she didn’t want people to pick Cindy apart—- in the chateau nor in the world. Erica was protecting her, which I respected and understood. However, I think Cindy was a grown women and she be able to make her own decisions. Erica should have at least give her a chance to see if she wanted to do Before Midnight. If I was Cindy, I would have also felt like Erica didn’t want me on the show because I was fat, and being fat wasn’t something to be celebrated on TV.

I also liked Anna and Drew. They were Cindy’s wingwomen and cheerleaders, Drew more so than Anna. Cindy mentioned how Anna used to make offhanded comments about her body. Even if Anna wasn’t conscious about her comments, if her words hurt, her words hurt. That meant something. I know deep down Anna was a kind person who maybe was all over the place, but I felt like her intentions and her heart was in the right place. I really liked how when they went shopping at the mall, Anna got fired up and clapped back at the sales lady 👏🏼. I mean, good for Anna, but poor sales lady because it wasn’t her fault the store sucked with inclusion. But I loved that Anna spoke up for Cindy. It’s so easy to walk through a store and not find anything and then just leave feeling dejected and discouraged. It’s so easy. I know I’ve felt that. But we need to discuss more as people that it’s not right for stores not to include all sizes for all bodies because it sends the message that you have to be a certain size to even be considered included. That shouldn’t be the case. A decade, I don’t even think there were size inclusive stories or portions of stores. Even thinking about that makes my heart heavy because were perpetuated this idea for so long, and it sucks to think about how people back then didn’t have a place to find clothes that would fit them.

A lesson I learned a while back when I had a challenging relationship with food and clothes, was that clothes are made to fit us and we are not made to fit clothes. When I realized that, my whole mindset shift and I had a healthier relationship with what I wore. Honestly, more stops need to adopt this mindset because clothes are things we wear on our body. They are not how we control who we are, but a part of how we show who we are. Cindy emphasized this with her love of fashion.

“‘My style is a chance of me to express myself and to maybe even make someone rethink their snap judgement. But that’s just a small part of it. I love the lines. I love that it’s art you can wear.'”

(pg. 117)

I loved loved loved when Cindy said this 💙.

When I found a healthier relationship with my body, that translated to a healthier relationship with fashion. I suddenly loved to wear clothes because I felt it was how I expressed myself. If people saw me wearing a bright yellow shirt and flower pants, I didn’t care because I felt happy and confident in what I wore. And that’s all that truly matters. The more I explored my fashion, the more I saw fashion as an art, as an aesthetic that differs as we grow as people. Everyone deserves to feel like they can express themselves freely with what they wear. Also, having clothes that fit and make us feel good, does wonders for boosting someone’s mood or confidence. I know when I have clothes that make me feel this way, I feel better. And it sounds like a dumb, inconsequential thing, but what we wear does have an effect on how we feel.

I have a whole other blog post about the power of fashion (I can link it below), about how I used to feel like I couldn’t wear certain clothes because I wasn’t good enough. I learned that that was beyond true and how we are all good enough to wear clothes. Anyway, I just loved how big fashion was for Cindy because I related to it.

Also, it wouldn’t have been Cindy if she didn’t have an obsession with shoes. I honestly loved the twist Julie Murphy did there. I mean, give a girl the right shoes and she can take on the world, right 😉. If you want to, try google Rosanna Pansino shoes. She has some of the CUTEST and most iconic shoes that I would definitely wear if I knew how to walk in heels 😆. Also, if I’m being honest, with the new Camila Cabello Cinderella that came out on Amazon Prime recently, I couldn’t help but thinking how Cindy and Camila’s version of Cinderella was similar, which I loved.

I just loved the idea of an empowered and driven Cinderella.

I would have loved to be best friends with Cindy. She has good fashion taste, she could make me some impeccable shoes, and she was always kind to people who didn’t deserve her kindness. I also liked how she knew her worth and would stand up for herself when wronged. We love a woman who has self-respect 👏🏼. I don’t mean this in a teasing way, but I genuinely loved how she respected herself and wouldn’t take bing treated as less than. No one should. I also loved how much she cared for those she loved.

I guess going back to the siblings, I also liked Drew. She gave me the wise half of the sister duo. I liked how Drew was always on Cindy’s side. At the end, I loved how she did a compete pancake flip on Henry’s butt.

“‘He’s dead to me,’ Drew says, like a switch has flipped in her brain. ‘Scorched earth. Dead to me.’

Anna nods. ‘His pulse is nonexistent. the doctor is pronouncing the time of death as now o’clock. They’re calling the morgue.'”

(pg. 251)

That’s my kind of loyalty 🤪. Ride or dies.

The triplets were also super sweet. I loved how they were reminiscent of the three helper mice in the OG Cinderella. I found it cute how Julie Murphy kept Gus Gus’s name alive with cute little Gus. Gus Gus was my favorite mouse from the group 🙈.

How could you not like Gus Gus 🥺?

I also loved our new fairy godqueen—Beck. I recently read One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston and couldn’t not imagine Beck as someone who looked somewhat similar to Beck. Beck was downright cool. I loved how she was secretly rooting for Cindy the entire competition and I also loved how Beck served as her friend through this weird, but fun journey. Beck was the one who convinced Cindy that she should have a chance on Before Midnight which sounded pretty fairy godmother-ish to me. I loved the bonding moments we would get with Beck from the initial pre-show interviews, the time Beck took Cindy aside and told her how she was a fan favorite, or when Beck showed up as Cindy’s hotel room to chill. They formed a supportive relationship and I loved that for them. I also loved loved loved the idea of a queer bachelor show. I would watch! I think that if someone did create a queer bachelor show that would be pretty cool. Someone should do that 😏. I’m looking at you ABC network.

Well, Cindy wanted to be in Before Midnightwith Anna and Drew because she wanted to use the publicity from the show to hopefully jump start her career. Honestly, you gotta do what you gotta do to get somewhere in this world and what she was doing wasn’t harming anyone, so I say go for it. And heck, she sure would get publicity on the most watched trashy TV show in the country. I know there are a lot of people who come off The Bachelor with job prospects, more brand deals, and The Bachelor have been on or produced. It’s such an interesting listen, and I highly recommend Bachelor podcasts (if you’re into it) because it provides insight to their experience on the show. As a kid who watched the show, I always wondered what it would be like to be a contestant on The Bachelor. Have you ever wondered how that would feel like? I always felt like it would be an experience to say the least.

It is an experience based on the things I’ve heard. I feel like Julie Murphy must have did some of her research with podcasts. But I heard how the people on the Bachelor don’t get a phone or any communication with the outside world. So essentially they’re stuck in a house for two or so months when they’re filming in some secluded location and that when they get back to the outside world, it can feel overwhelming because they went without technology for so long. That has to feel weird considering this day and age. But I guess it makes sense to cut off communication so no one knows how people are reacting to them on the show. So I liked how Julie Murphy kept this tidbit.

I also enjoyed reading about the pre-interviews where they had Cindy, Anna, and Drew talk about their “backstory” so they could get behind the scenes footage. The actual show must do this too because I always wondered when they sit people down and do those face to camera interviews. You know in shows that do face to camera interviews or play-by-play’s, I often question how those interviews are filmed because the scene would have to happen before they can film those interviews, right 🤔. I also found it funny how they had Cindy and her fake mom do all these fake baking scenes to get some interesting footage. Oh, and we can’t forget the time when they wanted the tears to come.

“‘We’ve got a breakdown happening by the pool.’ He holds his walkie-talkie up to his mouth. ‘No, let her spiral! I need this tears!'”

(pg. 72)

I didn’t know whether to laugh or be offended for the girl crying 🙈. I feel like tears are a reality-drama show’s dream.

It’s interesting what goes into TV magic.

I loved the dramatic and on-brand opening meet the guy scene. I loved that one girl fell because of course she did. I didn’t love that she fell, but it sounded like something like that would happen. When Cindy met the supposed secret guy, I knew it was the guy from the airport. LA DUH 🤪!

The minute Cindy started talking to airport guy, I was like, he’s the love interest. Also, I found it funny how she talked about how she didn’t like Before Midnight to the very guy who was going to be on the show. I mean, he cringed when Cindy made fun of Before Midnight-—if that wasn’t a tell, I don’t know what was. I liked how they decided to keep their first meet as a secret because if it got out she knew who Henry was, the other girls would think she had the advantage. I would just like to know though, how Cindy hid a walkie-talkie in her bra. That must be some eerie beanie tiny walkie-talkie 🤪. Yikes.

Speaking of the other girls, the cattiness was also impeccable. I loved to see it 😂.

I liked how Julie Murphy explored the relationship aspect between the twenty girls in the competition because there had to be a complicated and weird dynamic. I mean, they were all essentially competing for the same guy; they all wanted to be the person who Henry chooses—-to be the love of his life. However, the girls were expected to live together and get along, which doesn’t make sense when they are each other’s competition. I guess, that’s another reason I didn’t like watching The Bachelor after a while. I didn’t like the idea that women were competing against each other for the sake of a man like the guy’s some all end-all prize to be won. Girls competing for a man really isn’t a good message to send to kids or people in general.

So naturally the female relationships in the house wouldn’t be the healthiest. Addison was the main *Beach.She’s what executive producers and show runners would call TV gold because viewers would love to hate her. Or that’s how I felt. There had to be an Addition in Before Midnightt. I didn’t like her at all 🙃. First, she was acted like she was superior to everyone else just because she was aware she was famous and beautiful. That’s kind of snobbish that she thought herself better than everyone right of the bat. I also don’t like fake people, so I didn’t like her. She really reeled in her cat claws anytime Henry came around, acting all innocent. Like Addiions, I see you and I don’t like what I see. Ugh, that first night when she acted all innocent around Henry after bad mouthing Cinder and the other girls was FAKE with a capital F U 😂. What a player!

“You! Are! Awful! my brain sings.”

(pg. 160)

When I read this, I cracked up—-my exact thoughts about Addison 😂

But I absolutltey detested that she always had the AUDACITY to make snide comments about Cindy’s weight. I would love to thoroughly shove a Subway sandwich down her throat so she call swallow her rancid comments. What kind of mean person would say such a thing? I just don’t accept the fact that people would ever think it’s okay to make a comment about someone’s body or weight when 1) that’s none of their business 2) it’s not their concern 3) we don’t know what they’ve been through and 4) IT’S NONE OF THEIR BUSINESS.

Say it with me: “Not your body, not your business.”

It’s just absolutely wrong.

No one is asking for an opinion on their body and no one wants to hear it anyways.

“Addison looks to me. ‘And Cindy, I’ve been meaning to tell you, I just think you’re so brave.’

My brow furrows into a knot. ‘For what?’

‘That dress. It’s so stunning, of course, but I would just be so self-conscious. It’s just really nice to see a big girl rocking her curves, ya know? So body positive of you.’

. . . My blood turns to lava, and I think I might just explode. Being called brave is one of my biggest pet peeves. When someone calls me brave for going out or wearing a fitted dress or for some other formal thing that every tother girl does, what it really means is: I would be mortified to look like you, but good for you for merely existing even if all I can think about is how fat you are and how I’m terrified I’ll one day look like you. So brave.”

(pg. 79-80)

When I read this, I was angry for Cindy and others who have been passive aggressively been called brave. I do think it’s wrong to call someone brave to being who they are and in their own body. I guess, being called brave in a different context like if one was brave for trying to curb their social anxiety, then I think being called brave is okay. But merely existing and calling someone brave feels like a microaggression. Gosh, I hope I’m not using the word wrong, and I apologize if I am. I don’t know, what word I would use, but it feels like an attack to call someone brave for what they look like.

It is people like Addison that need to switch their perspective and language.

There were many moments in the book where Cindy had to stand up or change the narrative to make herself fit. I mean, all the power to Cindy, but at the same time, it just makes my heart hurt how people who are curvier or fat have to work ten times as hard to feel like they have a place in this world. Or to feel like they belong when they should already be accepted to belong.

I really hurt for Cindy how the show never had clothes that looked good and were in her size, which was ridiculous because they knew she was going to be on the show. They should have curated a selection of clothes for her. I didn’t find it fair how Addison got hot, scanty lingerie for this glorified pillow fight and Cindy got the equivalent to the nightgown the grandma-wolf in the Little Red Riding Hood.

Nothing against grandma nightgowns, but compared to lingerie in a conception for a guy’s hand in marriage, granny nightgown probably wasn’t the look Cindy was going for 😅. I mean, what is that? Just because someone weighs more, suddenly it means they can’t, no, that they don’t deserve to feel beautiful or sexy? That’s trash—-in a bad way. People derisive to feel sexy and beautiful no matter their weight and clothes should reflect that. It’s not that hard to understand basic human decency and respect. But we live in a twisted, sick, society that says if you don’t look a certain way or are a certain size, you didn’t “earn” the right to look sexy. * shakes head * I detest.

The only part I liked about the glorified pillow fight was how Cindy whooped Addison’s butt 😂. Cindy said I did not come to play 👏🏼! She said mess with me, I will throw you down! I LAUGHED. Good for Addition, she was getting her comeuppance for being a suck suck person. I also didn’t appreciate when Addison mooed at Cindy—insinuating Cindy was a cow. I’m sorry, Addison, let me make some donkey noises at you. hee haw Beach 😂. Gosh, she was a piece of work. But I freaking LOVED it when Cindy tackled Addison, and was like,

“‘Get off me, you cow!’ Addison says just loudly enough for me to hear her.

I grin down at her as I take out my mouthpiece. ‘Just playing by the rules. Moo, b****. Moo.'”

(pg. 139)

That was a power move 👌🏼😂.

Good for Cindy.

I found it funny when Addison had her solo date with Henry and the date ended early because Henry realized what a DONKEY Addition was. Honestly, people can look good, but if they have a rude and crude personality, it does not matter how good they look—-it is inside what counts. I liked how Henry was going to drop Addison’s but after she made a distasteful comment about Cindy. Henry knows trash when he sees it. Instead of not giving her the scroll the day after their date, he decided to keep Addison because Anna came forward with her relationship with Wes—a junior producer or something. I respected Anna that she wanted to be honest with Henry with how she didn’t like him like that. I also liked how respectful Henry was to Anna because he couldn’t get Anna to stay if she didn’t like him. But because he couldn’t give his last scroll to Anna, he had to choose between someone else and Addison. The producers loved Addison, so I thought of her as a pity save. I didn’t like her 🙃. Did I say that already? Oh darn.

Well, I didn’t.

She had one okay moment though. It was when she asked Cindy for help when the zipper of her dress broke. Cindy, being the kind, compassionate, person she was, decided to help Addison out. At least Addison had the courtesy to say thank you to Cindy. I guess, she wasn’t an overall heathen, but she wasn’t going to win this competition for sure.

I didn’t like when they went to the LuMac offices for a fashion show, and there was nothing in Cindy’s size.

“‘Do we have any options for Cindy?’

. . .’In her size,’ Becks says as discreetly as she can, like it’s something to hide. But it’s not. In fact, accommodating me is not that hard. If you want me on your [darn] show, make it possible for me to be included. That’s it. It’s that simple.”

(pg. 172)

And it is that simple.

It is that simple in the world to include people. How did we ever come to exclusion for basic inclusion?

With the LuMac fashion show scene, I loved how this date was Cindy’s time to shine. She was the fashion guru, and creating an original piece that fit her showed everyone how fashion could look good on someone like her if people took the time and effort to curate such a thing. I also loved how Henry’s mom, the infamous Lucy Mackenzie was there and how much she enjoyed Cindy’s new outfit. But I didn’t like her patronizing comment.

“Lucy crosses her arms. ‘You wear it well, my dear. And I like to see a bit of resourcefulness. The curves . . . suit you.’

‘Thank you,’ I say quietly, even though what I really want to say is that I shouldn’t have to be resourceful and that it’s my body, so of course it suits me.”

(pg. 177)

Everybody’s body suits them. I don’t know why she had to say that.

I thought Addison was pretty petty at the LucMac date, saying Cindy was hogging all the options. Cindy was trying to see what outfits would fit her and what she could piece together. She didn’t even have options, Addison, check yourself.

I don’t want to talk too much about Addison too much, so onto the other roommates. I liked Stacy. She seemed super chill and cool. I liked how her and Cindy bonded over their love of shoes. I didn’t feel like Stacy and Henry really got to know each other, or I didn’t feel like Stacy’s heart was all that into this competition. Heck, when they had the first taste of freedom, Stacy reunited with her ex-girlfriend. So, the competition wasn’t her thing, but I loved how she did form friendships with the people there. I watched the Love Is Blind reunion recently and it was interesting to hear how all the contestants have a group chat or how they keep in touch. When you go on such a bizarre show with weird circumstances, I could understand how that could bond people because you are the only people who know what that experience is like. I liked how after the show ended, Stacy, Sara Claire, and Cindy all remained close.

Sara Claire felt like a passive friend. I wouldn’t say aggressive because she wasn’t a fighter, but she also didn’t want Cindy to win. She felt like the first person who could be Cindy’s friend because of her Southern charm and hospitality, but as the competition went on, we felt Sara Claire pull away from Cindy because she wanted to win. I mean, that was fine because she chose to go on the show to find true love—-not find friends. I sort of respected how Sara Claire didn’t want to talk to Cindy about what happened on her solo date with Cindy because she didn’t want to make things weird. Sara Claire drew a boundary and that’s also fine. But I think if she was drawing boundaries, she was serious about how much she loved Henry and wanted to marry him. Sara Claire seemed like the obvious choice because she wasn’t a rude self-centered prick, she was pretty without being stuck-up, and she had a good personality. It wasn’t hard for Henry to like her.

I must say, what the FREAK was this goat yoga date????? 🤪

Not that there’s anything wrong with doing yoga or being around goats, I just never heard of anyone doing yoga with goats. I didn’t feel like the goats served a purpose 😂. I don’t know. It was just soooo weird for Henry. We’ll talk more about Henry after, but yea, that goat yoga date was not it. And that pillow fight wasn’t it either. I don’t know who’s planning these dates, but they need a better concept. I don’t buy it that anyone would want to go on a goat yoga date or beat someone up with a pillow. YIKES—nothing says lets-get-to-know-each other like a pillow fight and goats. Honestly, the yoga was clever because yoga’s all touchy-feely. I see what the producers were doing there 😉.

They were all trying to win over Henry and spend time with Henry. The world revolved around Henry.

Henry is an oversized prince or hero name and you know it 😂.

I can’t even begin to tell you how many Henry’s I know from books, shows, and movies. Now Joe Goldberg and Love from You are having a baby named Henry . . . sigh. Henry. That’s not a Henry that’s lucky.

This Henry felt like a Disney prince to be really honest. He felt like we knew him enough, but not enough; we scratched the surface of who Henry was. In the beginning, Henry felt distant like he was just background noise. When I was reading, what kept running through my mind was I would really enjoy, no, I would really love a Henry POV. I think alternating POVs would have taken this book to a whole new level for me because other stories that have done The Bachelor plot are mostly from a woman’s perspective or third person. But the story’s never told from a male or the Bachelor/Bachelorette (deadening on the show) perspective. It would have been even more fascinating to know how the person on the other side of this process is feeling. I wondered how did Henry feel with all these women who wanted to fall in love with him? Why was he even doing this competition?

The why Henry was doing this completion really got me because it didn’t make sense why Henry wanted to be on trash TV. It also didn’t feel like he wanted to fall in love. When we found out he was doing the show for the publicity as well, I cracked up 😂.

So, you’re telling me most people in this show was doing it for the clout 🤪. I love that for them.

Henry was doing the competition because the LuMac business was failing. I liked this plot/storyline for the Prince Charming of the story. I liked how the business was fashion-related because my initial thoughts were that maybe Cindy wouldn’t win and she would instead work with Henry to relaunch LuMac and she take over. In this way, Cindy could live out her fashion dreams. But then I wanted Cindy to win, so I hoped maybe Cindy and Henry could rebrand LuMac as inclusive in the future. When I also heard LuMac was going to go bankrupt, my initial thought was his mom was ill—-like devastatingly ill and that’s why Henry had to do Before Midnight. She had arthritis, which isn’t soemthign to take lighlty, but my mind was thinking pride and true Cinderella where the King was on his bed. Ummm, I think if Lucy had arthritis, she could hire other people to create her clothes or expand her business or something. I don’t know why she had to drag Henry into everything. Yes, yes, I know she wanted to keep her business in house and she was prideful of that, but there is no shame in asking for help. But also, what did Henry want to do with his life? I doubt it was running a fashion company when he knew next to nothing about fashion.

When we learned he was doing the show for his mom, he talked about how he wanted to make his mom proud of him to be closer to her. I could understand why Henry would feel that way, but I think he shouldn’t have to compromise his life or his love to please his mom. Honestly, where was Henry’s dad and why couldn’t he take over the business? I mean, am I wrong? I just felt terrible for Henry because he had all these forced expectations on his life, and now his love life. He truly wasn’t even looking for love, but to save the business. So his heart wasn’t in the right place anyway to do this show and I felt like that wasn’t fair to women like Sara Claire who genuinely wanted to find love. I don’t blame Henry for doing the show, I just think the show wasn’t the only way he could have generated viewership.

Henry also had a complicated childhood where he was thrown around place to place with no real roots. Henry also felt like he was an inconvenient third wheel in his family—that he was unloved. That made my heart hurt for Henry because I know what it feels like to think your family doesn’t love you. it makes you feel like if the people who should love and accept you doesn’t, then who will. I don’t think that’s a lesson anyone should ever have to learn. Unfortunately, I think it’s a lesson many can relate to. I really liked this conversation between Cindy and Henry—-the conversation about their parents.

I never really talked about Cindy’s parents, but I also enjoyed Julie Murphy’s approach to them. Cindy’s mom passed away when Cindy was born, which happened in the OG Cinderella. So Cindy didn’t really know the mom, but had pieces of her, including a pair of glass slippers that we see in the prologue. The dad also sounded like such an honest and kind man. They seemed like they had a good relationship because of how close Cindy and the dad was. Cindy didn’t really talk about her parents because it was still a sore subject for her, especially her dad. I understood why it would be hard for her to speak of her parents when she lost both of them, and that’s so hard. When she did speak of her parents, I could feel the love, tenderness, and respect she had for her parents. I think her mom and dad would be proud of the woman she became. I also knew Cindy would have to dredge up the box under her bed one day because she needed to confront the emotions she pushed down with her parents.

So I enjoyed both their depths, especially Henry’s because it added more storyline to his Prince Charming status. I would have liked more depth, but I’ll take what I can get.

“‘I think that’s love. The real stuff. When you love someone at their worst. When you believe they can be better.'”

(pg. 212)

I thought it was strange how he knew Cindy and had all these secret conversations with her, but he NEVER made an effort to be near her or go out with her on a solo date. I’m sorry 😂?!?!?! No, he was a legit idiot. I thought it was endearing that they had their cute little walkie-talkie dates, but to be honest, I was in hysterics when Cindy was over the moon with her two-minute conversation with Henry about absolutely nothing. Truly, their conversational was boring. Dull. Not that reading their conversation was boring, just their conversation was so rudimentary, I don’t know HOW she thought that was the best date ever. That was the best date she ever had? I’m soooo sorry, someone needs to take this girl on a better date 👏🏼! Henry needed to ask her out on a solo date or something because bro left her handing for the majority of this gosh darn competition! And he had the audacity to even say how he wished he could spend more time with her. Excuse me, do you not get to choose who you can go on a solo date with??????? Maybe he does, maybe he doesn’t, he doesn’t even plan the dates, but he could have been in a request to hang out with Cindy or something. I wanted to see more dates between them because the first half of the book was slacking on their relationship 🙈. I wanted effort, Henry.

When they finally had the New York date, I was like FINALLY!!! It’s about gosh darn time!

Their magical date was worth the wait because it made better sense that they would have their date in New York—-Cindy’s second home. I loved how she had a fancy designer dress and the glass slippers because it wouldn’t be Cinderella without glass slippers. I also laughed at the orange taxi, which was the equivalent of the orange pumpkin. They had a mini glass slipper shoe moment where Cindy tripped and Henry put Cindy’s glass slipper on her again. I thought that was an interesting take on the iconic scene we know so well. I also loved how they had their mini ball scene where they crashed the senior citizen dance in the park. I thought that was endearing and cute. I also loved how they ran away from the camera crew to kiss in a bodega. They really could have been kissing sooner if Henry asked her out earlier! But my man, really said hit me up 👏🏼👏🏼! He said meet me in the hotel room🤪! If I’m being honest, something rubbed me the wrong way by all of Henry’s touching 🙈. I’m not just talking about how he rubbed his room number on Cindy’s back, but all the other times he would touch her without asking. I don’t know, I felt like those moments were too forward.

You know, my Disney brain unlocked a core memory when Henry rubbed his room number on Cindy’s back. His room number was 826, and all I could think about was how familiar those three numbers were. They were the Stitch experiment numbers—-experiment 628 😂. And yes, that is what I was thinking of. Honestly, their after date where Henry showed Cindy what “his New York” looked like was kind of dull. I mean, I have nothing against BINGO, but when Henry said he wanted to show Cindy his New York, I was thinking like a ride on the town to Lady Liberty or a walk on Manhattan Bridge or maybe we could have seen an opera or something interesting. We could have gone to the MET. But no, Henry loves New York for the BINGO 🤪.

I digress. I would say, the only thing I would have loved was if they ran back to the hotel before midnight (see what I did there 😉) after their BINGO or Lion King date. That way we would have had the hurried escape before the spell’s broken scene.

After New York, the gang headed to Mexico for one of the final legs of the show. The show went by quickly if you ask me. Had it been that fast? Wow.

I thought they were going to get it on in Mexico 😏. It was alluded that they got it on, right? I’m I the only one who thought that? For new adult, I was looking for the smut. This was a Disney book, so I guess no smut, but I would have appreciated some intimate moments. But then again, I heard on The Bachelor, the people aren’t supposed to be intimate until the final few episodes or something. I don’t know.

The more time Cindy and Henry spent together, the clearer it become how much they liked each other. Fate was a big idea explored because Cindy didn’t believe in fate. She didn’t feel like fate existed when she lost her parents so young, which I understand. But Henry was someone who unexpectedly came into her life and re-entered it in the best way. There was something magical about that. I do think that if you meet someone and you meet them again, there might be something there—-like two people were supposed to meet again and be in each other’s lives.

“And maybe—just maybe—fate isn’t a total crock. maybe the fairy tales aren’t all wrong.”

(pg. 238)

After their little B-roll boat date, things really spiraled down. Beck pulled Cindy aside and told her how the executive producers wanted her to come back for the next session as the Bachelorette, which insinuated that she wasn’t going to win the competition for Henry’s heart. In the beginning when Cindy was trying to talk to Henry on the walkie-talkie, she heard Beck and Wes talk about “wifey.” I wasn’t sure who wifey was, but I thought that was the person Beck and Wes betted on being the person Henry chose. But apparently, it’s the person the entire crew and Henry agreed on for him to marry since the beginning. Does The Bachelor do this—-pick the “wifey” from day one? After the yoga date, Henry agreed to marry Sara Claire, which I for one have a massive bone to pick with Henry because 1) he knew Cindy and if he really liked her in that encounter they had, he wouldn’t have agreed to marry Sara Claire in the first place and 2) HOW DARE he lead Cindy on with all these games of walkie-talkie, guess the room number, and bodega sneak off if he KNEW he was going to marry Sara Claire. I see divorce in their future 😂. Sorry, but if he’s just choosing someone to marry based on the first time they met, and he didn’t really love Sara Claire, divorce is imminent.

It just felt like he misled and led Cindy on the whole time. He got her hopes up that she would chose him. And if he reallllly liked her, he would have stood up to the producers and said he would marry Cindy! I mean, at the end of the day, the show was about finding love, and it would be STUPID if they told him he couldn’t marry the girl he loved because of some sort of dumb agreement they had early on. I’m sorry, he didn’t even know Sara Claire that well during the yoga date, so why the freak would he just settle to marry her? That’s wrong. It’s trash TV, but it’s wrong. I digress, but I agreed with Cindy that if he loved her, he would have chosen her. He would have made that happen. But never once did he say he chose her.

You know, that’s another reason why I would have loved Henry chapters because I had no idea what the FREAK he was thinking this entire time! It seemed he loved Cindy and wanted to be with her. But then the next second he goes off and dates Addison and then the next minute he’s walkie-talkie booty-calling Cindy. I mean, it’s the game of the show, but still. If he knew who he liked, he would have just paid attention to Cindy more. It’s that simple. I swear, Cindy was just as confused as we were with his mixed reactions. There’s a saying of, “If a person likes you, you’ll know, if the person doesn’t, you’ll be confused.” I was confused. Cindy was confused. I think Henry was confused.

Cindy went home the week before the final three, but she knew she wasn’t getting a callback. I don’t blame Cindy for raging at Erica when Erica knew that Henry was going to pick Sara Claire. Gosh, that must have gutted Erica to know Cindy had fallen in love with Henry—that it was real.

“‘Was it . . . real for you?’

‘I’m pretty sure nothing on that cheap ratings-grab excuse of a television show is real. It’s trash. The whole thing is trash, and so is everyone who has anything to do with it.'”

(pg. 249)

What did I say about trash TV?

Now that Henry couldn’t be in the picture, I loved how the show did what Cindy hoped it would—-it got her name out there. She got an email to fly out to New York for an interview for her dream job. But then she did get an invite to the top three, however that would mean she had to choose between her dream job or her dream man.

I loved a letter from the past 💙. Cindy finally opened the box under her bed where she found a letter from her mom. I feel like the right things find us at the right time.

“My greatest hope for you, my love, is that you choose yourself as well. Choose what makes you happy. Things, places, people. Only choose the ones that bring delight to you . . . I didn’t carry you and birth you and raise you to waster your precious life on anything except unbridled joy. Choose joy. As I lie here, I can tell you my only regrets are the times I did not choose myself.

Maybe joy isn’t always a choice. Maybe things aren’t that simple. But then . . . maybe they are.”

(pg. 256)

You know, the mom was right.

The sentence, “As I lie here, I can tell you my only regrets are the times I did not choose myself,” really stuck with me. I think about all the times I spent on homework, worrying, stressing, and putting others above myself and my lips do a slow descent down. I try to have “no regrets” as they say, but I do reflect on how I wish I did put myself and my happiness before everything that brought me pain or sadness. I wished I chose myself more than I did the idea of success or the ideal of happiness. Cindy read the letter before she got the unexpected final invite from Henry, but I knew deep down what she was going to do.

But honest to gosh GOOD FOR CINDY for not waiting or crying over some guy who wasn’t going to pick her anyway 👏🏼. She didn’t deserve to just be someone’s second choice, she had to be their first choice. And if that wasn’t it, she was going to choose herself and I LOVED that for her 💙. We do not wait around for no body 👏🏼! She didn’t need Henry.

“But no matter how many times I dreamed that he would, Henry never said that. He never chose me. After putting my life on hold since graduation, I don’t think I can put it off any longer if all that’s waiting for me is a maybe.”

(pg. 262)

Cindy said FREAK YOU Henry, I am not a choice, I am THE choice. If that’s not the energy, I don’t want it.

A bit of a backtrack, but I liked how Cindy was fresh out of college. It was interesting to explore how post-grad confusion is real—-how after graduation most people don’t know who to be, where to go, or what they’re doing. It’s also difficult to get a job after graduation because there are many graduates also trying to find work—the competition is real. I also feel like post-grad depression is real. I think Cindy experienced post-grad blues and that translated as a lack of creativity. As a senior in college, I have been feeling all kinds of emotions and that hasn’t been reflecting well in my creativity either. It also could be because we’re still in a pandemic, but it feels odd when you have been creative your whole life and to suddenly not be. So I liked when Cindy started creating again—how she was inspired by powerful emotions.

“All these pieces are inside of me. They’ve just been dormant for the last year.”

(pg. 228)

But Cindy’s dream was to design shoes and possibly clothes. Working at Gossamer would be a dream.

I freaking cracked up when Henry realized Cindy wasn’t there 😂. GOOD FOR YOU! No, but really, his reaction was PRICELESS 👌🏼. He was shook. He probably was like, “Why didn’t she come? I thought she had to be here because I invited her.” Bro, she didn’t need to be at the finale just because you invited her, she said I decline because I am not an option! I loved how the host kept laughing too. He was probably like, “What now?”

was so convinced that Henry left to go after Cindy in New York. I thought it would have been iconic if he flew on a helicopter to her and then ran to do his whole grand gesture. While he ran, he could have lost his shoe and then Cindy would an iconic shoe reversal scene where the shoe fit. I thought this would happen because in the cover, Henry doesn’t have a shoe on and Cindy’s holding it. I would have liked this version more 🙈. Because honestly, Henry disappearing for THREE WEEKS during and after the finale was weird. I didn’t like it.

I could understand if he went missing for the night, but THREE WEEKS? I’m sorry, how could no one find him in three weeks? Did anybody put out a missing persons report? Also, if he was gone for three weeks, you’re telling me the show just ended with Henry gone and Sara Claire and Addison getting absolutely nothing 🤪. I think Henry’s disappearance made for good television, but not a good closing finale! I also must say, what do you mean he ran to his MOM 😂???? Henry was with his mom for three weeks? How did no one know he was with his mom? Like what?

Honestly, I feel like there was this huge unnecessary gap in the story. I mean, where was Henry wand what was he doing????? We never really got a clear cut answer except how he talked to his mom about LuMac, but still. Three weeks to get his shiz together? Was he that shook 😂?

I liked how we saw the Cindy got her dream job. She deserved it.

So it was beyond RANDOM when he just showed up at her office the day before she’s supposed to leave for Italy. What a loser. I mean, bro, where were you? I also didn’t care fo this excuses to Cindy about why he chose Sara Claire and how he didn’t feel like he deserved Cindy. If he felt that wya, he should have, I don’t know, TOLD HER. We didn’t need a three week gap to get there Henry. But I liked how there was that shoe reversal moment where Cindy put “the Henry” shoe on his foot. That was iconic. I also thought it was cute he brought her a pair of shoes at the end. But seriously, did her really win her over because he bought her shoes🤪?

“I grin into his lips. ‘Henry?’

‘Mon petit chou?’

‘What’s in the shoe box?’

‘Shoes, of course. A very memorable pair of shoes.’

‘And they’re really for me?’

‘If the shoes fit,’ he whispers.”

If I’m being hones, the ending felt rushed and a bit forced between them. I felt like Cindy was too forgiving of Henry when she went on this whole power move of choosing herself and being the first option to just reluctantly accepting that Henry felt sorry and that he finally showed up when it mattered. It just felt too easy that she would just give them another try after everything. I would have liked to seen Henry grovel or for them to talk things out more because I think Cindy needed that or I needed to hear more from Henry. Again, he felt like a somewhat distant character, especially in that three week gap where we knew little to nothing about.

I also would have liked another conversation between Erica and Cindy at the end about their relationship because I felt like they needed to tell each other how they felt so they could bridge the awkwardness they felt with trying to be in each other’s life. It’s communication, people.

Other things I would have liked more of with the book was more Dawn, Anna, and the triplet moments. Wouldn’t it have been cool if her triplets helped Cindy pick or make her interview outfit kind of like how the mice in Cinderella helped Cindy with her dress. I also would have liked more personality with Henry because he was the equivalent of a veggie chip 😂. I like veggie chips, they taste good but it’s not amazing or life changing. It’s kind of like the feeling of thinking we’re eating something healthy or great or real, but not that enticing. I don’t know, Henry was a good character, but he wasn’t like amazing. Double POV, I tell you. But I thoroughly enjoyed the book because it was a different take on Cinderella. I loved all the changes Julie Murphy made because they were empowering and added more inclusion. I can’t wait to see what Disney Princess we see next 💙.

Anyway, what was your favorite part of the book? Least favorite part? 

What is your favorite version/adaptation of Cinderella? I loved loved loved the live action version and Another Cinderella Story with Selena Gomez.

What did you think of the book? Let me know below in the comments as I love hearing from you all 💕

I hope you have a beautiful day whenever and wherever you might be reading this 😊.

And as always, with love,

Rating

4.08 Full Bloom Flowers

Characters: Cindy is the empowering, fierce, compassionate queen we’ve been waiting 💙

Plot: Princesses and The Bachelor are right up my alley of interests

Writing: Julie Murphy does no wrong

Romance: Henry was okay, but I would have liked to have more personality from him or get to know him better because right now I feel like Cindy could do better 🙈