Welcome to the Short N’ Sweet Book Review! For the nine years that I’ve been reviewing books on this blog, I’ve written long, wordy reviews that, let’s be honest, not a lot of people are probably reading. This year I decided to shorten those reviews and get straight to the point – what is this book about, who wrote it, where you can find and a short review on what I loved, liked and maybe thought could be better.

Today’s review is the newest in fun, flirty romance, perfect for fans of fairy tales that have a modern twist – If The Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy.

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ABOUT THE BOOK

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.

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Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Pages: 304

Part of a Series?: Presumed to be a part of an upcoming series

Release Date: August 3rd, 2021

Publisher: Hyperion Avenue

Source: Owned Physical Copy

Find the Author: Website / Instagram / Twitter

FIND THE BOOK:

GoodReads / BookShop (support your local indie!) / IndieBound / Barnes and Noble / Amazon / Audible / Book Depository / Apple Books / Kobo / Google Play

SHORT N’SWEET REVIEW

Pretty much since the beginning of the pandemic, I’ve been almost exclusively reading romance novels – and not deep, dramatic ones but light, fun, happily ever after romances. I’ve needed happy in my life, the way I think a lot of people have for the past year and a half. When I heard of Julie Murphy making the jump from young adult to adult, I was so excited for it. She writes incredible YA novels and I knew she’d write great romance. Then I learned it was through Disney’s own publishing company – Hyperion – and that the novel itself was a retelling of Cinderella with a plus size heroine. I was so excited when it released and I am so lucky to have a fiancé who treated me to the book.

It was EXACTLY what I needed. The main character, Cindy, was so relatable to me. I struggled and still struggle with similar things to Cindy and she was so real, so funny and it was easy to root for her, not just as character but also as a contestant on the dating show. I loved that she was plus sized – it felt both like an important distinction to make but also it just felt like a natural part of her personality that didn’t need to be a big deal. I liked that her stepmother and stepsisters were genuinely loving people and important to Cindy. I loved Henry, Mr Prince Charming himself, and I was so entertained by the reality show premise. From the beginning to end, I was so caught up. I laughed, I swooned, I fell in love with both Cindy and Henry. I can’t wait to see if there are more books and more retelling because I am absolutely sold. We don’t often get adult retelling of fairy tales and if this is what we get, then I’m ready for it, 1000%.

RATING:

5 out of 5 Stars

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WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE FAIRY TALE RETELLINGS? LET ME KNOW IN THE COMMENTS!

Hello friends! It’s been awhile, to say the least. I logged on, realized it had been more than two months since I’d come here and written anything and felt sad that I’ve been neglecting What A Nerd Girl Says for so long but happy that I felt compelled to come back because I feel like I’ve been consuming a lot of media lately and I wanted to share what things are making me happy lately.

I’ve been SUUUUUUUUPER busy since I lost my job at the home health care agency back in May and got a new job at the Disneyland Resort – specifically in Disney’s California Adventure park – and my life has been lacking in routine and overflowing with chaos. I’m happy though – Halloween season is hitting the resort, we just celebrate my fiance, Daniel’s 32nd birthday and there are a lot of good things coming up.

With my whacked out schedule, I’ve been spending a lot more time at home and while that can have its downsides, it has its upsides too. I have been trying to read for once and I’ve been consuming a lot of media on my PS4 and my phone, including movies and TV shows, podcasts and more.

This is some of the stuff I’ve totally loved lately –

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Hello friends. It’s been some time since I wrote a blog post because, honestly, this last week has been a true whirlwind of emotions. The last thing I talked about was the announcement of the Vampire Academy TV show and then my world truly blew up in my face…I was laid off from a job that I’d had for nearly three years, a job that I loved and a company that I truly enjoyed working for and had a lot of respect for. This completely came out of left field last Friday, the 21st, so I’ve pretty much spent the last week, cycling through the stages of grief.

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