Meet Cindy, our plus-sized female main character. Cindy’s story begins right after her graduation from Parsons School of Design. Sadly, Cindy did not receive any job offers or internships following graduation, and quite frankly she was just lucky to graduate. Cindy spent her senior year grieving the loss of her parents. Although she lost her father while still in high school, and her mother while she was in elementary school, all the emotions have finally caught up with her. Thankfully, Cindy has a loving relationship with her stepmother, Erica, and two stepsisters, Anna and Drew.
Cindy is leaving her beloved New York to return to her stepfamily in Los Angeles. Just before boarding, she meets a cute and funny guy who actually changes seats in order to sit beside her for the six-hour flight. They seem to hit it off, but in the confusion of LAX they lose each other. Cindy realizes that she never asked him his name, so she decides to give him the nickname Prince Charming.
After Cindy returns to Los Angeles, she learns that her stepmother, a reality show producer, is just beginning a new season of the dating show Before Midnight. 27 women all hoping to be chosen by the suitor will soon be moving to the chateau to compete for the suitor’s heart. Due to some casting issues, the show needs three more contestants, and who better to fill the spots than Cindy and her stepsisters, Anna and Drew. At first, Cindy is hesitant to join the show, but Beck, another of the show's producers and a new friend to Cindy, convinces Cindy to try in the hopes to get her name and fashion designs out to the world. Erica is reluctant to have Cindy on the show because she wants to protect her from viewers that are fat phobic. However, she won’t stop Cindy from competing if that’s what she really wants.
As the show begins, Cindy quickly learns how much of “reality” TV is fake, and that no one plans on her staying on the show longer than the first episode. She must deal with catty contestants and a clothing selection and doesn’t include her size, but she is determined to put her best foot forward -- sometimes clad in a Jimmy Choo pump!
When the ladies are finally introduced to the suitor, low and behold it’s Cindy’s Prince Charming from the airport! Could her time on Before Midnight lead to more than a possible job offer in the fashion world? Could Cindy find true love on a reality TV show? If you love fairytale retellings, then definitely check out the first book in the Meant To Be Series, If The Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy. Murphy has written the Cinderella story in a refreshing new way that is sure to delight readers.
