The Meant To Be books may be read in publication order, by following this sequence:[7-16]
| Order | Cover | Title | First published | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
If the Shoe Fits | 2021[7-8] | A Cinderella story following a fashion graduate on a reality dating show. |
| 2 |
|
By the Book | 2022[9-10] | A Beauty and the Beast reimagining focused on a publishing assistant and an author. |
| 3 |
|
Kiss the Girl | 2023[11-12] | A Little Mermaid-inspired story about a pop star looking for love. |
| 4 |
|
Tangled Up in You | 2024[13-14] | A reimagining of Tangled involving a cross-country road trip. |
| 5 |
|
Worth Fighting For | 2025[15-16] | A modern-day reimagining of the Mulan’s story. |
Works in sequence
Because the Meant To Be books are standalone romances, these notes focus on each book’s premise and place in the collection rather than on required continuity.[2-6]
1. If the Shoe Fits
If the Shoe Fits (2021)[7-8] opens the series with a contemporary romance set around reality television, fashion, and public performance. Cindy enters a dating-show environment already shaped by image, production pressure, and family expectations, while her connection with Henry develops both on and away from camera.[2]
This book is a complete romance and the first example of the series’s standalone structure.[2]
2. By the Book
By the Book (2022)[9-10] shifts the focus to publishing, creative work, and a professional assignment that becomes personally transformative. Isabelle’s attempt to draw a long-delayed memoir from Beau places the romance within questions of authorship, confidence, and career direction.[3]
It does not continue the plot of the first book, but it follows the same broad standalone pattern of a contained modern romantic storyline.[3]
3. Kiss the Girl
Kiss the Girl (2023)[11-12] uses the world of pop music, touring, and public identity as its central frame. Ariel leaves a controlled celebrity environment and joins Star Crossed under an assumed name, creating a romance shaped by freedom, deception, and artistic independence.[4]
This book stands apart from the earlier entries, but publication order keeps the series’ changing settings and premises easy to follow.[4]
4. Tangled Up in You
Tangled Up in You (2024)[13-14] moves into a road-trip structure, beginning with Ren’s first exposure to college life after an isolated upbringing. Her journey with Fitz becomes a search for identity, family history, and independence beyond the life she has known.[5]
This book is more suspense-driven than the earlier workplace and performance-centered entries, while still operating as its own complete story.[5]
5. Worth Fighting For
Worth Fighting For (2025)[15-16] places its romance inside a corporate acquisition, family business conflict, and questions of professional identity. Mulan’s effort to protect her father’s firm leads her into a business negotiation with Shang Li and the Li family, where competence, tradition, and deception all shape the central relationship.[6]
As with the previous books, it may be read independently within the publication sequence.[6]
Which book to start with
For most readers, If the Shoe Fits is the best starting point because it is the first published entry and shows the series’ practical shape: a self-contained contemporary romance centered on a new heroine, a distinct setting, and a complete relationship arc. Starting there is not required for comprehension, but it gives the simplest path through the books as a group.[2]
Readers may also choose an entry point by premise. By the Book suits readers interested in publishing, writing, and a secluded creative partnership.[3] Kiss the Girl is a natural option for readers drawn to celebrity, music, and life on tour.[4] Tangled Up in You offers a road-trip and identity-discovery structure,[5] while Worth Fighting For may suit readers who prefer business conflict, family expectations, and a workplace-adjacent romance.[6]
References
- Meant To Be. Penguin Random House.
- If the Shoe Fits. Hyperion Avenue. ISBN: 9781368050388.
- By the Book. Hyperion Avenue. ISBN: 9781368050395.
- Kiss the Girl. Hyperion Avenue. ISBN: 9781368050371.
- Tangled Up in You. Hyperion Avenue. ISBN: 9781368100649.
- Worth Fighting For. Hyperion Avenue. ISBN: 9781368112802.
- If the Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy: 9781368050388. Penguin Random House.
- If the Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy. Penguin Random House Canada.
- By the Book-A Meant To Be Novel by Jasmine Guillory: 9781368050395. Penguin Random House.
- By the Book-A Meant To Be Novel by Jasmine Guillory. Penguin Random House Canada.
- Kiss the Girl by Zoraida Córdova: 9781368050371. Penguin Random House.
- Kiss the Girl by Zoraida Córdova. Penguin Random House Canada.
- Tangled Up In You by Christina Lauren: 9781368100649. Penguin Random House.
- Tangled Up In You by Christina Lauren. Penguin Random House Canada.
- Worth Fighting For by Jesse Q. Sutanto: 9781368112802. Penguin Random House.
- Worth Fighting For by Jesse Q. Sutanto. Penguin Random House Canada.