In 2017, Murphy released her third YA novel titled Ramona Blue.[13] Nivea Serrao, for Entertainment Weekly, commented that "First came Side Effects May Vary‘s Alice, then came Dumplin’s Willowdean, and now there’s the titular Ramona Blue. Julie Murphy has a knack for crafting memorable YA protagonists".[14]
Her first middle grade novel, titled Dear Sweet Pea, was published in 2019. Nivea Serrao, for Entertainment Weekly, commented that "the best-selling author of Dumplin’ [...] and Ramona Blue has broken out in YA fiction with a message. And her books continue to resonate for so much more: their plucky characters, their irresistible sweetness, their delightful sense of humor. Now the author is returning with a new novel that carries her signature appeal, this time in the middle-grade space".[15] In 2019, Disney Channel optioned the rights to Dear Sweet Pea, and it is on the Disney Channel Original Movie development slate.[11]
In 2020, Murphy retold the origin story of the superhero Faith Herbert from Valiant Comics in the YA prose novel Faith: Taking Flight. Kayleigh Donaldson, for SyFy Wire, wrote that "the message being sent is clear: To the rest of the world, it is impossible to be both fat and happy. [...] That's what makes characters like Faith and writers like Murphy so desperately necessary. They're a potent rebuttal to decades of systemic fatphobia through the act of creative joy".[16] Murphy's sequel, Faith: Greater Heights, was then released in 2021.[17]
Personal life
During Murphy's childhood, her family struggled financially and lost their home the week she graduated from high school. Because of this, she had to delay going to college.[18]
She lives in Texas with her husband.[19] Murphy is openly bisexual.[20][18]
