A genre that I am not used to reading…paranormal mystery…combined with one of my favorites…a psychological thriller!  A tragic event starts to turn Julia into a recluse…until she receives an unexpected inheritance…a villa in Tuscany…and so she sets off on an adventure to discover the truth behind this inheritance!  Following her passion for astrology and her strict adherence to her horoscope, Julia gets swept up the history of the villa and all its secrets….experiencing visions and other paranormal activity…that makes her start questioning herself. She is on a quest to get to the truth…but finds it difficult when no one in the town will help her…and for the few that do, she doesn’t know if she can trust. Such a great blend of stories from past generations to present day…and as Julia unravels the story will she like what she finds?  A great story by a great author!!

I am a longtime fan of this author's works, but this one fell completely flat for me. I hit read now, simply because I have loved every other book written by Lisa, but wow, this one was so disappointing. Disjointed, uninteresting, supernatural elements that didn't make sense, a storyline that was hard to follow, and flat characters kept me reading, only to see how it all played out. I am not sure that anyone rating this as 5 stars read the same book I did! Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for saving me the disappointment of spending my money on this at release.

Almost unreadable. There was no nuance, just bludgeoning sentences. This was the first of this author’s books I have tried to read and I did not like the style. DNF. Thank you for the review copy.

2.5 stars

I really liked how the majority of this story takes place in Italy. It was interesting how the story started off with her husband’s murder. The story continues with Julia inheriting a villa in Italy. She’s searches for answers on how she’s tied to the person that gifted it to her and how this could possibly connect her to her biological family who she knew nothing about. The grief that Julia was facing after losing her husband and adoptive parents was well written. Fiamma was my favorite character.

I didn’t like the writing style and the dialogue between Julia and the rest of the characters since it didn’t flow naturally. The relationship that Julia formed with Gianluca didn’t feel authentic. Other than that the story itself was good.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book and the setting in Italy. There were some twists and turns that I didn't expect and it was fun to follow along to see where the story was going. The descriptions of the places that Julia went to on her search kept me wanting to know where they would go look next.

Thank you NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the ebook advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

Lisa Scottoline’s newest book leads the reader on a suspenseful journey of the main character to find her real mother having been adopted shortly after birth. The quest ultimately ties in with a villa being bequeathed to her from an unknown party and the murder of her husband in Philadelphia. Her trip to Tuscany to find out who left her the villa is just the start of a huge mystery that eventually connects the villa with her real mother and her husband’s death. It was almost like fitting all the pieces of a puzzle together. Another fabulous read from Scottoline.

The Unraveling of Julia by Lisa Scottoline was such a great book!! Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

One of the things I love about Lisa Scottoline’s writing is her character development and her descriptive writing that brings you right into her world and the pages of the book.
We meet Julia and her bestie Courtney (who I really liked) and when Julia's husband is murdered then she inherits a villa in Tuscany, the story takes off. The creative way the author tells this story is amazing. Dealing with her loss, Julia must now discover her family tree and background. She discovers some familial secrets and a mysterious blue light?? Let's go!!! What an incredible book!!
And did I mention Tuscany?
When she meets a Librarian and he says, "This is our rare book room, my favorite place in the world," I kinda fell in love!!
I'll be recommending this book to everyone. I loved it!!

The Unraveling of Julia by Lisa Scottoline

“Troubled young widow, a mysterious Tuscan Estate, deadly events and a search for identity….”

Lisa Scottoline does it again! I loved this psychological thriller!

4/5⭐️

Astrology is a heavy theme and I'm just not into that -- gave up after 50 pages. The writing itself was fine; I'd call this a "chick lit" type of read.

This might be labeled a psychological thriller, but I found it to be so much more than that. With its eerie blend of astrology, fate, family secrets, and even a touch of romance this book completely pulled me in. Julia’s journey is gripping, unsettling, and full of twists I could never predict. Just when I thought I had things figured out, boom, I was wrong. Definitely recommended for readers that love something a bit different that keeps you guessing.

I found so much history in this book maybe bc a little more than I bargained for. But I did enjoy the magical element that the author added to
The story. Julia inherits a vineyard in Italy and it sets off a series of events they no one could expect it’s the kind of book that will keep you turning pages and wondering if Julia should have remained at home. Is she in danger….why is that Fiat following her? Read this book and go on a ride around Italy and history with Julia.

I love everything Lisa Scottoline writes, and this is no exception. The way she develops her characters always enables the reader to envelop themselves into the story. This was a twisty road of suspense and thrills set in and around the beautiful vineyards of Tuscany. It reminds me of a few of her previous books, but not a typical Scottoline story. Makes me think of Daphne deMaurier’s REBECCA a little bit.

While perfer her women's lawyer series (we need more!!!), her stand alone books are good as well. "The Unraveling of Julia" had some chills and thrills that made it work.

Excuse me while a squeal for a bit. Lisa has written yet another new genre and has NAILED IT. I loved, loved, LOVED the story line. I so enjoyed the characters.

Things pick up pretty quickly after Julia loses her husband very violently. Then, she suddenly inherits a fortune and a vineyard with a villa in Italy from someone she does not know. Pretty dreamy, right?!? Well, not all is coming up Rosé....Lots of twists and turns leads Julia to the truth about her benefactory and reunites her with a significant person in her life. But not without the help of a new "friend", who finds himself caught in a plot to take everything away from Julia and her best friend.

I could NOT put this down!!!!! Bravo, Lisa!!!!

Julia Pritzker's world shatters after her husband's murder, leaving her trapped in a cocoon of grief and fear. When a mysterious letter arrives offering her an inherited villa in Tuscany, she reluctantly ventures beyond her self-imposed isolation. The narrative attempts to weave together threads of astrology, historical whispers of a Renaissance duchess, and unexplained visions that hint at deeper family connections. While the supernatural elements show potential, they feel more like a young adult exploration of identity than a fully realized thriller. A few other things that took me out of the story: there's a bit of casual poisoning that is never really satisfactorily resolved, Julia's relationship with her best friend is weirdly hot and cold and all over the place, and maybe most bewildering is how this woman, who became a fearful shut-in after her husband's death, suddenly has no reservations about tootling around a foreign country with seemingly impossible ease.

The Unraveling of Julia is a mixed bag for me. I liked the story line - Julia is a young women who recently lost her husband to a brutal murder which she also witnessed. She is processing and navigating life after this moment by becoming a bit of a hermit. Julia learns that she has inherited a large sum of money and a villa in Italy from a women that she does not know. Julia doesn't know how it could be as she is adopted and has no idea who her family is or anything about her lineage. Julia goes to Italy with the push of her BFF Courtney and many things happen that cause Julia to think she is actually completely having a break down. That part was good and super interesting the part I didn't care for was the writing style. I felt like I was actually reading a screen play at times as opposed to a novel and it took away from the story.

Julia receives a letter from an attorney in Italy explaining she has inherited a villa. This comes on the heels of her losing both her parents and her husband being killed in front of her. Devasted, she decides to go to Italy and see what this inherritance is about. She knew of no family in Italy. Upon arriving, events start to turn bizzare. As she tries to unravel the mystery of the inheritance, she realizes she might be a target . She's not sure who to turn for help. I had a little trouble getting into the book, but once in, LOVED it!
Lisa Scottline does not disappoint!

I was excited to read an ARC of Lisa Scottoline’s latest thriller, “The Unraveling of Julia.” It had been awhile since I had read one of her books, but I remembered liking them. I’m not sure what happened with this book, but I disliked it from the first page. The prose was choppy and awkward with an amateur quality to it that made it painful to read. It was hard to believe that it was written by a seasoned author. The poor quality of the writing might have been overcome by an interesting plot, but the book didn’t have that going for it either. Instead it meandered, unable to decide if it was a romance, a thriller, or a gothic tale, and not succeeding at any of these genres.

Regarding the plot, shortly after her fiancee is killed in what appears to be a mugging gone wrong, Julia learns that she inherited a villa in Tuscany and millions of Euros from a woman named Emilia Rossi, a total stranger. Julia knows that she was adopted but she’s not aware of any relations in Italy. When she goes to Tuscany to check out the villa, strange things happen to her, such as being followed in town by suspicious characters as well as nightmarish visions during waking and sleeping hours in the villa. (The visions were reminiscent of those in Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s “Mexican Gothic,” except not as well executed.)

As mentioned previously, I couldn’t get into the book because of the choppy prose. Also I got the feeling that the author’s heart wasn’t in the book as she was writing but instead she was just going through the motions to honor a contractual obligation. In addition, the character was not likable and the actions were not described in a way that would elicit emotion, including the scenes involving the “visions.” Perhaps other readers could overlook the bad prose and meandering plot and find something to like in this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for providing me an ARC of the book in exchange for my honest review.

Julia and Mike are married and living in Philadelphia. While taking a walk one night they are brutally attacked leaving Julia a widow. Bereft Julia withdraws from the world. One day she receives a letter informing her she's inherited property in Italy. Being adopted Julia has no idea who would leave her property. Determined to learn more she travels to Italy. She hopes this trip will provide clues about her lineage band birth mother. Upon arriving Julia meets the property caretakers. And strange things start happening to Julia. she begins to see things that are not there. She is followed by an unknown assailant. A guy she likes gets hurt. The story is told from Julia’s point of view. As the story unfolded I wondered if Julia, was,ecperiencing mental break down. The story moves quickly taking the reader in different directions. This fast-paced story kept me on the edge of my seat until the shocking conclusion. I was rooting for Julia, that she would find the answers she so desperately wanted

I would love to see this book made into a movie. The descriptions of the locales and peoples made everything so clear in my mind, while the storyline certainly kept my attention. I was sorry I didn't begin to read the book until late afternoon because I couldn't finish the book in one sitting. A sweeping storyline that runs from one country to another. Very colorful characters add to the ambiance. Bravo!!