The Unraveling of Julia by Lisa Scottoline is a book that will keep you turning pages until the very end. It has suspense, drama, murder, romance, ghosts, and even a conspiracy. I received an advance copy of this book from Netgalley.com and I always review every book that I read. I read this one in 2 days! I could not wait to find out how all would turn out. It has scenes in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that were familiar to me and also some of the areas in Italy brought back memories. The book is well written. The plot and characters are well developed. You can read the synopsis for yourself, so I won't reiterate it. I will say that I highly recommend it. Enjoy.

This book was amazing with the vivid pictures of Italy! It was so descriptive. There was a lot going on in the book and it was a little hard to pick back up at some points due to the confusion but it did tie up nicely at the end.

Lisa has another hit on her hands. After the stabbing death of her husband, Julia learns she has inherited an estate in Tuscany from an unknow benefactor named Emilia Rossi. Julia believes in horoscopes and takes this as a sign that since she is adopted, this might be a gift from her biological family. She goes to Tuscany only to find the villa in disrepair and that Rossi was a paranoid recluse who believed she was a descendent of Duchess Caterina Sforza, a Renaissance ruler. Then strange things begin to happen. Julia believes she is being followed. She meets a handsome stranger in Florence, but nothing can settle her mind. She must struggle to search for her identity and to figure out if all this is somehow connected to her husband's murder.

Review of Digital Galley Edition

As Julia and Mike are walking home one night, they are attacked by a man attempting to steal Julia’s purse. When Mike tries to protect Julia, their assailant stabs him with the knife he is carrying.

Having lost her adoptive parents and now devastated by her husband’s murder, Julia finds it difficult to leave her home. After all, she was an eyewitness and the murderer knew what she looked like. Punished by feelings of guilt for having carried a designer bag, she is haunted by nightmares.

And then an unexpected surprise . . . Emilia Rossi has left her a significant amount of money as well as a villa, vineyard, and land in Tuscany.

Who is Emilia Rossi? And why has she left her estate to Julia?

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With historical perspectives woven into the telling of this tale, the central character [Julia] consistently grapples with her destiny, astrology, and the alignment of the stars. The descriptions of the Tuscan setting are immersive; the plot takes some surprising twists and turns as the unfolding narrative traces Julia’s efforts to find her birth family and her possible connection to Emilia Rossi and Countess Caterina Sforza.

Frustratingly, Julia continually allows her horoscope to dictate her actions; supernatural events add to the building tension in the unfolding story. But for readers who enjoy a bit of history woven into their mysteries, there is much to appreciate in this intriguing mystery.

Recommended.

I received a free copy of this eBook from Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley
#TheUnravelingofJulia #NetGalley

I have not read any of the other detective type stories by this author and this was certainly very different than Eternal and Loyalty but it was a great read. The ability to pull the reader into the psychedelic occurrences that Julia experiences was so well written. While the plot felt a little flimsy it ultimately made sense although it did seem to unravel very quickly at the end. I enjoyed the characters and the romance and while it isn’t a masterpiece it was a good book. I received an ARC from the publisher through NetGalley and appreciate the opportunity to read this book.

***Thanks to NetGalley for providing me a complimentary copy of THE UNRAVELING OF JULIA by Lisa Scottoline in exchange for my honest review.***

3.5 STARS

Months after Julia witnesses her husband’s murder she receives words that she inherited a villa and several million dollars from a stranger. Though skeptical, she travels to Italy, hoping that her inheritance might be relates to her biological mother. Julia encounters mystery, intrigue and possibly assassins that might be related to her husband’s stabbing. Unless Julia’s losing her mind. Are her visions ghosts or hallucinations? If I encountered Julia, I would worry that the PTSD from seeing her husband’s murder had caused a break with reality. She does a poor job of presenting herself as credible.

THE UNRAVELING OF JULIA requires much suspension of disbelief, but Lisa Scottoline’s writing is so well-researched and well-written overlooking puzzle pieces fitting together too-conveniently. I could barely stop reading for a doctor’s appointment and to sleep. Unputdownable, told with both heart and intrigue, Scottoline fans need to preorder THE UNRAVELING OF JULIA.

I often like Scottoline’s books more the second time around, or when I inevitably listen to the audiobook version. I wouldn’t be surprised if THE UNRAVELING OD JULIA becomes 5 stars in the future.

Lisa Scottoline is magic.

I found Lisa Scottoline a few years ago and have read about a third of her backlist, which is enough to make her an auto-read author for me. With The Unraveling of Julia, she has created an atmospheric page turner that kept me up WAY past my bedtime. If you love a good mystery (partially set in Italy!!), this is for you.

This book is a psychological thriller set in Tuscany. It follows a Julia, a young woman who has lost both adoptive parents and more recently her husband. After receiving a mystery inheritance, she travels to Italy to investigate her benefactor. The book is a quick read and kept me engaged. I thought that the build up was better than the ending which felt like everything wrapped up very neatly. Overall, I would recommend this book as a fun vacation read.

The Unraveling of Julia by Lisa Scottoline
Publishing date - 07/15/25
Rating (5/5) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you Grand Central Publishing , Netgalley , and Lisa for this eARC. I love Lisa Scottoline’s books especially her legal thrillers. I was so excited to receive this eARC.

The Unraveling of Julia is a combination of ghost story, psychological thriller, and historical fiction. The novel follows Julia, a grieving widow from her husband’s murder, as she unexpectedly inherits a villa in Tuscany from a complete stranger. She immediately goes to Tuscany as she wonders who would be so generous. Then she begins to have horrible nightmares and believes she is losing her mind. She doesn’t know who to trust and feels that she is in danger.

Suspenseful at times. Hard to put down at times. Highly recommend this book when it releases on July 15th.

When I see a story by this author I know it’s going to be enjoyable and interesting. That I will become absorbed in the characters and all their drama and woes. This was another one of those stories. I dove in and kept wondering what was going on. Twists and turns, not sure where it’s headed. The concepts and storyline are something you definitely want to check out. Click this and prepare for a read not to be missed.

3.75 rounded up to 4⭐

I have been reading books from Lisa Scottoline for more than a decade. I love her legal thrillers, and when I saw that she'd written a stand alone novel in a different genre I was excited to try it out.

I'm not a believer or follower of astrology, but I still enjoyed this book! It has elements of romance, thriller, and paranormal mystery all wrapped up together.

I think Courtney was my favorite character, and I was kept guessing throughout. I recommend this book for anyone interested in Italy and its history as well!

Thanks to Net Galley for the book to review.

This is a different kind of book for this author and while I appreciate her abilty to venture out, parts of it didn't work for me. Julia witnesses the murder of her husband and is caught up in grief and anxiety, agraophobia. She relies on astrology, the daily prediction type and her intuition, which eventually leads to visions and hallucinations. She gets a large inheritance in Italy and goes there to see if she can find out about her past and finds danger in many forms. I liked the character of Julia and her friendship. The plot wasn't super believable to me and the bad guys too bad. It was a fast read so I stayed involved but it wasn't my favorite of hers

Many of my students like astrology and supernatural storylines so think they will like this, it has a mystery or two and personal growth and is an easy read.

I love Lisa Scottoline’s books and this book, The Unraveling of Julia, is no exception! It starts off with a bang and it kept me enthralled until the last page. Julia inherits a villa in Italy after a tragic personal event. As Julia deals with the tragic event, she travels to Italy to visit the inheritance and tries to unwind both the mystery involving the inheritance and the tragic event. It’s an engrossing thriller that promises to keep you on the edge of your seat.

Scottoline, thank you for another compelling, wild, and page turner of a story. The setting in Italy is beautiful. I've been to Florence, and it's lovely. The friendship between Courtney and Julia is wonderful. What they both go through in search for answers to questions that are dangerous and shouldn't be asked are so suspenseful.

Julias losses are many, with the death of her adoptive parents Melanie and Martin, and the witnessing of her husband Mike's death is heartbreaking 💔. Will the stars in Julia's future bring her family, love, and happiness?

The horoscope, and the supernatural are so fascinating and interesting to me. I love the way it's intertwined throughout the pages. I also love the characters of Bianco (he's so sweet), and Gianluca (a wish upon a star). The epilogue is just so Scottoline, perfect. Enjoy ❤️.

I love going down rabbit holes, and I found this video, "Catarina Sforza: The Alchemy and Power of a Renaissance Icon", it was very informative.

Thank you NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the ebook advanced reader copy.

Title: The Unraveling of Julia
Author: Lisa Scottoline
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Genre: Psychological Thriller, with some Romance
Pub Date : July 15, 2025
My Rating: 5Stars
Pages 400

Julia Pritzker’s husband Mike was recently murdered when a would-be robber tried to grab Julia’s designer shoulder bag. Mike tried to protect Julia and got in the way of a knife. The funeral has come and gone but Julia has nightmares and still sees the hooded robber and knife

Julia had lost both her adopted parents – her mother – her best friend died of a brain aneurysm on Julia’s tenth birthday while they were baking. Her father died of heart attack when she was in college. However, he was a changed man after his wife Melanie died.
Now Julia has no family and it is a deep hurt. She believes she must be cursed as her horoscope actually predicted the deaths.
Do not be alarmed but do be aware today
You or a loved one may be in jeopardy

Times goes by but Julia checks her horoscope on StrongSign offer. One day she reads ~
Your luck is going to change today.
You are stronger than you know.
Trust yourself. It is only the beginning.
Sure enough a very strange thing happened. She gets a DHL envelope from Milan, Italy.
It is from an estate lawyer asked her to contact their office as Signora Emilia Rossi left her an inheritance.
At first she thinks it is a scam but remembers the horoscope using the words Luck and Trust. She contacts the office in Italy and is informing her that she has inherited a Tuscan villa and property. Julia has little to no information about her biological family, so perhaps Emilia is a blood relative. Julia heads to Tuscany to find out.

The lawyer doesn’t know Julia’s connection to Emilia but tells her a family investigator can help her. It appears Emilia Rossi did not have children but there is connection to Catherina Sforza, a daughter of to a legendary Renaissance ruler an important historical figure.

Although the villa is in need of a lot of repairs, actually major renovation; many of the ceiling frescos are in good shape. There is one of Duchess Caterina Sforza, and Julia is stunned as she resembles Caterina,

I am a big author, Lisa Scottoline fan; this is my twenty-ninth story. My first Scottoline read started back in the 90's with the “Rosato & Associates" before changing to " Rosato & DiNunzio".
Lisa Scottoline continues to be one of my favorite authors. She and her daughter Francesca Serritella have hosted an annual Big Book Club Party at her Pennsylvania farm, for the past twelve years. (I wanna go!!!!)
She and Francesca write a weekly column for the Philadelphia Inquirer entitled <i>”Chick Wit”</i>, a witty take on life from a woman’s perspective. It is also available via their email newsletter.
Lisa graduated magna cum laude in three years from the University of Pennsylvania, with a B.A. in English, and cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where she taught Justice and Fiction. She lives in the Philadelphia area with an array of disobedient pets and loves it!
Additionally is a big fan of the Eagles and Brady Cooper. However, if you follow her you already know THAT!

I have been enjoying Ms. Scottoline’s stories for many years and as Italian (well half but I love to call myself Italian) I love her ‘Acknowledgements’ – she tells us she believes in research and once again traveled to Italy for research. In this case Milan, Florence and visited the places served as settings for this story.
She also stares that she has been writing about family all her life as she believes it is what matters the MOST>

Want to thank NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for granting me this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for July 15, 2025.

Lisa Scottoline’s The Unraveling of Julia is a blend of love story, ghost story, psychological thriller, and historical fiction. The novel follows Julia, a grieving widow still reeling from her husband's murder, as she unexpectedly inherits a villa in Tuscany from a complete stranger. Seeking answers, she travels to Italy, where she’s confronted with even more mysteries—her unknown birth family, a possible connection to the legendary Countess Caterina Sforza, and eerie occurrences that suggest the villa might be haunted. The suspense builds as Julia questions whether her husband’s death is linked to her inheritance and whether she’s uncovering the truth or losing her grip on reality.

Though the pacing slows at times, Scottoline keeping readers engaged with lots of twists and turns. The rich beautiful Italian setting adds to the story line. Julia’s journey is both thrilling and deeply personal. While the novel may not be a fast-paced thriller throughout, the layered storytelling make it a rewarding read for those who enjoy mysteries with a little ghost story thrown in for good measure .

I am a big fan of Lisa Scottoline so I was excited to be able to pre-read her latest book through NetGalley. Her attention to historical detail is always fascinating to me and I always learn something new when reading her works.
All that said, I was not a huge fan of this book although, once again, her historical data was very interestiing. The storyline was intriguing and held my interest throughout but she lost me with all of the astrology, the alignment of stars, etc.
Julia Pritzker is a recently widowed thirty-something consumed in fear after her husband's brutal murder (he died protecting her from a mugger). Months after, Julia receives a letter from an attorney in Italy stating that she has inherited a villa in Tuscany and a huge amount of money. Battling her fears, she travels to Tuscany to find a run-down villa, a big white dog and two odd house/groundskeepers. Then she begins to have horrible nightmares and believes she is losing her mind. She doesn't know who to trust and feels that she is in grave danger.
There are several storylines here: who murdered her husband in Philly, why was this villa left to her by an unkown person, will she be able to find her birth mother and is it too soon to fall in love again.
At best, I would give this book 3.5 stars. I felt it was a bit contrived (especially in the romance department) but still worth the read.
I thank NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book.

After suffering a tragic loss in her life, Julia Pritzker discovers out of the blue that she has inherited a villa in Italy and a large amount of money from a woman she has never heard of or met. She travels to Italy to try and unwind the mystery of why she has received this incredible windfall, and who she really is. The book was atmospheric, but it really didn't pick up until the second half of the book. There were a lot of things that were just too much for me to suspend disbelief on, and some of the characters were very one-dimensional and unbelievable. It wasn't for me, but I do think a lot of people will enjoy it. Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

I’ve read most of the authors books and I was anticipating a good mystery filled with suspense. However, this was a book filled with the supernatural and romance. For me personally this was not a book for me. However, I am basing my review on this being a well written book with a sound storyline. It is a book which will be enjoyed by those who are into the supernatural.