Thank you @NetGalley for the ARC. I enjoy the mystery of Lisa Scottoline books and this was a good one. Julia becomes a widower and is reeling from losing her husband. She gets a letter that she has been left a villa in ITaly and money that makes her rich. Only problem is she does not know her benefactor, was she friend or foe. Julia needs to find out who Emillia was to her because strange things are happing in the villa and she may not survive a week. A suspenseful read.

If Eat, Pray, Love took a detour into a murder mystery and got tangled up with horoscopes, Italian ghosts, and generational trauma you’d land somewhere near The Unraveling of Julia. And yes, you’ll want to pack your passport and possibly a therapist.

Julia’s unraveling is not just dramatic, it’s deeply human. She’s grieving, doubting her reality, and questioning who she is. It’s a twisty, devastating tale on what happens when the life you planned turns into something even you don’t recognize.

If you love books that feel like a European vacation with a touch of WTF just happened, The Unraveling of Julia is your next summer read! It’s spooky, self-aware, and surprisingly moving. Think a tarot reading you didn’t expect to cry over.

Also, bonus! It’ll make you want to Google “is past life regression real?” and “affordable villas near Florence.”

The Unraveling of Julia releases July 15th.

Thank you NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for an arc of this book. All opinions are my own.

I haven't read a Lisa Scottoline-written book in a few years, and this one caught my eye. The story definitely has a mystery, and can be dark at times. well worth the read, It was engaging, and I struggled to put this down. Definitely a good beach read for this summer's vacation! Thank you#TheUnravelingofJulia #NetGalley #GrandCentralPublishing for allowing me to read this ARC.

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars

The Unraveling of Julia had me hooked at the start—Julia’s husband is murdered, and then she suddenly inherits something mysterious in Italy? Yes, please. The suspense is solid, and the Italian setting is gorgeous (I was practically booking a flight by chapter five).

But while the premise is great, Julia’s character felt inconsistent. Some of her choices didn’t quite add up, and the second half lost some steam. The twist wasn’t super surprising, and the ending tied up a bit too neatly for my taste.
Still, it’s a good weekend read if you like emotional thrillers with a touch of travel escape.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for proving me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Julia loses her adoptive parents and her husband. Then she inherits a home in Tuscany from someone she doesn't know. Could it be a blood relative she has never met? Or something more sinister? This book was a fun ride from beginning to end!

This was quite a different book for this author. I did enjoy it, and I liked the paranormal aspects of the book. The characters were fairly well developed. The book did get a little cheesy at times however.

Thank you to Net Galley and Grand Central Publishing for giving me this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book had way too much going on. It was like 6 different stories in one and still ended up being anticlimactic. It had a lot of potential but just seemed to throw random aspects in there.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Julia is a recent widow who has just inherited a crumbling villa and vineyard in Tuscany from an unknown benefactor. Her astrological forecast calls for change but what she finds are more questions than answers about her connection to the woman who left the estate to her , the village isn't thrilled with her being there, a realtor is pushing for a quick sale and she begins to experience nightmares and ghost sightings. Is Julia fated to pick up where Signora Rossi left off and is there a handsome man in her future? This is a psychological thriller with a hint of haunted house and more twists and turns than a speeding Ducati on a winding road through the Tuscan hillside. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.

I have been in love with Lisa Scottoline for a while now and when I got the opportunity to read an ARC I just about cried. This is probably my favorite of hers! I was never bored. I never said this is irrelevant. I never said predictable. All I did was devour this book!!

A slow burn of a story, a mystery intermingled with grieving, loss, and new love.

Julia is struggling after losing her husband to a brutal murder during a robbery. She just stays home now and follows astrology signs and daily readings. She needs to know if danger is coming again.

So it's shocking when she gets a phone call out of the blue. A random woman in Tuscany has left a very large amount of money and a villa to her. She has no idea who she is or why she would leave it to her but she's determined to find out. Because, she was adopted and she's since lost both of her adopted parents. She'd love to track down family and see if these new connections could help her with the grieving process of losing her husband.

I liked the beginning of the story and felt really drawn in. It took a few chapters for the story to warm up but I did like it. But about half way, the story slows way down. It mingles into romance and juggling grieving and it really slowed the story way down. It got revving again once an unexpected guest arrived and I liked the turn of events. I did like the conclusion and the last few chapters that really wrapped things up for us, but I do wish the plot had remained a little more focused and hadn't gone in so many different directions. All in all, I liked it!

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Absolutely love me a good thriller! And this cover is perfect. I love a good, quick read in the summer time that keeps me on the edge of my seat! Lisa Scottline is back and better than ever.

I enjoyed this book. I gave it four stars because at times it did drag just a little, but I was kept engaged enough to finish this book in two days.

I enjoyed this book, but there were spots where it dragged a bit. I still give it 4*. I liked the characters and the story premise. At the end of the book I couldn’t put it down. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

Well, I typically like Lisa Scottline’s books. This one was a mess for me. I just generally did not enjoy anything about the story and didn’t feel compelled to keep reading. All of the character characters were flat in the writing just wasn’t that good?

2.75 /3⭐️ {Arc}
(ARC review) — Thank you to author Lisa Scottoline and her publisher Grand Central Publishing. I received an Advanced Reader Copy for the July 2025 release of THE UNRAVELING OF JULIA in exchange for my honest review.

Italy, a Villa, murder, mystery, it had promise. But it ended up being very slow and just wasn’t for me. It had a paranormal element to it which was cool but the astrology aspect was heavy and not my thing.

The storyline has alot happening with some unexpected twists. But it was very far-fetched.

I think if you’re into astrology, you could really like this book.

Release: July 15, 2025
Author: Lisa Scottoline
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

Rating: 3.5 ★ 

In The Unraveling of Julia, a young widow named Julia is overwhelmed with grief after the tragic murder of her husband—especially since her horoscope seemed to predict it. Struggling to make sense of her life and desperate for answers, Julia receives a mysterious letter informing her that she’s inherited a villa and vineyard in Tuscany from a woman she's never met: Emilia Rossi.
Hoping for a connection to her unknown biological family, Julia travels to Italy, only to find that Emilia was an eccentric recluse obsessed with astrology and convinced she was descended from a powerful Renaissance duchess. Julia, who bears a strange resemblance to both Emilia and the duchess, starts noticing unsettling coincidences—and feels like she’s being watched.
As strange occurrences escalate and danger creeps closer, Julia begins to question everything around her, including her own sanity. Her journey quickly turns into a fight to uncover the truth about her past—and to survive what’s coming next.
This book was a mix of intriguing ideas and uneven execution. I was drawn in by the premise—a young widow inherits a crumbling villa in Tuscany from a stranger and travels there, hoping to uncover more about her biological roots. What she finds is a tangle of secrets, mysterious connections to Renaissance history, and a heavy dose of astrology and the paranormal.
The atmosphere was eerie and compelling at times, and I liked how the story blended psychological suspense with a gothic feel. The astrology theme added a unique twist, though it occasionally felt overdone. Some of the plot points felt far-fetched, and while the pacing started strong, it lost momentum in places and some scenes felt either rushed or unnecessarily drawn out.
Overall, The Unraveling of Julia had its highs and lows. It wasn’t my favorite thriller, but I appreciated the fresh direction the author took and the originality of the story. If you’re into psychological mysteries with a supernatural edge, this one might be worth checking out.

Favorite Quote:
"sometimes the only way to save yourself is to let go."

I enjoy books by this author however, this one was not a favorite of mine. It was a slow burn for me and very character driven. I didn’t feel like it was a true thriller.

Julia’s adoptive parents have died, and her husband is murdered protecting her from a mugger. As her life begins to unravel, foreshadowed, she believes, by her horoscope, she receives word that she has inherited a sum of money as well as a villa and vineyard in Tuscany. Julia has no idea who the woman is who left her this estate, but wonders if she could be someone related to her biological parent(s). She travels to Tuscany to investigate, where she learns her benefactor was quite eccentric, perhaps even paranoid. Julia soon finds her emotional state spiraling and her life in danger.

Let me start out by saying that I don’t typically relish what I call fairy tale stories (suddenly inheriting wealth, etc.) or paranormal elements, but I have always enjoyed Scottoline’s writing so I wanted to read this, her latest work. Despite my reservations, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. An engrossing read, I didn’t want to put it down. It is suspenseful and atmospheric, with twists, some spookiness, and a romance. Astrology and supernatural events are integral parts of the story, as is the search of an adopted child for her roots, along with some information about real characters in Italian history. The characterizations are strong and diverse. Even if you are not a devotee of the paranormal, suspend your belief for a while and enjoy this well-written story.

Scottoline is an auto-buy for me and this one is pre-ordered as well. Perfect for the storms we had this weekend.

Julia is unraveling with so much loss in her life. Her husband was murdered and her adoptive parents have died. She relies heavenly on her horoscope.
She receives a letter which will change her life. She is now the owner of a Tuscan villa and has no idea who her benefactor is. Could Emilia Rossi have connections to her identity since she was adopted?
Things start to happen to Julia which will have her question her sanity. Get ready for one heck of a thriller full of mysterious twists.

I enjoy anything by Lisa Scottoline and this book was no exception! Julia is walking home with her husband when a man approaches them and brutally stabs her husband, who dies in front of her. Her husband’s killer is not caught and Julia falls into a deep depression. A few months letter she is contacted by an attorney who tells her that she has been left a large sum of money and a villa in Tuscany by Emilia Rossi, someone she doesn’t know. Julia is adopted and wonders if this inheritance could lead her to learn about her biological family so she goes to Tuscany.

This book has many plot twists and multiple layers of mystery. It is a page-turner that will intrigue you to the end. The way the various plot elements come together shows what an amazing writer the author is! The only con for me was the astrology element, which didn’t appeal to me, but which didn’t negatively impact the story. I recommend it!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book.