This was such a good book. I was hooked from the very first page. Scottoline did such a wonderful job crafting a story line that was captivating and so detailed. I enjoyed getting to know Julia's character and felt like I knew her because Lisa did such a great job in describing her characters and all of her ups and downs that she faced. Really good book. I am going to recommend it to my book club.

Oh gee, this was an exercise in my new "what not to read" list. It was so slow, repetitive, and downright dumb.

Julia Pritzker, is a bona fide believer in all things woo woo. She latches onto the supernatural, the paranormal, and emotion-based beliefs and explanations. She is the walking encyclopedia of horoscopes and ghosts and things that go bump in the night. Perhaps these out there beliefs could be explained by the stabbing murder of her husband right in front of her.

She becomes a recluse bordering on agoraphobia, but then things change and this woman who is afraid of everything, inherits tons of money from an unknown person in Italy where Julia travels to pick up her money and a very run down Tuscan home.

As if things were not shaky for Julia, she finds herself being followed, falling in love with an Italian librarian, and dragging astrology along for a ride.

This story annoyed me as Julia never feels authentic and the whole book read as a YA story. The writing is sloppy and wandered about with no clear definition of where it was going trying to include so many genres in the telling.

So sad to say along with her book What Happened To The Bennetts, which I also awarded two stars, makes me wonder of this author is just not for me anymore. I was disappointed and let down.

This is described as a psychological thriller, but to me was more about astrology, fate, family secrets, and even a touch of romance. Julia’s journey is well written. I enjoyed this book as it’s different from most genres I read and I think readers will like this book as well. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read a delightful story!

I always enjoy books by this author and she once again delivers with a book full of thrills and historical fiction.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. I read all of Lisa's books and usually enjoy them a lot. This one missed it for me as it revolved around horoscopes

This is not my favorite of this author's books. 5 stars for setting and details of people, places and food on the Italian journey. I even liked the inexplicable feelings and connections that Julia made to her past. But the characters just didn't come through for me this time. Courtney was odd, Too many bizarre turns and moods from characters and the overly complicated plot tailed off as they all tried to fit back together.

I would recommend if you want to explore Italy through Julia's eyes and now I want to go!

Thank you for the ARC.

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!!!!