This latest novel by Scottoline had me scratching my head as I tried to figure out the genre. It’s not quite horror, but has elements of horror in it. It’s not quite a mystery, but there is a mystery woven into the story. It’s not quite a romance or historical fiction but both are part of the convoluted and complex story of Julia. The part that joined all of these elements together is the paranormal and the astrology aspects, and since I am not a fan of either, I did not expect to enjoy the book much. I was definitely wrong because the story itself and the setting captivated me. Julia is like a rowboat without oars once her beloved husband Mike is killed by a mugger who was intent on attacking her. So, Mike sacrificed himself for Julia, and she cannot overcome the guilt and the desperate loneliness after his death. Always obsessed with astrology, her fixation takes a dark turn when she discovers that her prediction for the day of Mike’s death had foretold of a tragedy. Without any living relatives, Julia is gobsmacked (as was I) when she found out that she was the sole heir to an Italian villa and several million euros from a benefactor whose name she doesn’t even recognize. This part was rather unbelievable to me, but it did lay the foundation for the story, so it was necessary. Julia travels to Tuscany to find out why Emilia Rossi would leave her such wealth and a lot of things that defy belief happen quickly there, including meeting an attractive librarian, being stalked, in constant danger, having hallucinations and discovering secrets of the villa she has inherited. All of the paranormal stuff was interesting but, in my opinion, it didn’t really add to the central story which is Julia seeking her roots and the mystery of the danger that seems to follow her everywhere. I liked the suspense and most of the characters, especially the helpful and subservient Anna Mattia, the housekeeper who came with the house and who gives her approval or disapproval of Julia’s choices with her facial expressions. The setting was almost another character, with the villa taking on a life of its own and the gorgeously detailed descriptions of the places Julia visits on her quest to discover the truth about her past. All in all, this was a good book, with history, mystery and not a little paranormal that was somewhat like reading straight horror at times. I would rate it a 3.5 but rounded it up to 4 because the mystery asserted itself well in the long run and the author was able to take the various strands of the tapestry that make up this book and combine them seamlessly into a believable conclusion.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions expressed are my own.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

In The Unraveling of Julia, Lisa Scottoline takes a bold step into new territory, blending elements of suspense, women’s fiction, and a touch of the paranormal into an atmospheric mystery set against the lush backdrop of Tuscany. What unfolds is an emotionally charged, twist-filled journey about identity, grief, and the secrets buried in both bloodlines and old villas.

Julia Pritzker, reeling from the tragic loss of her husband and adoptive parents, receives a mysterious letter naming her the heir to a crumbling Tuscan estate left by Emilia Rossi—a woman she’s never heard of. With nowhere left to turn, Julia heads to Italy in search of answers. What she finds is far more than she expected: villagers who distrust her, visions of a long-dead noblewoman, and a history of paranoia and secrets that seem all too familiar.

Scottoline keeps the tension high with multiple mysteries layered throughout—Julia’s search for her biological family, the unresolved murder of her husband, and the eerie, possibly supernatural happenings inside the villa. Some plot points do require a bit of suspension of disbelief, and the romantic subplot leans toward the idyllic, but the emotional depth and unique premise carry the story forward.

While the second half occasionally drags, and some twists stretch plausibility, the character development, lush setting, and steady unraveling of the truth make for a satisfying read. Julia’s personal journey—navigating grief, rediscovery, and a deepening connection to her roots—is both compelling and heartfelt.

This is a moody, transportive novel perfect for readers who enjoy their thrillers with a touch of gothic mystery and emotional weight. Just be prepared for a few over-the-top moments.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed The Unraveling of Julia. It was atmospheric and mysterious. I was surprised by a few twists along the way. I did feel like it got a little heavy on the astrology, especially since that's something I know very little about. This is a very bingeworthy read. I definitely recommend it.

This author never disappoints. This book has so much to offer a reader. Let me just say that Tuscany, murder, famous dynamics and romance is what she gives her readers. I highly recommend this book. Thank you to the publisher for an ARC…,No compensation received and it is strictly my honest opinion.

This was a great story!! I really enjoyed it and it has some turns I didn’t expect. However the emphasis on astrology was a bit over the top.

Gothic thriller with supernatural elements.

I should have read the synopsis more closely. A grief stricken widow whose husband was killed in front of her (she had a premonition) inherits a huge Tuscan estate from a woman she's never heard of. Julia goes to Italy to check out the villa and vineyard, both worth millions. Once there, Julia, who was adopted as an infant, begins to suspect that the owner of this estate, Emilia Rossi, must be related to her. While ensconced in the villa and thinking about selling, Julia starts to experience visions, hallucinations, and crazy dreams.

This was a psychological thriller that never quite created any suspense or uneasiness for me especially when the paranormal events escalated and Julia started to believe she had special gifts in connecting with the dead and being guided by them. Most of what Julia did and thought defied credulity and I got bored very quickly. I am not a fan of anything metaphysical, paranormal, otherworldy etc. I do enjoy historical fiction and would definitely have liked more of those details, especially from the Renaissance period. The meet cute and instant romance (her husband had only been dead 6 months) was really off putting and pushed me over the edge. The whole conspiracy set up and explanation also didn't really even make that much sense as being the reason for all the persecution.

I have read most all of this author's legal procedurals and definitely prefer those to this kind of departure. I'm definitely not the intended audience for this type of mystery.

I was able to listen to the audio book while also following along in the e-book ARC, both provided by the publishers. The narrator, Maria Marquis, did a fine job of voicing the characters but her talent was not enough to overcome what I perceived as shortcomings with the plot and storyline.

I’m torn about how to rate this, because there were too many elements thrown in there for the sake of plot that didn’t really need to be there - yet most of the elements got connected and wrapped up by the end, and I was entertained.

I think I preferred telling my husband about how wild this story was over my experience reading it, which enhanced my enjoyment of the book. But that doesn’t make up for the storyline where you must suspend disbelief for it to work in any capacity. The pacing was way too fast; I kept forgetting that the majority of this book takes place over 7 days because Julia would do so many things during one day where it felt like it should have taken more than that.

Julia is my least favorite type of protagonist in a thriller – she’s the type of person in a horror film who you expect to die first but are surprised they are the only one still alive by the end. But none of the rest of the characters in the book were believable, anyway, so it worked. I wanted more character development from everybody, and this book was more plot heavy.

This was my first Lisa Scottoline book, but from the looks of her Author’s Note this was a departure from her typical storytelling, so I’m willing to read another book of hers to see if I like it better.

Thank you Grand Central Publishing, NetGalley, and Lisa Scottoline for the ARC.

Lisa Scottoline is an that has been recommended to me many times, and while I’ve purchased a number of her books up until now I don’t believe I’d actually ever read one of her books. And now not only did I read The Unraveling of Julia, I also has the opportunity to listen to the audio version as well. I have to say I was hooked from the start. Julie, our heroine, witnesses the death of her husband when a robber stabs hims right in front of her eyes. Some time later she receives a letter from an Italian lawyer informing her she’s inherited a villa in Italy from a women she’s never heard of. When Julie goes over to check things out that’s when the mystery really kicks into high gear. She doesn’t get a warmest reception and digging into the past only offers more questions not answers. Having now finally read one of Scottline’s novel, I can see why her work has been recommended to me so often. I now have quite the backlog to dig into. Now as for the audio version, Maria Marquis does a very good job with the narration. You can’t go wrong reading or listening to this one. I’d like to thank Grand Central Publishing for the eARC, and Hachette Audio for a copy of the audio version.

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-unraveling-of-julia-lisa-scottoline/1146511135?ean=9781538769997&bvnotificationId=402f624b-6145-11f0-a3d1-0affc096e97b&bvmessageType=REVIEW_APPROVED&bvrecipientDomain=gmail.com#review/351939818

I have always heard people praise Lisa Scottoline but I never read a book of her.’s. So when I saw I could get an arc of her latest book I went for it!
This was such a page turner, as well as a fast read.
At first I admit I was not sure I was going to like it but as the story progress I could not put it down. I kept trying to figure it out and then another new twist kept coming up. It has the wonderful concept of a woman getting an unknown inheritance after the murder of her husband , seeking a mother she never met and finding a new love interest. Throw in a paranormal touch with men stalking her and with the fear of going out of her mind adds to the mystery. Definitely recommend this !
Thank you NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for a chance to review the advanced copy of this book.

It's been a while since I read anything by this author, but based on my past reads of hers, this one was different. There were a few things that stuck out to me that could either make or break this depending on the reader.The beginning was a little stilted, but I think it was meant to be that way, portraying the horrifying loss of the protagonist's husband in an almost dreamlike state.The best friend was contradictory, completely invalidating her to, without a thought, believing everything she now says and even encouraging her. There were a few far-fetched scenes, but it worked for this particular story. The astrology aspect was present and strong the first half of the book and then just sort of tapered off. The overall mystery itself was intriguing and was full of suspense in a beautiful, atmospheric setting in Tuscany. For everything that preceded the climax, I felt like there should have been more at the end. Overall, this was a good read, just not my favorite by this author. Three and a half stars.

Thank you, Netgalley and Grand Central Publishing, for this ARC.

Publication Date : July 15, 2025

Let me start this is more 3.5/3.75 star read for me. I had never read a Lisa Scottoline book. I will definitely read more of her books. This was twisty, intense and a bit dark. The dark part was intriguing.

Book is about Julia who deeply believes in her horoscope. Her husband is murder right in front of her. As she is working through her grief, she receives an unexpected inheritance. This has her traveling to Italy through Florence and Tuscany. Upon her arrival, she is greeted by a rundown villa and a group of characters that are mysterious and possibly dangerous. Julia learns that maybe her husband’s murder is connected to her new inheritance.

This book keeps you on the edge of your seat through the last chapter. Thank you NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for this advance read. Grab your copy on July 15th

Thanks to #NetGalley and #GrandCentralPublishing for the book #TheUnravelingOfJulia by #LisaScottoline. Julia believes that her husband’s murder was foretold by her horoscope and that she is cursed. While still mourning, she receives a letter stating that she has inherited a a villa in Tuscany. Confused and curious she travels there to find out what is going on. While there, she discovers that Rossi, the woman who left everything for her, could possibly be a blood relative. As she digs into the past, she finds herself in danger. Can she survive long enough to do out the truth?

Julia is unraveling well before she arrives at the Tuscan estate she inherited from a complete stranger. Secrets, conspiracies, and some haunting moments are more than enough to unravel her completely, but they don’t quite.
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The Unraveling of Julia by an old favorite author of mine, Lisa Scottoline, celebrates hitting the shelves today. Full of uncanny twists and memorable chapters, this was an enjoyable read.
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Julia goes through a lot, guided by her belief in astrology and what she believes is a curse or fate that lead her to a possible relative she never knew and a fascinating ancestry. Everyone is not too happy with her inheritance and she faces some harrowing times as well.
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This tale is wrapped up quite satisfactorily in a timely manor. I never felt anything was rushed and didn’t feel any plot points were missing, that was refreshing.

4.25 stars
One day, Julia had a premonition that something terrible would happen, and it did! Her husband, Mike was brutally stabbed. Later when she saw her unread horoscope, it backed up this feeling. Much to the dismay of her best friend, Courtney, Julia becomes obsessed with astrology. She rarely leaves her Philadelphia apartment until she receives a strange message telling her she has inherited a villa in Tuscany, as well as a large sum of money. Julia decides to go to Italy to collect her inheritance and find out why a total stranger has named her as the beneficiary.

The book can be classified as both a Gothic Thriller and a Psychological Thriller. There is a lot going on in this story - it has a strong Gothic feel and has paranormal elements, as well as some romance. The story follows Julia as she tries to move on from her grief while also trying to figure out why Emilia Rossi left her such a large inheritance.

At times Julia worries about her sanity when she fears the villa could be haunted. It soon becomes clear that her life may be in danger, but the police aren't taking her seriously. The book is suspenseful, but not always realistic. I could never have guessed all of the complex plot twists, but I like the way things wrapped up at the end. This book is different from any of the other books I've read by Scottoline, and I enjoyed my visit to Tuscany with Julia.

Thank you, Grand Central Publishing, and NetGalley for the review copy of the ebook. My review is voluntary and unbiased.

I have been reading this author for a while now, and she never disappoints.

Julia Pritzker's adoptive parents are deceased, and then her husband is murdered right in front of her. She believes her horoscope predicted it and blames herself for not paying attention to prevent it. She has no family to speak of, but one day a letter arrives from Italy saying she is the sole inheritor of a Tuscan villa and vineyard, not to mention a substantial amount of euros. She knows nothing about her biological family, so she's hoping to find some answers in Italy. What she finds is a dilapidated villa and an overgrown vineyard. The woman, Emilia Rossi, who left her the inheritance, was a paranoid recluse who claimed she was a descendant of Duchess Caterina Sforza. But there are uncanny parallels between them. She starts to dig to find some answers, but it appears that she's being followed. Strange things start to happen, and her life seems to be in danger. Who was Emilia Rossi, and what connection does she have to Julia?

This book was filled with suspense and unexpected twists. The mystery, with its paranormal elements, was extremely intriguing and held my complete attention. I loved the Italian setting and all the locations Julia visited in her search for clues. Her stop at Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari was a highlight! Not to mention the car Julia found to drive was a red Ferrari! The descriptions made me feel like I was in Italy. There were family secrets to uncover and a bit of romance. While this was a compelling read, some of the dialogue felt a bit awkward. However, that's just my personal opinion. Overall, this book was entertaining and I enjoyed it. I would certainly recommend it.🩷I have been reading this author for a while now, and she never disappoints.

Julia Pritzker's adoptive parents are deceased, and then her husband is murdered right in front of her. She believes her horoscope predicted it and blames herself for not paying attention to prevent it. She has no family to speak of, but one day a letter arrives from Italy saying she is the sole inheritor of a Tuscan villa and vineyard, not to mention a substantial amount of euros. She knows nothing about her biological family, so she's hoping to find some answers in Italy. What she finds is a dilapidated villa and an overgrown vineyard. The woman, Emilia Rossi, who left her the inheritance, was a paranoid recluse who claimed she was a descendant of Duchess Caterina Sforza. But there are uncanny parallels between them. She starts to dig to find some answers, but it appears that she's being followed. Strange things start to happen, and her life seems to be in danger. Who was Emilia Rossi, and what connection does she have to Julia?

This book was filled with suspense and unexpected twists. The mystery, with its paranormal elements, was extremely intriguing and held my complete attention. I loved the Italian setting and all the locations Julia visited in her search for clues. Her stop at Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari was a highlight! Not to mention the car Julia found to drive was a red Ferrari! The descriptions made me feel like I was in Italy. There were family secrets to uncover and a bit of romance. While this was a compelling read, some of the dialogue felt a bit awkward. However, that's just my personal opinion. Overall, this book was entertaining and I enjoyed it. I would certainly recommend it.🩷

I have been a fan of Lisa Scottoline’s books since the beginning, both the legal and the psychological thrillers, and while The Unraveling of Julia looked like a bit of a departure from her usual work, I was eager to read it. Unfortunately, it was too much of a departure and often too over the top for my liking.

At the beginning of the story Julia Pritzker is grieving. She’s lost her adoptive parents and her husband was just murdered in a random mugging. She obsessively checks her horoscope and wonders if she missed a message and could have prevented the murder, could have saved her beloved husband. In hindsight she was positive that feeling “a little off” that night was a premonition she should have paid attention to. Not unusual behavior for someone who is grieving, but it soon goes further than that. She is afraid to leave the house and almost doesn’t make a move unless it seems to be directed by her horoscope. She rejects her good friend Courtney’s observation that statements such as “Time will tell.” can be interpreted many ways; Julia chooses to look at each day’s horoscope as written precisely for her. She doesn’t see the benefit in continuing therapy, she shuts herself off more and more, but again, this is a young woman grieving, who had barely started what she thought would be her forever after life.

She is initially skeptical when she is informed she has inherited a significant amount of money and a villa in Italy from a woman she never knew, but she agrees with Courtney that getting away for a little while might be good for her; she can check out the villa, do a little sightseeing, sell the villa and come home and restart her life. But when Julia gets to Italy the story goes off the rails.

She is suddenly obsessed with the idea that she is the granddaughter of her benefactor Emilia Rossi. Rossi believed herself to be a descendent of Duchess Caterina Sforza, so Julia decides she is, too. She has nightmares, visions, panic attacks and is made to feel unwelcome and unsafe by the village residents. Her quest becomes to find out all the can about Rossi and Sforza, even though she can barely sleep and believes she is being followed and someone wants to hurt her. The romance with the librarian she meets is too much, too soon to be believable for someone so recently devastated by the loss of her husband.

By the time loose ends were tied up and answers given I really didn’t care. I am usually taken with Scottoline’s writing and her descriptions of beautiful Tuscan countryside but the astrology and paranormal elements were just too much, and Julia was never really sympathetic or likeable. Since Scottoline has such a proven track record I am going to assume that this twist just wasn’t for me and that many others will love this book. I received an advance copy of The Unraveling of Julia via NetGalley READ NOW. I voluntarily leave this review; all opinions are my own.

The Unraveling of Julia by Lisa Scottoline

Thank You NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review! All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
I really enjoyed this novel, and it had a little bit of almost everything in it – romance, mystery, suspense, and familial drama with touches of Gothic vibes all taking place mostly around the beautiful Tuscan countryside!!! Julia Pritzker’s adoptive parents have passed away. Her husband Mike is murdered right in front of her. For someone who is heavy into astrology and horoscopes, Julia had a bad feeling right before her husband was murdered. She feels like it’s her fault and she could have prevented it. She is scared to even leave her house now.
However, six months later, a letter arrives for Julia saying she has inherited a villa and vineyard in Tuscany and a couple million Euros from a woman names Emilia Rossi, who is completely unknown to Julia. So she goes there and what ensues is a gothic journey full of suspenseful twists, visions/hallucinations, and mystery galore!!! Emilia Rossi, a recluse, believed she was a descendant of a well-known and wealthy Renaissance woman named Caterina Sforza. The physical resemblance of Julia to Emilia and Caterina is eerie and hard to ignore. Follow Julia on this goth journey of mystery and suspense when it comes out July 15, 2025!

Can she unravel what's going on before events unravel her?

After losing her husband Mike to an act of seemingly random violence just blocks away from their home, Julia Pritzker is struggling. Her adoptive parents have already died (her adoptive mother dying of a sudden aneurism on Julia's 10th birthday), leaving her now with no family. Her best friend Courtney is supportive but lives in Chicago and has a job for which she travels constantly. Julia is afraid to go outside anymore, isn't sleeping well, can't focus on her work, and worries about how she will continue to make ends meet without Mike's far larger paycheck. She is also becoming a bit obsessive about the horoscope website to which she is subscribed, convinced that it predicted Mike's killing and filling her with regrets for not having read her daily update before going out that night. She is contacted out of the blue by an Italian estate lawyer who informs her that she has inherited a substantial amount of money as well as a large piece of property in Tuscany from someone of whom she's never heard named Emilia Rossi. Although initially reluctant to travel there to meet with the lawyer and decide what to do with her bequest, she is persuaded by Courtney to go if only to try to determine if she might have been related to Emilia in some way. She discovers that not only does she share the late woman's interest in astrology, she looks a lot like her...and also resembles a powerful woman from the Renaissance to whom Emilia believed she was descended. Strange things start happening...premonitions, fears of being followed, and more...that make Julia wonder if she might be losing her grip on reality. Discovering a hidden dungeon in her new villa, fearing that at least some of the local police are corrupt, and facing increasing pressure from a local realtor to sell the dilapidated building left to her, Julia finds herself in a Gothic nightmare. Is she losing her mind, or are there forces conspiring to gaslight and maybe even kill her?
Author Lisa Scottoline is known primarily for her legal thrillers, so this foray into a blend of psychological suspense and Gothic horror with dabs of supernatural elements and romance is a departure for her and for her fans. She is a talented enough author to pull it off, although I didn't find it quite as enjoyable as I have her other novels. Protagonist Julia has been handed a great many losses in her life thus far, and this latest is close to breaking her (which is certainly understandable). Her transition from a timid and fearful innocent abroad to someone comfortable exploring the Tuscan countryside alone in search of answers to the many puzzles she is confronting seemed a bit sudden, and there are so many genres vying for narrative resonance that the book seems a bit longer than it needed to be (and the continual horoscope references got to be a bit much at times). Ms Scottoline's descriptions of this corner of Italy, its food, wine and people, were a highlight for me, and overall I found it an intriguing premise with a group of unusual but interesting characters, a 3.5 ⭐️ read rounded up to 4. Readers of authors like Kate Morton, Lisa Jewell and Simone St. James may find this an interesting addition to their TBR pile, and fans of Ms Scottoline (as long as they know that this isn't her typical fare) will likely enjoy it as well. My thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for allowing me access to this twisty thriller in exchange for my honest review.

A murder, an inheritance, a conspiracy, and a possible haunting, you could say Julia’s got her hands full! From the streets of Philadelphia to the hills of Tuscany, this story takes you on a wild ride filled with mystery, the supernatural, and nonstop adventure.
Like any Lisa Scottoline novel, this one delivers. The rich setting and elaborate plot pull you in, but it’s the characters that truly carry the story to the end. Definitely a fun and satisfying read!

I am a big fan of Lisa scottoline and the unraveling of Julia is an unusual foray for her. I give her credit for venturing into new territory with this gothic suspense novel. Julia’s husband was murdered-a fate she believed was preordained by astrology. Shortly after this tragedy, Julia finds out that she has inherited a fortune from a relative she never knew about in Tuscany. Taking a trip to Italy to uncover a part of her family she didn’t know existed. While there, she realizes that her family’s past, her husband’s murder, and the supernatural occurrences she’s experiencing are all intertwined and if Julia will ever escape Italy alive she must figure out how.

I admit, I was not crazy about this. It read as somewhat juvenile and beneath Scottolines station. It also seemed like it was trying to do a lot with some international intrigue, murder mystery, supernatural and gothic suspense, but nothing seemed like it fully clicked for me. I give her credit for branching out of her comfort zone and for doing something different, but I think she excels at her usual more grounded type of suspense.

Thanks to the publisher for providing the arc via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.