This was my first time reading a book by this author, and it definitely won't be my last! I love a good suspense novel, and this one delivered on every level. Julia, the protagonist, was exactly who this gripping plot needed -charming, intelligent, assertive, and resilient. A horoscope enthusiast and a widow, Julia sets out to uncover the truth behind her husband's murder. Just when it seems like things couldn't get more complicated, another major event shakes her world-one that initially seems unrelated... until the pieces start to come together.

From there, the real adventure begins. Guided by her intuition and relentless drive for answers, Julia leaves no stone unturned in her quest for truth and closure. The plot was fast-paced and constantly evolving, keeping me hooked from start to finish. The ending was both satisfying and bittersweet-I was dreading that it had come to an end. An absolutely fantastic read!

I was able to receive an ARC copy of this book thanks to Netgally. Lisa Scottoline is a great author and I knew I wanted to read anything she comes out with! The premise of this book was very interesting and it did not disappoint! Fast paced, mysterious, just what I like in a thriller!

I enjoyed reading The Unraveling of Julia. I did feel it was slow in some spots. It has a bit of everything from a mystery/psychological thriller, paranormal to astrology. Another great beach read from Lisa Scottoline. Thank you to Grand Central Publishing.

Lisa Scottoline is one of my favorite authors. With that being said, I found this book slow and a little boring. It was ok but nothing spectacular.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book.

What a unique story of discovering who you are after loss. Julia wasn’t expecting her life to take the turn it did. So, when she is once again faced with a huge life changing event, she with a little bit of encouragement goes to Italy to accept an inheritance from someone she didn’t know. This story has intrigue, mystery, and discovery. This book’s pacing is well done until you get towards the end. It seems to slow down quite a bit. Everything is resolved, which is lovely, I just found the ending to be a bit anticlimactic after a certain point. This is probably because there was so much mystery for the bulk of the book.
Thank you so much Grand Central Publishing and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.

Who wouldn't like to find out that they had just inherited three million dollars and a villa and vineyard in Tuscany, Italy!? For Julia Pritzker, the main character in this new book by the ever-popular author Lisa Scottoline, it becomes the possibility of a new start and a steppingstone to healing from grief. There turns out to be a lot going on in this story!

Julia was adopted, but learns that an unknow woman in Italy, who bequeathed Julia her villa, may be her grandmother and she may be related to the Duchess Caterina Sforza from the Renaissance period. A search for her biological mother, her husband's murderer, the mystery surrounding the villa, and a budding new romance leads Julia to Italy on a cat and mouse game filled with conspiracy theories, nightmares, hallucinations, and paranoia. Seeking answers, Julia becomes involved with mediums, psychics, astrology, and paranormal visits by spirits. Did I happen to mention that there is a lot going on in this story?

Unfortunately, there were just too many threads going every which way for my liking. Julia's strange suppositions and conjectures in solving all of the mysteries involved became a little too farfetched for me and were a definite detraction from my ultimately enjoying this book.

My sincere thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read a digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I liked this book! Its gothic, twisty, suspenseful and just the right dose of supernatural elements to keep it different and interesting. While it's releasing this summer, it would be a perfect chilly fall read!

I loved the sense of place and the beautiful Italian setting of this mystery. When Julia (who is adopted) is gifted a mysterious and generous inheritance, she comes to find that there are secrets and history attached to her Italian heritage. I love the way Lisa Scottoline writes, and this book has more culture, history, and flavor than the usual suspense novel. There are also some fun subplots involving astrology, art, and Italian villas. I learned a lot about Italy while enjoying the mystery. This is more of a character study with a sense of history than a traditional thriller, and I really enjoyed it. Unique and full of heart.

Julia was content with her life, adoptive parents and a loving husband. Suddenly everything is upside down -losing her parents, her husband is murdered and she inherits a vast estate in Tuscany. Living between grief and disruption she travels to Italy in the hopes of finding her family. She has no knowledge of the Italian woman who left her everything and although she has always been particularly immersed in horoscopes she begins living with visions and nightmares. Nothing is as it seems and Julia has to figure out if she's in danger or losing reality.
I'm new to this author and it really is a 3.5 rated book for me. I was always invested in Julia's search for love and family. Thank you Netgalley and Grand Central Publishing

This book has got so many different elements - astrology, paranormal, murder. There’s a lot of strange stuff to unravel. Overall, this was a good enough read but it was unusual and that was distracting.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read The Unraveling of Julia.
I had mix emotions. I had a hard time trying to enjoy the main character. Her phobias and her anxiety about everything made me question her motive. She was a hard character to get into.
I really enjoyed the plot and themes. I asked to read this because Historical finds are always my favorite to read. You add some mystery and I felt like it would be a solid read. Unfortunately, this one just fell a little flat.

Atmospheric and dare I say, magical? The Unraveling of Julia is one of those books that delivered a different story than I was originally expecting and I’m delighted to report that! I really love Scottoline’s writing and she took a bit of a different direction in this tale and it was fantastic!

Julia lost the love of her life and in her mind, she should have known better. She has a premonition that something was going to happen and she didn’t listen to it. Now, overcome with grief and despair, she can barely leave her home. When she gets a letter that she’s inherited a large sum of money and an estate in Italy, she’s encouraged by her best friend to go see it instead of selling it, sight unseen.

Travelling to Italy, Julia is determined to find out if the stranger who left her the inheritance could be a relative; Julia is adopted and has felt the need for answers into her biological family – maybe this trip will open those doors for her. Once she gets there, though, she’s met with more confusion. Emilia Rossi isn’t who she hoped she’d be and this is just the start to Julia’s struggle that will become a fight for her life.

Interweaving the paranormal into this mystery thriller was brilliantly done!

Julia Pritzker had an ominous feeling that something terrible was going to happen. Her worst fears were realized when her husband was stabbed to death while protecting her from a thief. In looking back, she is convinced that her daily horoscope predicted the tragedy. As she continued to grieve, her horoscope read that her luck would change. This proved true when she was advised that the late Emilia Rossi had named her the sole heir to millions of dollars, along with an Italian villa and vineyard. Julia travels to Italy to learn more about her benefactor. Since she was adopted, could Emilia be a relative, possibly her grandmother? When Julia arrives in Chianti, she is shocked to find that the villa is falling apart and all its contents have been burned, dashing her hopes of collecting a DNA sample from Emilia for testing. The situation becomes stranger as Julia believes she is being followed, and odd occurrences begin to occur.

I've read many of Lisa Scottoline's books and was excited to read The Unraveling of Julia. This novel is a departure from her traditional action-packed mystery thrillers, and I always appreciate an author trying new things. The Tuscan setting is an appealing one, with the villa being a character unto itself and holding many secrets. The premise of a woman seeking answers about her heritage was highly compelling. A lot was going on, including an unexpected romance, and some elements delved into the paranormal, or did they? Some parts had me shaking my head, and I was left with some unanswered questions. In the end, I found the book entertaining.

3.5 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the eARC.

This book was not like anything I have read before with the focus on horoscopes. It immediately opened with a bang and kept my interest throughout.

This book is a departure from Lisa Scottoline’s usual style, offering a different tone and structure. While the premise was intriguing, the story felt overcrowded with too many plot threads, some of which were left unresolved. The pacing dragged at times, making the middle feel sluggish, only for the ending to wrap up a bit too neatly and conveniently. Overall, an interesting read, but it didn’t quite come together as strongly as expected.

The Unraveling of Julia by Lisa Scottoline was the best gothic suspense I’ve read in a very long time!
It’s thrilling, atmospheric, and addictive. With some paranormal activity I devoured it.
In Scottoline's typical style, the chapters are faced paced and keep the reader turning pages.
I thought it was well written with great plot twists which kept me entertained.
This book was gripping, suspenseful, and entertaining.

Thanks to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for the EARC, all opinions are my own. 100% not for me. I have liked other Lisa Scottoline but not this one. Have a degree in social work and psychology so I struggled from the get go. Agoraphobia is not cured magically because you inherit a mansion in Italy. Pacing was sooooooo slow. Characters were frustrating and unlikeable. A real struggle to finish with very little payoff.

Okay now I want to go visit Italy!! 🍝🇮🇹😅

I would not necessarily consider this a psychological thriller - I would say it’s more mystery with a bit of paranormal added in. That said, I did enjoy it! Did have to suspend belief a little bit, but it wasn’t too bad. I was hooked throughout, so the pacing was good! I’d recommend checking it out - just maybe eat before you do, otherwise your stomach is going to growl at the mentions of food in this one! 😋

Thank you to NetGalley, Grand Central Publishing, and Lisa Scottoline for the opportunity to read the eARC in exchange for my honest review! ❤️

I usually enjoy a good minimalist style, but not here. This is my first book from this author but I think I'm turned off of her. I just find her style flat and without inflection. Also, I just despise the cursed birthday trope. "My mom was murdered by an intruder in front of me on my birthday *while we made cake*!!" Egads, that's about as realistic and believable as "My dog was eaten by an allosaurus while we were white water rafting on the *day I became a forest ranger which was also my birthday*!" See? Silly.

DNF @ p31

Thank you to the author Lisa Scottoline, publishers Grand Central Publishing, and NetGalley for an accessible digital arc of THE UNRAVELING OF JULIA. All views are mine.

My thanks to Net Galley and Grand Central Publishers for allowing me to review this arc.

4.5 stars!!

I really enjoyed this book. The prolog hooked me right away with the opening tragedy. It was nice of the good fortune that came to Julia. Hearing about the trip to Italy was a nice read. My few issues. I think it was a slow build up.to the really good action. The little horoscopes seemed to distract the flow of the read. And what happened to Gianluca! Why? All in all good book!