Whimsical, Wistful, and Wonderfully Woven

The Unraveling of Julia shares emotional and atmospheric DNA with Eat, Pray, Love and The Others, with just a sprinkle of While You Were Sleeping. I loved the lush Tuscan setting and the threads of local history that added richness to the unfolding mystery.

There’s a touch of magical realism—or is there?—that lends a thought-provoking twist, blurring the lines between memory, grief, and imagination. Scottoline masterfully leaves just enough space for the reader to decide what's real.

Both whimsical and heart-wrenching, this story held me from beginning to end. A truly enjoyable and unique read.

<b>3.5⭐️</b>

Went back and forth on what to rate this one.

Scottoline knows her craft, and dang if she can’t pace a story well. This was mysterious and deeply intriguing, with more than a little creepiness at the beginning. And even with a swift-moving plot, she managed to work in a very real portrait of grief, especially early in the story.

Julia’s husband is murdered within the first few minutes of the novel, yet the emotional fallout she experiences doesn’t feel rushed or surface-level. Her ache feels real, and the book manages to keep that depth of feeling alive even as the plot moves at a solid thriller’s pace. I was honestly surprised by how raw and grounded the emotional core of the story felt.

Around the 57% mark, the book shifted from “pretty good” to “stay-up-way-too-late-to-continue-reading” levels of investment. That’s where it fully hooked me.

I LOVED that there was a supernatural element to the narrative and that she managed to weave Caterina Sforza into the story in a fascinating way. (Plus, I had the unique reading experience of looking up and saying, “Wait…was Sforza in <i>Assassin’s Creed</i>?” Only for Julia to literally confirm it moments later. I could have Googled that myself, but hey, nothing like having an MC answer your question for you.).

If you're wondering why the 3.5⭐ rating after all the glowing praise... It's the romance.

Gianluca is LOVELY on paper: a handsome Italian librarian who enjoys literature and history. He’s sweet, dependable, romantic, and he rides a motorcycle? It was so refreshing that he and Julia's budding relationship was built on thoughtful, quiet conversations, instead of barbs and banter.

But then it got weird.

Gianluca had already struck me as a man who was a little TOO in love with love, but the tells Julia out of the blue that he's falling in love with her. And oof, red flags. Red flags as far as the eye can see! <b>SIR. IT'S BEEN LESS THAN A WEEK.</b>

In a thriller, that kind of instant devotion doesn’t read as romantic—it reads as suspicious, especially after he‘d already shared that he’d once uprooted his life for his forever great love. And truthfully? I was a little excited about the prospect that he might be a baddie. <I>Ooh, is he part of the weird things happening to Julia? Part of the danger?</i>

No. No, he's not. He’s just an overly perfect, overly romantic... love interest.

I mt got worse because of his wildly protective sister who was openly hostile to Julia. I understand loyalty to family, but her antagonism made it impossible to buy into the fantasy of a happily-ever-after. Family dynamics like that can wear a relationship down, especially when the romance already feels like a rebound.

I have other gripes that knocked the rating down a bit further for me, but I’m afraid they get too spoilery for this review. Suffice it to say, there were some Plot Decisions (™) I found…perplexing.

<b>🎧 Audio-Specific:</b>
The production quality on this one is wonderful and Maria Marquis absolutely SHINES as the narrator. Her performance brings Lisa Scottoline’s already sparkling prose to life, adding warmth, trepidation, or panic exactly where needed. I especially appreciated the accents she gives all the characters, but her Italian pronunciation and the accents for the Italian characters are next level! There are subtle but distinct variations based on how fluent in English each character is. She's probably the most talented voice actor I've heard this year.

<b>TL;DR</b> — A fast-paced thriller with a touch of the paranormal, set against a stunning Tuscan backdrop. If you can look past the overly idealized and unearned romance, this is a solid read.

The Unraveling of Julia
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
WoW!! This book was soooo good!! It grabs you from the very beginning & you can't stop! The Audio was great. Hurry & read this great book.
Thank you NetGalley!

Thank you Netgalley for the ALC. I gave this a 4 star. The drama and suspense was good and the descriptions of places was good but some parts were like ok already, move it along. I was like is this a true ghost story or is this something different, so not real ghosts but “feelings” and “I can see dead people” type stuff. It was interesting though. Good job there Lisa Scottoline! Describe Rittenhouse Square more though because it does have some lovely nooks and crannies!

Dear The Unraveling of Julia,
You pulled me into your complicated twisty world of back stabbing and betrayal, death and curses. You were a heck of a ride as you took me into the dark past of Tuscany. I was in for your world of intrigue. Julia's hidden past was interesting to me and I liked being in her head. You were compelling and a heck of a ride.

Recently widowed Julia inherits a fortune and a villa in Tuscany, so she travels there in search of information about her birth family. Things end up being way more difficult than what they seemed at first.

This is an enjoyable thriller that would be a great vacation read. Though it had a few predictable twists, there were some surprises too. I wasn't wowed by the ending but enjoyed the book nevertheless.
I loved the setting (and the descriptions of food) and that aside from the thriller storyline, the author also spends time to explore Julia's feelings about grief and being adopted. Personally I wasn't a fan of the paranormal elements and Julia's relationship with Gianluca was a little bit too insta-love for me.

I listened to the audio book and enjoyed it a lot. The narrator, Maria Marquis, does a great job giving each character a unique voice. She also is really good with all the accents present in the book (there's UK and US English, Irish, Italian), without making them sound cringey or overdone.

3,5 ⭐

This was my first Lisa Scottoline novel, and while I usually love thrillers—especially those with an international setting—it didn’t quite land.

Julia is a grieving widow who unexpectedly inherits a villa in Tuscany from a woman she’s never met. Her journey to Italy is meant to be one of discovery and healing, but what unfolds is a slow, often confusing, gothic mystery. I listened to the audiobook, which may have contributed to my disconnection—I struggled to stay engaged and found myself frequently zoning out. The characters didn’t feel fully developed, and the plot, while intriguing in concept, didn’t deliver enough tension or emotional payoff.

I’m sure fans of gothic suspense or moody thrillers might enjoy this more than I did, but it didn’t hold my attention or leave much of an impression. I’ll likely try another Scottoline title before making up my mind on her work.

Book: The Unraveling of Julia
Author: Lisa Scottoline
Format: Audiobook
Genre: Thriller, Crime/Mystery
Places Featured: Tuscany, Italy
Review Score: ★★½ (rounded up)

The Unraveling of Julia by Lisa Scottoline is one of those mysteries that throws everything at you - murder, mysterious inheritances, astrology, paranoia, and a Tuscan villa hiding more secrets than wine bottles. Julia Pritzker has already lost her parents and husband when she inherits a vineyard from a stranger. What follows is a whirlwind trip to Italy, a tangle of family mysteries, eerie coincidences, and a possible curse.

At times, the plot feels overstuffed, but it’s never dull. I didn’t expect the subtle paranormal thread, but it worked, adding just enough strangeness to keep things interesting. The Tuscan setting is gorgeous, and Maria Marquis’ narration keeps the twists feeling fresh without losing the suspense.

⭐️ 3.25/5 - A little chaotic, yes, but atmospheric, twisty, and thoroughly entertaining. My first Scottoline, but definitely not my last.

Thank you to NetGalley, Hachette Audio, and Grand Central Publishing for an advanced reader's copy; all opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Hmmm. This one had a good storyline and great ideas but there was a lot to keep track of while listening to the audio and did not keep me engaged. I finished it, but barely. I’m sure some will really enjoy but it just wasn’t for me. Thank you to NetGalley for the advance listen in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts & opinions are my own. 2.5 ⭐️⭐️s

This book was a decent thriller if you are looking for something easy to read with predictable plot points. The story is compelling at first and there are plenty of mysteries but so many plot points are wrapped up too quickly and too easily. About halfway through I didn’t really care much because it was a bit slow, I didn’t like the romance aspect (does it really need it???) or the very predictable occurrences, and there were just too many loose ends that magically vanished.

First, I would like to thank Netgalley, Hachette Audio for this Advanced Listener Copy of the audiobook.

After the loss of her husband, Julia gets a letter letting her know she seemingly inherited a house, money, and land from someone she doesn't know. Being adopted, Julia thinks maybe this is a clue to her birth family. Once there though, the staff are acting weird and as things progress she realizes that maybe she's in danger.

It wasn't the strongest, I feel it starts out strong and doesn't quite stick the landing.

I'm give it 3 1/2 out of 5

I will say this, although a slow burn of a read, this book had me until the end when it kind of fizzled out for me. I think that the author had a great idea and really made use of that idea and rich history of Italy, but I think the ending was just kind of blah. Almost as if the author wanted to finish it fast and move on. Other than that it was fantastic. Will be recommending to my friends and family.

Lisa Scottoline is another of those authors who've been on my radar (and even in my personal library) for years, and much as I've meant to actually read one of her books, I've never gotten around to her. When I saw that she'd written a gothic mystery, I couldn't pass it up. I really enjoyed this story about a young widow who's husband is murdered in front of her in a street mugging. In the aftermath of that tragedy she begins to spiral a bit, becoming more reclusive and obsessing over her horoscope. The shocking news that she's inherited a villa in Tuscany from someone she has never heard of both brings her out of her shell and begins a different type of unraveling. Is she seeing ghosts, or losing her mind? And surrounded by strangers, who can she trust in this new environment? I really enjoyed the mystery. The descriptions of food made me hungry (and had me searching for some recipes!). The descriptions of Tuscany made me want to go there. The excellent narration of the audiobook by Maria Marquis made me glad I was listening (and not butchering the Italian words and names in my head as I read!). And while I realize gothic isn't her usual genre, I enjoyed the writing style and absolutely am now inspired to pull out those Lisa Scottoline books on my Kindle shelf and finally read them.
My thanks to Netgalley and Hachette Audio for providing a digital copy for an unbiased review.

4.25 stars rounded down. Enjoyable. Great pacing. End was a little too tidy. Narration was perfect for this book.

I started out reading this book, wondering where this would go. Meaning, I thought that the title meant one thing, when it really meant another. Julia started out as one character in my mind and ended up a completely different one.

While The Unraveling Of Julia is a mystical book with a thread of supernatural woven through it, it’s as much NOT about that. It’s about love, grief, friendship and perseverance. Plus, the Italian countryside.

Advanced reader copy provided by Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley but all opinions are my own.

A gripping read from the very beginning that delivers both emotional depth and intrigue.
The plot was original and I enjoyed the pacing, I loved the unexpected twisty turn. All characters were very well developed.
I like the way Lisa showed the closeness of Courtney and Julia’s friendship and what it could endure amid turmoil.
My favorite part of this book is that it is much more than just a thriller but also a story about healing, the courage it takes to unravel truth, and self identity.

I wanted to like this story much more than I did. It just felt like the story didn’t want to commit to one of its ideas.

I loved the FMC connection to astrology and being a probable medium, but that storyline basically becomes abandoned. Plus the cat and mouse game between the bad guys takes a backseat when the psychological mysteries are there but then become the main plot twist? The FMC also discusses the same things over and over and never seems to commit or decide on anything.

This book has all the beginnings of a great story but fails to execute in the end and just peters out.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for an advanced audiobook copy; all opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Julia recently lost her adoptive parents, and now her husband has been murdered. Things take a turn when she learns she has inherited a Tuscan villa worth millions from an Emilia Rossi. She has never heard of Emilia, so she travels to Tuscany to see if she can solve the mystery. Julia was not prepared for what she would find…

Well this book took a turn I was not expecting! I loved that Julia lived in Philly, and of course the Tuscan scenery was fantastic. Though what Julia was facing in Tuscany was certainly not the relaxing Italian vacation anyone would wish for. There was so much happening in this book and it kept me on my toes as the story went on! While the story was a bit off the rails at times, the ghosts and mystery around Emilia kept me on my toes and I really enjoyed every second!

Thank you to @grandcentralpub for my gifted copy of this book!

The Unraveling of Julia delivers a suspenseful and engaging plot that definitely kept me on the edge of my seat at times. The thriller elements are well done and kept me curious about what would happen next.

However, I went into the story thinking it wouldn’t be so heavily saturated with horoscopes and astrology. Unfortunately, that aspect plays a major role in the narrative, and since I don’t personally believe in horoscopes, it made it hard for me personally to fully connect with the main character and her motivations.

That said, the narration is excellent—the narrator’s voice is pleasant and expressive, adding depth to the listening experience. While the story didn’t quite click for me, I think readers who enjoy thrillers with strong astrological themes will find a lot to appreciate here.

This was quite a long book, which I happened to enjoy.
The book follows Julia to Italy, where she happens to inherit a property and some money (the dream of everyone) from someone she doesnt know, who happens to be her granny.
Now, Julia is both invested in renovations of the house as well as researching her identity and her real parents so that she can solve the mystery of the inheritance.
Julia is thrown in the middle of a hurricane, as she is being followed, threatened, but she never quits before finding her real mother :)

I haven't read many books by this author but the ones I have tend to be male centered so I was excited to read this one and was not disappointed. This author can write any character!