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!

One of the best audios ever. The narrator did great. I throughly enjoyed listening to her.

Another good one from Lisa Scottoline. What a book!! Scottoline does not disappoint. Her books will keep you engaged.


After Julia's husband is murdered right in front of her Julia becomes reclusive. She orders her groceries delivered. Works from home. She is afraid to go out in case the killer is out there waiting. But when she receives a call about inheriting a lot of money and a villa in Italy what is she suppose to do. She has to go check it out. Of course she doesn't believe it is real. She thinks it may be a setup. But she finds an email she didn't see and it's from the same lawyer. Her best friend talks her into going and seeing what it's all about. If nothing else she can sell the villa and add even more to the large sum she is suppose to receive.

This story takes you from the USA to Italy. There is a lot going on. A lot of intense things. But Julia did really inherit the money and the villa. Julia was adopted and thinks maybe the woman who left all of this too could be her biological grandmother. Who else would leave her such a vast thing. Julia's mother, her adoptive mother, died on her birthday when Julia was only nine/ten. She has lost a lot in her life and wants more than anything to have a family. But things are not all good when she gets to the villa. There are some strange things going on.

Julia believes strongly in the astrological signs. She's seen things before they happen. Or had feelings of bad things beforehand. Even seen or felt good things. She knew something was going to happen the night her husband was killed. She blames herself for not being more careful when she and Mike were out that night. If she had said something maybe he would not have been killed.

Seems Julia has a kind of gift. She can communicate with people on the other side. Even on this side in certain circumstances. She is being followed. Stalked. Drugged. Harassed. And she's scared. When Julia meets a guy and there are sparks she feels guilty. But she also really likes Gianluca. He's a good guy and they seem to make a good team. If she can only let go and give it a chance.

This story takes you on a life altering chase. Julia has to literally fight for her life. She doesn't trust many of the people in Tuscany. Not even the police. With good reason.

Grab this book and sit back for a scary and intense ride. It's very good and will keep you turning the pages. The ending is perfect and all loose ends are tied up nicely. I enjoyed it.

Thank you #GrandCentralPublishing, #HachettAudio/GrandCentralPublishing, for this ARC.

4.5 stars.

Julia, a young recently widowed New Yorker, gets a call informing her that she has inherited a lot of money and an estate in Tuscany. So, she picks herself up and decides to go to Italy since she's been living with a lot of sadness and is very depressed. Julia is a very likeable person and you can't help but hope she finds the answers she's looking for. While I'm not a fan of the supernatural and the spirit world, it kind of worked here because Julia herself had to become a woman with super powers to overcome the rest of the world, it seems, trying to get rid of her. This Lisa Scottoline book is the perfect beach read this summer, just remember to reapply that sunscreen because you won't want to put this one down. The audiobook is well narrated.

This was a really interesting story. I enjoyed the trip to Italy and the history woven into the story. Some of it seemed a bit too neat and tidy to be fully realistic, but it was a good read.

There was so much going on in this story to fully enjoy any of the plot points along the way.
****Possible spoilers ahead*****
From the horoscope (I actually liked this part, I feel like this is never done in books), possibly finding her biological family, the hit men? The love story, the possibly haunted villa.. I could keep going. I couldn't get completely invested in the story because of how much it would continue to shift. Great writing and pacing and I think if it had less going on, I would've really enjoyed it.

2.5 starts rounded up to 3.

This book completely pulled me in from the first chapter. It starts with a devastating loss, then drops Julia into a mysterious inheritance in Tuscany that slowly morphs into something much darker than she ever expected. The pacing was sharp, the atmosphere was lush and unsettling, and the unraveling of Julia’s identity was handled with just the right amount of tension.

I loved how the author blurred the line between legacy and delusion, between who Julia thinks she is and what others are determined to make her believe. The setting was vivid, gorgeous, and eerie all at once. The deeper Julia digs, the more suffocating things become.

It’s a psychological spiral wrapped in family secrets and old-world glamor, with just the right touch of danger.
✨ Unreliable connections, sharp writing, and a few turns I didn’t see coming.

Highly recommend if you enjoy stories that feel like peeling back layers of an inherited lie.

Julia thinks there's a dark cloud over her head. After losing her adoptive parents and her husband is murdered with no clue who the suspect is or why, she gets news that someone she's never met has left her a large sum of money and property in Tuscany. Could this possibly be someone from her birth family? Figuring there's nothing much else to lose, she goes to Tuscany to hopefully find answers. This was not only a suspenseful thriller but a story of adoption and finding answers.

I loved every word of this cheesy and unbelievable novel. Our girl experiences absolute trauma and agony before embarking on a journey to Italy to inherit a villa and solve a few mysteries. I loved it all. It was just perfect. The narration was perfect too.

Thank you to Netgalley, Lisa Scottoline, and Hachette Audio for an ARC audiobook of this book in exchange for an honest review.

In a period of grieving after the murder of her husband, Julia receives a letter notifying her of an inheritance in Tuscany. She is left a villa, land, and money, but has no idea why. She doesn’t recognize the name of the woman who left it to her, but, because she knows she was adopted, she wonders if this is a clue into her birth family, starting with Emilia Rossi.
Julia decides to go to Tuscany to decide what to do and start investigating. What she finds is worst case scenario and she finds that her life is in danger.

At first I really enjoyed this book! But as the story started to unravel, I started to feel bored and just wanted to finish the book. Definitely worth reading, rated 3 stars.

This book reminded me of a few great movies and was almost nostalgic. I loved the storyline and the mystery that this book entailed! The FMC lived in a world where she was adopted and her adopted mother passed on her 6th birthday. Her adopted father resented her for his wives passing. She lost the feeling of being loved. One day someone told her she had a long lost relative that past in Italy and her estate now belongs to her. The small town wasn't very welcoming and she something strange kept happening. Highly recommend and I will be looking for more of this author's writings.

This was a slow-burn read and I thoroughly enjoyed the story.
The mystery, paranormal and psychological elements in the story made it entertaining.
This is my first book of Lisa Scottoline and I like it.
The narrator did an excellent work on narrating the book.

Thank you NetGalley and to Hachette Audio for the ARC.

This was my first time reading Lisa Scottoline and it did not disappoint! The first chapter pulled me in immediately and I was invested the entire way through. It has a strong sense of place with vivid descriptions of landscapes and characters. Newly widowed Julia receives a letter stating she has inherited a lot of money and an Italian villa. She doesn’t know anyone in Italy nor does she have any relatives there; or does she? She’s adopted and has never met her birth parents. She travels to Italy to see the villa and attempt to find her birth mother. I wasn’t really a fan of the bit of paranormal and astrology that was thrown in but it didn’t deter me from finishing the book. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator did a fantastic job! Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette audio for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.