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3.5 stars!

Thank you Hatchet Audio for the arc of this book.

Oh like the creepiness when it happened. And the mystery, when revealed was slightly disappointing on how…usual it is. 3 scope though, was wide - From Tuscany to Pittsburgh. Wanted more….ghosts.

I enjoyed how it felt like Julia was really unraveling and I appreciate the epilogue.

I honestly don’t think I’ve read much of this author’s works. Maybe time to check the older titles.

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Thank you Grand central pub and hatchette audio for the gifted, advanced copies of this book! The premise of this one was intriguing and I love the cover! Unfortunately, I found it hard to get invested in the story and connect with the characters. The astrology jargon was so overdone and it became bothersome to me. I liked the mystery aspect and thought the ending was good, but I was ready for the story to be over. I wanted more out of this as far as characters and plot and less on the astrology. I think this definitely has an audience though!

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I typically love books from Scottoline. This started off great and quickly turned a little to weird for me, thanks for the arc,

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Julia Pritzker’s adoptive parents have passed and now her husband has been murdered. After his death she’s headed for a downward spiral but when she receives a letter informing her that she has inherited a Tuscan Villa and the benefactor is a total stranger name Emilia Rossi, she decides to take a trip to Italy to figure out who this stranger is and possibly uncover information about her birth family. However, what she finds might be more than she expected.

This book had me hooked from page 1. I finished it in one day. The twists and turns kept me guessing. With a slight touch of the paranormal, this book was everything I wanted it to be.

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I always enjoy this author and I found this book to be much different than her usual writing - but just as good. It was interesting how she combined the usual mystery and suspense along with some supernatural, some romance, just a little bit of everything. The characters were well defined, the plot complex and interesting. I enjoyed the book!

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At first I really liked this book, but I liked it less as it went along. I didn’t hate it, just remain neutral.

Thank you to NetGalley for the Advanced Listener copy!

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The Unraveling of Julia
Lisa Scottoline
Grand Central Publishing
07/15/2025
Hatchett Audio | Maria Marquis Narrator
As someone who never misses a Lisa Scottoline book—whether I’m reading or listening—I found The Unraveling of Julia to be a standout. This novel isn’t just a tightly-wound psychological thriller; it’s layered with a supernatural thread that pulled me in deeper than I expected. Julia’s grief, confusion, and self-doubt felt real and raw, and as she unraveled the secrets left behind by a woman who was completely unknown to her, and by the untimely death of her husband. These events were not coincidence. I felt like I was right there with her—haunted by the past, unsure of what was real, but unable to look away.
I really enjoyed how this book moved beyond traditional thriller framework. There’s mystery, yes, but also mysticism, ancestral echoes, and the beautiful, eerie pull of Tuscany itself. The supernatural elements aren’t overdone—they blend in just enough to keep you questioning fate, identity, and the things we carry without even realizing it.

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When Julia receives a letter claiming she’s been left an estate in Tuscany, she’s initially skeptical. However she realizes this might be her only chance to find out the truth about her family. She’s recently lost her adopted parents and then her husband was murdered in front of her in a robbery. However when she gets to Italy she realizes nothing is what it seems.
This book does a fantastic job of making the reader question everything throughout the whole book. I was never sure what was real. The narrator made the story really come alive and made it easy to get sucked into the story.

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My first read by this author and it started off very strong and likeable. The middle was a step into the paranormal/slightly horror-driven and it came at me unexpectedly. I was startled quite a bit by the level of description of the violence the main character experienced during her dreams. I wasn't expecting it to go on for as long as it did in the book and it was a bit uncomfortable at times. If that was the authors goal, it definitely achieved this with this reader. There are multiple scenes that are stretched out in their description of violence so if this is not your type of book, I would say this may not be the read for you. So the story revolves around a woman who's husband was murdered violently. She is struggling to find her way through her grief because the perpetrator is still at large so she becomes a recluse. She is contacted by an attorney's office in Italy to say that she has inherited a property and money from an individual she has never met. She is adopted so she is curious if this could be ties to her birth family. She is convinced to go check out the inheritance and see if she can discover any answers about her past. I found the story goes in quite a few directions once she gets to Italy and while I think it's interesting to have a plot stay moving and interesting, my mind kept feeling like it was pulled in too many different directions between the stories of the woman who owned the Villa and what her backstory was to the man she meets in the museum who works at the library to her investigation of who she may be related to. So many threads to pull and at times, it was too much for the audiobook listener. All that to say, this may be someone's type of book but I don't think it was exactly a book for me.

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This book is quite different from anything else I’ve read recently.

It starts as a simple story about a grieving young woman who is presented with an opportunity to learn more about herself, but quickly branches out into an intriguing mystery with dark, supernatural, and spiritual elements.

Grief is an overarching theme in this book and I happened to be going through my own, albeit very different, grief while reading it. The book helped me through that and made me feel a deeper connection to the main character.

I’m not sure I would call this a true psychological thriller, and those who prefer books to fall strictly within the description of one genre may not like this one. But those who can let go and allow themselves to be pulled along for the ride will definitely enjoy it.

At times it feels like contemporary fiction, at others romance, historical fiction, or thriller…as someone who likes reading a range of books, this appealed to me.

That isn’t to say I loved every part of the book; it definitely requires some suspension of belief, but I felt some of the more “out there” parts were justified in how they contributed to the overall story.

I also found the ending satisfying and was left with a smile on my face after reading.

“Unraveling” is the perfect word for this book’s title, because that’s exactly what it felt like I was doing as I read—unraveling an intricately layered and meaningful story.

The narration was also really enjoyable to me. I don’t believe I’ve listened to an audiobook read by this narrator before, but she did a great job. Her use of accents made the story feel more real and she did a good job with male and female characters alike. It

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Thanks so much to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC audiobook.
Honestly? I really didn't love this book. The whole horoscope, zodiac thing just became too overwhelming and repetitive.
I found it hard to really get into the story.

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I've always enjoyed Lisa Scottoline's books, but this wasn't a favorite. I was happy with the way everything tied up at the end.

Julia Pritzker is still getting over witnessing the murder of her husband when she learns that a woman she's never heard of has left her an Italian villa and a bundle of cash. That's just the start of the mystery...

Thank you Grand Central Publishing for an audio ARC through NetGalley


#TheUnravelingofJulia #NetGalley

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I listened to the audiobook of The Unravelling of Julia. The narration was excellent, capturing the emotional depth and building tension and suspense.

I loved the moody and atmospheric gothic Italian villa setting, it was the perfect setting for this borderline supernatural mystery. The story moved at a fast pace, with high stakes and kept me engaged the whole time. Some of the resolutions to the twist felt like they came a little too easily, but the momentum and suspense made up for it.

Julia’s choices didn’t always heighten make the most sense - more “don’t go in the basement!” than strategic, but her gumption and emotional resilience made her easy to root for.

Overall, I’d recommend this to anyone looking for a generously twisty, emotionally charged thriller with a gothic flair. 3.5⭐️

Thank you to the publisher for the advance copy of this book. Opinions expressed are my own.

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This book is very different from anything I have read from Lisa Scottoline and while it was categorized as a thriller I didn’t think it really was. There was a little bit of mystery with some thrills but this was mostly an emotional story about family and discovering who you are and what family is. This book was also heavily about grief which I didn’t quite realize. It was an interesting book, but it wasn’t quite what I was expecting. Julia and her husband were out one night when someone comes to mug her and when her husband defends her he is stabbed and killed. As she tries to put her life back together she gets a strange letter about an inheritance from someone she has never heard of and since she was adopted she wonders if this is a connection to her birth family. I listened to the audiobook and I thought the narrator did a good job. I gave this one 3.5 stars which I rounded up because I did like the excitement of the end (even if it wasn’t particularly twisty or hard to predict).

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What a pleasant surprise this was! I went in sort of blind, but Lisa Scottoline knocked it out of the park! I was second guessing everything and at times questioning my own sanity. A thrilling and unique story. An excellent audiobook!

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Lisa Scottoline is one of my favorite authors. Normally, any time she publishes a book, I put it on my TBR.

This book is one of the best I’ve read all summer. The main character starts off in the US but ends up in Italy when she inherits a home. There’s romance, intrigue, and suspense. The narrator brings this story to life with several accents and characters. The writing is quite clever and meticulous.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance audio copy.

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This was a delightful read/listen! Thank you Grand Central Publishing, Hachette Audio, and NetGalley for the ARC! The unraveling of Julia, literally, provided such a neat story! I am so grateful to have had a chance to read yet another Lisa Scottoline book! This will be a hit! Thank you for the chance at the audio version!

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3.25 stars
"From a #1 international bestselling author, a gothic, suspenseful tale in which a young widow inherits a Tuscan estate from a mysterious benefactor and finds herself thrust into the crosshairs of a dangerous conspiracy—a “compelling thriller with dashes of romance and excellent twists!” (Karin Slaughter, New York Times bestselling author)."

As a longtime Lisa Scottoline fan, I was ecstatic to receive an advance listening copy of The Unraveling of Julia. Julia Pricket is reeling after watching her husband murdered protecting her from a potential purse thief. Her adoptive parents had passed away years earlier, and she has no family left other than her best friend Courtney. When she travels to Tuscany to find out if she is related to her mysterious benefactor, danger seems to be lurking around every corner. She has nightmares at the Villa and feels that she is being followed. During her research, she meets Giancarlo, who seems to be the only one who believes her. Julia feels caught in a rollercoaster of unpredictability and sinister intent at every corner.

The premise of the book is amazing, and Scottoline has her characteristically fleshed out characters. This novel is a departure from what I've come to expect from her novels. There is a strong element of paranormal, astrology, and a somewhat cheesy romance, which are not my personal preference. The written book might be a better way to go with this one, although I do feel that the audio performance was excellent. I think this is a good choice if you want to have a suspenseful beach read that transports you to the Tuscan countryside.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Hachette Audio, and Lisa Scottoline for an advance listening copy in exchange for my honest review. 🎧

#TheUnravelingOfJulia #LisaScottoline #HachetteAudio #GrandCentralPublishing #NetGalley #ARCreview #mystery #suspense #PsychologicalThriller #BookReview #bookstagram #NetGalleyReviewer #BookRecommendations #bestbooks #TBR2025 #AnticipatedBooks #nytbestsellingauthor

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I thought this book was great. I've been a fan of Lisa Scottoline books for years so I was thrilled to get an early version of this book. It was not in the style of story telling that some readers may have become accustomed to. The story all makes sense if you read it to the end.

Julia had a strong premonition of danger immediately before a purse snatcher lunges out to attack her. Unfortunately, her dearly loved husband steps in and is stabbed to death. Julia is left reeling and becomes very much a believer in her horoscope. As she is buried in her mourning, she is contacted by a lawyer in Tuscany. Julia has inherited not only a villa in Tuscany, but very valuable property surrounding it. And a large sum of money comes with the inheritance. But she has no idea who the woman is who left her the inheritance.

While she is visiting her villa, she finds that the villa and property have been left to become very run down and overgrown. Additionally, she begins to see things that are can't be real. Is she seeing ghosts? Hallucinating? There are strange bits of information that she manages to dig up, along with the fact that nothing is left of the dead woman - it's all been burned.

But Julia wants to determine if her benefactor is her biological mother or grandmother. After all, who else might have left her such an estate? The more she digs, the more strange and frightening her situation becomes.

I have both the e-book and the audio. The narrator, is incredibly good. Her accents and voices allow the listener to identify each character.

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Julia’s husband has just been tragically murdered when she is notified that she has inherited a villa in Italy. Once there, she is greeted by hostility and quickly realizes that not everything is as it seems and her life may be in danger.

Underlying throughout the story is the unsolved death of Julia’s husband. On top of that, Julia ha no idea why she is the heir. There are beautiful descriptions of the gothic setting, which enhance the air of mystery. This is a quick read with intensity and a European flavor. The narration successfully captures the overall vibe, making this an easy listen.

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