The Unraveling of Julia is a delicious escape that grips you from the very first page—a captivating blend of suspense, atmosphere, and heart. Set against the hauntingly beautiful backdrop of a crumbling Tuscan villa, the novel delivers both emotional depth and spine-tingling intrigue. When a shocking murder shatters the serenity of Julia’s retreat, she finds herself at the center of a mystery as layered as her own grief. Still reeling from a tragic personal loss, Julia must summon strength she didn’t know she had to confront buried secrets, both within the villa and herself. The story is rich with moody settings, complex characters, and a slow-burning tension that builds to a satisfying and emotional climax. Readers will be swept away by the lush descriptions of Tuscany, the undercurrents of danger, and the poignant journey of a woman rediscovering her resilience. This is more than just a thriller—it's a story about healing, identity, and the courage it takes to unravel the truth.

Thank you to Hachette Audio for the gifted ALC.

I unfortunately decided to DNF this one about 20% in. I did not realize it was going to lean so heavily on the horoscope and "woo woo" element, and that's just not for me.

Julia Pritzer's husband has been murdered in a botched purse-napping.but when she checks her horoscope later for that day, it tells her to listen to her gut and take care as something terrible was going to happen, now Julia Pritzker is strartng to believe she may be cursed. Julia then discovers she has been left a villa and vineyard in Italy from, Emilia Rossi, someone she has never heard of, she wonders if it may be her birth family, as she is adopted.. From the moment she gets to Italy, strange things start to happen, someone may be following her and the villa is in a sad state of disrepair. The only light seems to be the Italian librarian she meets, who seems to be in her corner. Julia has to solve the mystery and find out who Emilia Rossi is, and who is following her, before any more danger befalls her.

The story has all the premise of a great read. I have almost always enjoyed this author's books. This book had me hating the main character, she jumped to every conclusion she could at a drop of a hat, without a lick of evidence, and to the extreme; things that the average person would not even remotely think of. The story just didn't make sense to me, even at the end, I was parying for a twist that never happened. Unfortunately this was a no for me.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishing house and the author for the opportuity to listen to a complimentary copy of this audiobook in return for a review based upon my honest opinion.

Interesting read and kept me guessing the whole time. I felt like I was also going through an insane trip just like Julia, and felt like I was just unraveling.

Julia was an interesting character but also an unreliable narrator - I didn’t love how scattered her thought process was while trying to navigate her own mysterious life and that of Amelia - but I guess that made it so effective.

I felt anxious for her the whole time! The ending was a little off for me but gripping read overall.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!

#TheUnravelingOfJulia by Lisa Scottoline had everything I look for in an engaging gothic thriller - a relatable heroine, a mystery, romance, a surprise inheritance, and, as a bonus, a touch of the supernatural. Julia’s husband is killed by an apparent mugger as she watches helplessly, and, soon after, she learns she has been left an inheritance by a stranger which included a villa in Italy. Thus begins the mystery which only deepens as Julia, still grieving, goes to Italy to settle the affairs.
I listened to the audiobook version, narrated excellently by Maria Marquis.
Thanks to #NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the review copy.

This was rough. Julia read like a teenager. The setting was fun but yeah I was very not interested in her at all and was annoyed a lot

Captivating story by a brilliant story teller. I didn’t see the ending coming but enjoyed the journey. I loved the raw emotion in the story (her grief) and I appreciate how the main character was who she was and stayed true to her beliefs. I love that she wouldn’t be stopped and thought overall it’s a fantastic book!

From the very beginning, this book was intriguing and kept me entertained. I listened to the audio, and the narrator did a fantastic good!

We follow Julia while she is grieving her husband's brutal death. she gets a call out of the blue letting her know she inherited a large amount of money and estate in Italy. She travels to Italy hoping to possibly find out information on her biological family.

The story started to drag out and was on the slower side more than halfway through then picked up again at the end. With that being said I still really enjoyed it. The paranormal was a nice aspect.

** Thank you Netgalley, the Author and publisher for providing me with this ALC**

4.5 stars!

I had the delightful opportunity to dive into both the audiobook and eBook of this captivating story, and what an experience it was! The narrator was nothing short of phenomenal, and I felt as though I was transported straight to Italy, soaking in the ambiance through both the pages and my earbuds. Trust me, you’ll want to indulge in the audiobook while reading; it elevates the entire experience to a whole new level!

Julia Pritzker, feeling cursed after the loss of her adoptive parents and murdered husband, spirals into despair when her horoscope seems to predict his death. She inherits a villa and vineyard in Tuscany from a stranger, Emilia Rossi. Curious about her roots, Julia travels to Tuscany, only to discover that Rossi was a paranoid recluse with ties to the legendary Duchess Caterina Sforza and a shared obsession with astrology. As strange occurrences escalate and she feels followed, Julia embarks on a perilous quest for identity, sanity, and survival.

The main character, Julia, is navigating a particularly rough patch in her life. You can’t help but empathize with her as she grapples with her grief, wishing for a glimmer of hope and a way out of her heart-wrenching situation. With each chapter, you find yourself falling deeper in love with Julia, who feels like she’s lost everything—and, well, she has! Just when you think things might turn around, they get even more complicated. Isn’t that just the way?

The vivid descriptions of Italy are a feast for the senses! Having visited Italy myself, I can attest that the author has done a stellar job of capturing its authenticity and charm. Picture yourself zipping around on a Vespa alongside these characters, sipping exquisite wine, and savoring fresh bread drizzled with olive oil. It’s an experience that leaps off the pages!

If you enjoy cozy mysteries filled with endearing characters and unexpected twists, this book is must-read. You’ll find yourself on the edge of your seat, anticipating what’s next while simultaneously cringing in suspense. The plot is full of surprises that kept me guessing until the very end. What a fantastic vacation read! It offers just the right blend of coziness, flavor, and a satisfying conclusion that ties everything together beautifully. Bravo!

Thank you, Hachette Audio and Grand Central Publishing, for the digital ARC copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I have a firm belief that this book honestly could not pick a genre to commit to. I would say I was about half way through when I thought I was able to decipher whether or not it was a gothic horror, then it read like psychological horror, and then it circled into paranormal vibes. It felt as indecisive as me trying to pick a restaurant to eat at. I have loved Scottoline's books in the past, but this one just didn't rise to my expectations. I will say for the first quarter of the book, I was thoroughly drawn in and captivated by the synopsis- a young woman who loses her husband inherits a Tuscan villa and several million pounds- all makings for an engaging novel. The book title alone had me hooked! The unravelling of a woman? Yes! Tell me all of the ways she lets go of all of the stories that no longer suit her and how she starts afresh and anew in Italy. I love a good unraveling. But this just wasn't that. The last 1/5 of the book was...weird? Like, a new theme kind of sprung itself on the reader with not a lot of clear lead up, and it becomes paramount to the story. Overall, this book had soo much potential, I just think it was a bit too disjointed or chaotic for me to really immerse myself into the story in any real way.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #HachetteAudio for the ARC to this audiobook in exchange for an unbiased review.

This was a fairly good read with a lot going on, but a bit slow for me. Some of what happened was also a bit predictable.

Julia is having a hard time in life with having recently lost her husband to an unsolved murder, and also losing her adoptive parents.

Julia gets a letter in the mail letting her know she is a beneficiary to a large estate that includes a villa and vineyard, but she has no clue who the person is that left her all of this. So Julia heads to Tuscany to find out who left her all of this and how it relates to her.

When Julia gets to Tuscany things begin to slowly unravel. She learns who the person was that left her the villa, and finds out more and more about her, including a lot of dark secrets.

Julia inherited a large sum of money and a villa in Tuscany six months after her husband was murdered. After her husband's death, she had become a recluse, but worked up the nerve to travel to Italy to check out her new inheritance. She found the place falling apart. As she goes about, she finds she is being followed.
Things I liked about this book: the setting was fun. I thought the portrayal of grief was good, though rushed for the sake of the plot. The pace was good. The resolution of the romance in the epilogue was good. I liked the pace.
Things that I didn't like about the book: The use of mysticism seemed like a plot tool more than an actual part of the story. The romance/grief dynamic seemed a little awkward, but I expect being in that situation is awkward. The two main characters seemed to have very similar voices. Overall, I am glad I read it to get a feel for Lisa Scottoline as an author.

Thanks to @HachetteAudio and NetGalley for the advance listener copy!

I really enjoyed the narrator—she did a great job bringing Julia’s complex emotions to life. The story itself was intriguing and had some compelling moments, but overall it felt a bit convoluted.

Julia was a difficult character to connect with, partly because she came across as an unreliable narrator. I found myself constantly wondering if her experiences were real or just a result of paranoia, which made it hard to stay grounded in the story. Some plot points felt a little farfetched, and a few elements were left unexplained, leaving me with more questions than answers.

This was my first book by Lisa Scottoline, and while this one didn’t fully land for me, I’m still interested in exploring more of her work. I can see the appeal of her writing, and I’m hopeful the next book I read will resonate more.

I give this audiobook 4.5 stars easily rounding up to 5 stars! My only wish was that I knew more about what happened to the characters after the mysteries were wrapped up. This was a great story for an audiobook because it followed only one timeline even though there were a lot of past stories that were revealed as the story unfolded.

I am so thankful to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the chance to read this psychological thriller. I highly recommend!!!

Lisa Scottoline has written another outstanding thriller. THE UNRAVELING OF JULIA took me on an adventure through Tuscany. After witnessing the unaliving of her husband, Julia then gets notice of an inheritance that she had no idea about. The inheritance is a villa in Tuscany. When she decides to visit the villa, things start to spiral out of control. This was a bit different than some of the author's other books and I really enjoyed the premise of the storyline. The narration was also excellent. I can recommend adding this one to your TBR list!

Many thanks to NetGalley, Hatchette Audio, and Grand Central Publishing for my gifted copies.

This review will be shared to my Instagram account (@coffee.break.book.reviews) shortly.

This book wasn't too bad.
This is a thriller through and through, which is great!
There is tension throughout.
Julia is trying to get on with her new life, start fresh.
Courtney is her BFF and therapist extraordinaire.
A 3 million dollar inheritance from a stranger in Italy sends her into quite the tailspin.
We get mystery, adventure, romance, tension, and two storylines in the plot of this book.
One is a whodunit - who killed the husband, and the other is why did this stranger leave me this inheritance.
As far as characters, I loved Courtney as a supporting character. Otherwise, everyone was fairly developed, just fell a little flat for me.
The plot was structured well. I felt that Lisa Scottoline married both storylines very well.
The pace was quick, just the way I like a thriller!
Overall, this is a fun book, a fun setting, and it is written well.
I recommend this for a fun beach read! Or to read on a dreary day!
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity read and review this ARC!
Happy Reading!

Great, but flawed plot

I really liked this book. I listened to the audio book and it was very well done and fast=moving (I did listen to it at double speed).

The book opens with Julia dealing with her husband's unsolved murder. She then is notified that she is the heir to a wealthy Italian woman's estate. She goes to Italy to see her new villa, but mysterious events make her feel that her and her friends' lives are in danger.

The part that makes me want debate whether to give this four stars or five is the reason between the murder and attempted murders didn't make much sense to me. Without giving away the ending, it seemed a but far-fetched.

Also, and this is becoming way too common, the title doesn't fit the book. Julia doesn't unravel. She is a strong, albeit superstitious, woman. The title is catchy, but not indicative of the plot.

But I still really liked this book and will be adding it to my "recommended" list.

After witnessing her husbands brutal murder, Julia suddenly and mysteriously inherits a villa in Tuscany. Shortly after relocating, strange things begin to happen to her and she begins to believe she is haunted by the previous owner, but all is not as it seems. She must work to figure out the mystery of her before she slowly devolves into madness.

I really enjoyed this story and thought the audiobook was really well done. I was thoroughly intrigued by where the story was going. You think it is going a particular way but then it completely goes in another direction and I was completely invested in how this was going to end.

Loved it! Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio | Grand Central Publishing for the ALC for this book. I can't wait to read more from this author and Maria Marquis was a superb choice to narrate this book!

The Unraveling of Julia was a solid, engaging read that held my attention throughout. While it didn’t completely blow me away, I found it entertaining and well-paced, with some especially strong elements that made it worth the read. I’d rate it 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 for the beautiful Italian setting and excellent audiobook production.

The story leans heavily into astrology, which wasn’t personally my cup of tea, but I appreciated how it was woven into the character’s journey. Readers who enjoy that theme may find it even more compelling.

I listened to the audiobook version and thought the narration was fantastic—emotionally expressive, well-paced, and immersive. The production quality was top-notch and truly enhanced the storytelling.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the free audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

The story begins with the main character’s husband being murdered and later her inheriting a Tuscan villa from an unknown person. Soon strange things start happening, and Julia starts to lose touch with reality. There are lots of hallucinations, mystery, and even mediums. The audio is of great quality. The narrator is clear and concise and easy to follow. A great listen!