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3.48 AVERAGE
3.48 AVERAGE
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I am usually such a fan of this author's books but this one just didn't live up to my expectations. Maybe a little could be that my life is a hot mess but it seemed like more than that.
What I did love was the setting. Italy is such a beautiful country and I could picture it all. I was also drawn in with Julia's loss and struggling. I was curious as to why a stranger would leave her an estate in another country.
I am not a fan of paranormal, so that piece didn't go over with me and I thought there was a little much on the astrology front.
Overall I was underwhelmed and usually having the opportunity to switch to listening instead of reading helps keep me focused, but it didn't for this one. Maria Marquis did a good job voicing Julia's insecurities and inquisitiveness and sounded right for Julia, but she couldn't make up for my lack of connection.
Maybe I've grown to expect too much, but I just didn't connect with this one.
What I did love was the setting. Italy is such a beautiful country and I could picture it all. I was also drawn in with Julia's loss and struggling. I was curious as to why a stranger would leave her an estate in another country.
I am not a fan of paranormal, so that piece didn't go over with me and I thought there was a little much on the astrology front.
Overall I was underwhelmed and usually having the opportunity to switch to listening instead of reading helps keep me focused, but it didn't for this one. Maria Marquis did a good job voicing Julia's insecurities and inquisitiveness and sounded right for Julia, but she couldn't make up for my lack of connection.
Maybe I've grown to expect too much, but I just didn't connect with this one.
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the free digital ARC in exchange for my honest review. This was the most predictable, unbelievable, and ridiculous thing I have read in years. Purportedly a psychological thriller, it is just a poorly conceived gothic novel (and I love gothic novels. This is an insult to gothic novels). I knew how large parts of this would play out less than 1/4 of the way in and even the finer details were absurd. Don’t even get me started on the italicized Aws, Args, and Ouches scattered throughout. I want those hours of my life back.
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The Unraveling of Julia
by Lisa Scottoline
Expected publication date: July 15, 2025
4 out of 5 stars
Thank you to #NetGalley and Hachette Audio for a free copy of #TheUnravelingofJulia in exchange for my honest review.
When Julia's husband is murdered, then she inherits a villa in Tuscany, she begins to wonder if the two events are related.
I really appreciated the narrator on the audio version of this book. She brought the characters to life in many ways, especially pronouncing Italian words that I would have stumbled over while reading. I also liked her various accents that differentiated characters. The narrator also knew exactly where to pause to bring suspense to a scene.
As far as the story, this is a typical Lisa Scottoline book, meaning she has a great balance of elements, including suspense, supernatural, and romantic parts. I could actually picture many of the action scenes being played out in a movie. Right about the time that I was ready for a break, though, the author moved forward with the plot.
There were a couple of places in the book that were a little rushed or a little too convenient for plot points to come together, but it didn't detract from the story in a major way.
I would recommend this book to fans of Lisa Scottoline and those who enjoy a good psychological thriller.
by Lisa Scottoline
Expected publication date: July 15, 2025
4 out of 5 stars
Thank you to #NetGalley and Hachette Audio for a free copy of #TheUnravelingofJulia in exchange for my honest review.
When Julia's husband is murdered, then she inherits a villa in Tuscany, she begins to wonder if the two events are related.
I really appreciated the narrator on the audio version of this book. She brought the characters to life in many ways, especially pronouncing Italian words that I would have stumbled over while reading. I also liked her various accents that differentiated characters. The narrator also knew exactly where to pause to bring suspense to a scene.
As far as the story, this is a typical Lisa Scottoline book, meaning she has a great balance of elements, including suspense, supernatural, and romantic parts. I could actually picture many of the action scenes being played out in a movie. Right about the time that I was ready for a break, though, the author moved forward with the plot.
There were a couple of places in the book that were a little rushed or a little too convenient for plot points to come together, but it didn't detract from the story in a major way.
I would recommend this book to fans of Lisa Scottoline and those who enjoy a good psychological thriller.
#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.
I listened to the audiobook version, narrated excellently by Maria Marquis.
Thanks to #NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the review copy.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Well that was… weird…. There was a ton of astrological stuff, psychics and mediums, and spirits in this that it was just strange. Maybe my expectations were that this would just be a regular thriller in another country but it was just strange and obsessive in the spiritualism.
The main character, Julia, came across as really melodramatic, constantly jumping to conclusions and worst case scenarios, and was incredulous when almost no one believed her. Honestly, she was annoying. Her best friend swung from being kind of mean and uncaring, to the complete opposite, so she felt super inconsistent. A lot of what really was going on was pretty obvious from the start, but was written to try to make it seem more dramatic and conspiracy-theory steeped than it was.
Also, what is with all the “Argh” statements??
On a positive note, I liked the landscape and detail about Italy.
Not a huge fan. Just really dramatic and overdone and just strange with all the weird Astro/psychic stuff out of left field.
Thanks to Netgalley for advanced copy of this audiobook. All opinions are mine.
The main character, Julia, came across as really melodramatic, constantly jumping to conclusions and worst case scenarios, and was incredulous when almost no one believed her. Honestly, she was annoying. Her best friend swung from being kind of mean and uncaring, to the complete opposite, so she felt super inconsistent. A lot of what really was going on was pretty obvious from the start, but was written to try to make it seem more dramatic and conspiracy-theory steeped than it was.
Also, what is with all the “Argh” statements??
On a positive note, I liked the landscape and detail about Italy.
Not a huge fan. Just really dramatic and overdone and just strange with all the weird Astro/psychic stuff out of left field.
Thanks to Netgalley for advanced copy of this audiobook. All opinions are mine.
I’ve had a hard audiobook week it seems with books not meeting expectations.
To be frank, several times I returned to the books description to see if I had the write book as it just wasn’t jiving.
The book over all is fine, it’s just not what was promised and I feel awful for saying that.
Maybe it was the narration? I’m not sure because Maria Marquis did a great job. She spoke at a swift pace for the 1x speed that fit the prose but I didn’t get a gothic nor “sweeping tale” quality from it at all. Instead it seems disjointed and whiny. (Not the narrator but the prose)
I liked the astrology tie in except it just wasn’t as effective as it should have been. Despite the narrators swift speaking pace the book seemed very slow and repetitive.
However, I did what to know what happens so it hooked me enough to forge on to the end.
I am thankful to have gotten a complimentary audio ALC from Hachette Audio through NetGalley to read which gave me the opportunity to voluntarily leave a review.
My rating system since GoodReads doesn’t have partial stars
⭐️ Hated it
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea (potentially DNF’d or thought about it)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but nothing special
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! Would recommend to others
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Will circle back and read again
To be frank, several times I returned to the books description to see if I had the write book as it just wasn’t jiving.
The book over all is fine, it’s just not what was promised and I feel awful for saying that.
Maybe it was the narration? I’m not sure because Maria Marquis did a great job. She spoke at a swift pace for the 1x speed that fit the prose but I didn’t get a gothic nor “sweeping tale” quality from it at all. Instead it seems disjointed and whiny. (Not the narrator but the prose)
I liked the astrology tie in except it just wasn’t as effective as it should have been. Despite the narrators swift speaking pace the book seemed very slow and repetitive.
However, I did what to know what happens so it hooked me enough to forge on to the end.
I am thankful to have gotten a complimentary audio ALC from Hachette Audio through NetGalley to read which gave me the opportunity to voluntarily leave a review.
My rating system since GoodReads doesn’t have partial stars
⭐️ Hated it
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea (potentially DNF’d or thought about it)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but nothing special
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! Would recommend to others
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Will circle back and read again
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense