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3.47 AVERAGE
3.47 AVERAGE
Release: July 15, 2025
Author: Lisa Scottoline
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Rating: 3.5 ★
In The Unraveling of Julia, a young widow named Julia is overwhelmed with grief after the tragic murder of her husband—especially since her horoscope seemed to predict it. Struggling to make sense of her life and desperate for answers, Julia receives a mysterious letter informing her that she’s inherited a villa and vineyard in Tuscany from a woman she's never met: Emilia Rossi.
Hoping for a connection to her unknown biological family, Julia travels to Italy, only to find that Emilia was an eccentric recluse obsessed with astrology and convinced she was descended from a powerful Renaissance duchess. Julia, who bears a strange resemblance to both Emilia and the duchess, starts noticing unsettling coincidences—and feels like she’s being watched.
As strange occurrences escalate and danger creeps closer, Julia begins to question everything around her, including her own sanity. Her journey quickly turns into a fight to uncover the truth about her past—and to survive what’s coming next.
This book was a mix of intriguing ideas and uneven execution. I was drawn in by the premise—a young widow inherits a crumbling villa in Tuscany from a stranger and travels there, hoping to uncover more about her biological roots. What she finds is a tangle of secrets, mysterious connections to Renaissance history, and a heavy dose of astrology and the paranormal.
The atmosphere was eerie and compelling at times, and I liked how the story blended psychological suspense with a gothic feel. The astrology theme added a unique twist, though it occasionally felt overdone. Some of the plot points felt far-fetched, and while the pacing started strong, it lost momentum in places and some scenes felt either rushed or unnecessarily drawn out.
Overall, The Unraveling of Julia had its highs and lows. It wasn’t my favorite thriller, but I appreciated the fresh direction the author took and the originality of the story. If you’re into psychological mysteries with a supernatural edge, this one might be worth checking out.
Favorite Quote:
"sometimes the only way to save yourself is to let go."
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
medium-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:
Complicated
3.5 stars rounded up for an intriguing mystery with an over emphasis on astrology. Julia Pritzker is walking home after dinner with her husband when a robber with a knife approaches them. Her husband steps in front of her and the man stabs him and flees. Her husband dies in front of her eyes and she spirals into a deep depression. Months later she receives a letter from Italy informing her that she has inherited a villa and a large amount of money.
She goes to Tuscany, Italy to find out why Emilia Rossi left her this inheritance. She does solve the mystery, but not before some harrowing times. She also finds romance. There's a paranormal element in this book. There is a satisfactory ending tying up all plot lines, including the murder of her husband.
#TheUnravelingofJulia #NetGalley
Thank you Grand Central Publishing for sending me this eARC through NetGalley.
Pub Date Jul 15 2025
She goes to Tuscany, Italy to find out why Emilia Rossi left her this inheritance. She does solve the mystery, but not before some harrowing times. She also finds romance. There's a paranormal element in this book. There is a satisfactory ending tying up all plot lines, including the murder of her husband.
#TheUnravelingofJulia #NetGalley
Thank you Grand Central Publishing for sending me this eARC through NetGalley.
Pub Date Jul 15 2025
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
There are scores of outside influences in our world from relationships, therapists and priests. However, Julia found comfort and guidance from the zodiac. It’s too bad she didn’t read it earlier in the day. She could have been warned to save her husband’s life.
It’s easy to get absorbed in this story of deep love and then grief for someone. You only want the best for this young, beautiful girl who lives in Philadelphia. Her horoscope says her luck will change. That’s when she gets a call she has inherited a beautiful Tuscan estate. You can only guess what will happen with perfect timing.
This book has all sorts of surprises as Julia sorts out her next moves. While it’s predictable, it’s also entertaining with the delightful characters and dialogues. Yet one should be open to the stars, mediums and spiritual beliefs. I couldn’t put it down. This would make a great made-for-TV movie.
My thanks to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book with an expected release date of July 15, 2025.
emotional
medium-paced
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Objectively fine but not good.
Something a 60+ who reads a book per day would enjoy.
The use of astrology as a plot tool was a weak attempt. It could have been interesting to create a stronger link between the popularity of astrology in during the Renaissance and today, possibly through the main character’s interest in art (a facet of the character which was severely lacking).
I disliked how the BFF was used for comedic relief in the last line of several chapters, which disrupted any tension previously built in the chapter. It also left her feeling like a very flat character who did nothing to enrich the plot nor the main character.
Overall, there are too many little plot points happening, sacrificing any depth. I did not feel invested in the outcome and felt little “thrill”.
Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Something a 60+ who reads a book per day would enjoy.
The use of astrology as a plot tool was a weak attempt. It could have been interesting to create a stronger link between the popularity of astrology in during the Renaissance and today, possibly through the main character’s interest in art (a facet of the character which was severely lacking).
I disliked how the BFF was used for comedic relief in the last line of several chapters, which disrupted any tension previously built in the chapter. It also left her feeling like a very flat character who did nothing to enrich the plot nor the main character.
Overall, there are too many little plot points happening, sacrificing any depth. I did not feel invested in the outcome and felt little “thrill”.
Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A mysterious murder, a surprise inheritance, and Julia. Oh and Italy, of course!
Julia’s life is literally spinning out of control. After the murder of her husband, Julia is just existing, a shell of who she once was, and starting to become a hermit. Until… a mysterious letter shows up. Julia seemingly inherited a few million euros and a villa?!??!
Julia arrives to uncover mysterious visions, sketchy people following her, feeling connected to places in the most unusual way, finding love when it wasn’t yet right, and the greatest mystery, who was her mother? Each new chapter in her life, she’s running into secrets, danger, tragedy, and why does it feel like someone is trying to kill her? Is Julia unraveling? Or is something more sinister at work here?
I could NOT put this book down. So many twists and turns, curveballs, plot twists, that were all intertwined like a bowl of fresh spaghetti. Scottoline has you questioning Julia’s sanity, and eventually your own.
Wine pairing: Chianti 🍷
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Car accident, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
*I obviously got my hands on the arc*
My non spoiler thoughts are this. I genuinely had no expectations for this book or author. This book has one or two too many plot lines, too many cultural refences (a big pet peeve) and not enough plotting. One of the issues is the amount of time it takes place. *like a week?* I feel like the author was in a rush for no reason.
This story had no time to breath. I wanted to really live in this world and see what Julia was experiencing. It's not a bad plot but it falls apart with a weird plot dump in the last bit of the book. If the themes had been sprinkled through the book better I could excuse how the whole thing turns out.
The cheesy love story at the heart of this book is unbelievable. Woman's husband it killed, and runs into hunky Italian man who works at a library? Spare me please.
This story had no time to breath. I wanted to really live in this world and see what Julia was experiencing. It's not a bad plot but it falls apart with a weird plot dump in the last bit of the book. If the themes had been sprinkled through the book better I could excuse how the whole thing turns out.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Torture, Murder
Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Drug use, Physical abuse, Kidnapping
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central for this advanced readers copy.
Fell very flat for me.
No substance to the characters and the plot left a lot to be desired.
I expected so much more from an author of this magnitude.
Reads more like a debut than a work by an author with dozens of novels under her belt.
The main reason I kept going with it is sort of like when you watch an accident on the side of the road, you want to look away but you have to know how bad it is?
I have read from this author before, although many years ago. This almost felt similar to another beloved thriller author who took a step into the paranormal waters recently. His came through well and translated great on page, this just comes off as gimmicky and not at all well executed.
Fell very flat for me.
No substance to the characters and the plot left a lot to be desired.
I expected so much more from an author of this magnitude.
Reads more like a debut than a work by an author with dozens of novels under her belt.
The main reason I kept going with it is sort of like when you watch an accident on the side of the road, you want to look away but you have to know how bad it is?
I have read from this author before, although many years ago. This almost felt similar to another beloved thriller author who took a step into the paranormal waters recently. His came through well and translated great on page, this just comes off as gimmicky and not at all well executed.
hopeful
mysterious
sad
medium-paced