The Unraveling of Julia (by Lisa Scottoline)
I absolutely adore Lisa Scottoline and the stories she tells. I’m particularly impressed by her remarkable evolution in storytelling. As an attorney, she initially crafted books featuring lawyers as the primary characters. Subsequently, she transitioned into family dramas, then ventured into historical fiction, and finally, she’s embarking on the psychological thriller genre.
Set in Italy, The Unraveling of Julia is a fast-paced story about a woman named Julia who has experienced significant losses, including the death of her adoptive parents and husband. In an unexpected turn of events, she inherits a villa in Tuscany with a vineyard and a substantial amount of money from a mysterious benefactor named Emilia Rossi. Relying on the wisdom of her horoscope, Julia decides to embark on a journey to Italy in search of answers. Julia has no knowledge of her biological family and is hopeful she will also find answers about her identity. As she delves into the fascinating historical information surrounding Emilia Rossi, Julia begins to uncover a web of secrets and finds herself being followed.
This novel is brimming with suspense and mysteries that demand to be solved. Fortunately, I had a lot of household chores to complete, so I was able to devour the audiobook in just two days! Lisa is an exceptional storyteller; this one kept me on the edge of my seat. Not only does she provide a satisfying ending, but she also offers a satisfying closure by tying up all the loose ends. While I appreciate ambiguity at the end of a book, sometimes it’s nice to have the story neatly wrapped up.
I subscribe to Lisa’s newsletter, and I highly recommend that you sign up for her newsletter on her website, which you can find here. She sends email updates about her books, her weekly Chick Wit essays, and occasionally, beautiful physical mail that usually includes pictures of her adorable Cavalier King Charles Spaniels. Anyway, the day before The Unraveling of Julia was released, Lisa sent an email with a captivating video that explained how she came up with the idea for this book. I’ve included it below for your convenience.
Astrology and horoscopes play a significant role in this book, which reminded me of how my mom used to check my horoscope daily in the newspaper and share any relevant information. Intrigued, I decided to check my horoscope, but since newspapers aren’t a part of my daily routine, I turned to a common internet search to find out what it said for today. I really miss the old days of reading it in the newspaper.
I borrowed the audiobook of The Unraveling of Julia from my local library using Libby. The narration by Maria Marquis made the listening experience truly wonderful.
You’re welcome to read my other reviews for books by Lisa Scottoline, which are linked below. Additionally, I’ve included a link to her author event that I attended at Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Lexington, Kentucky.
As a participant in the Amazon Associates Program, I earn from qualifying purchases linked back to Amazon. Every penny earned allows me to blog about books and keeps this site running.
