Something About Julia

by Holly James

401 pages, Paperback

Published July 25, 2026

About the author

Holly James, who also writes as Holly Michelle, is the author of adult romance and commercial fiction. She holds a PhD in psychology and has worked in both academia and the tech industry. Her books have been translated into five languages and have been optioned for film. When she’s not reading or writing a book, she can be found on the beach or hiking in the woods. Born and raised in Northern California, she currently lives at the southern end of the state with her family. Find her at hollyjamesbooks.com and on Instagram at @hellohollyjames.

Reviews

[Melissa]

I've enjoyed all the rom-coms I've read from Holly James and was interested in checking out her first thriller, Something About Julia. I'm pleased to share that Holly is as skilled at thriller writing as she is at rom-com writing!

This story kept me on my toes and had me turning the pages quickly. There were surprises around every corner. I was only able to guess at one aspect but nothing else was what it seemed. I liked how the story unfolded and was told from different perspectives. Something About Julia was so gripping and suspenseful! It was also easy to visualize everything, thanks to the attention to detail throughout. I don't want to say too much more to avoid spoiling the story.

I hope Holly will write more thrillers in the future as she definitely has a knack for them. Check this one out on Kindle Unlimited!

(Trigger warnings below, aside from the obvious. May contain spoilers.)

Movie casting suggestions:

Julia: Maika Monroe

Dr. Kate Cooper: Lucy Hale

Detective Mercer: Alan Ritchson

Detective Ramirez: Lorenza Izzo

Chris (Kate's husband): Patrick Ball

Jacob: Colin Woodell

Blair: Elizabeth Gillies

Isabel: Juliet Donenfeld

Originally posted at Chick Lit Central.
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TW: Sexual assault, suicidal ideation, bullying, death of parents, loss of money, toxic relationship.

[Carmen Thompson]

Interesting perspective

Three very different women are friends. Most people have many things in common. One dead husband later, the detective works with the therapist of these three women to solve the crime.

[Christy]

I won this in a Goodreads giveaway. Thank you Goodreads!

This book definitely had some twists that I wasn’t expecting. It took me a while to get into and the ending seemed to drag on for too long, but the middle was really solid, lol. I look forward to reading more by the author.