Cute, cozy read I finished in about a day. The adventure aspects relied a lot on suspension of disbelief but the romance made up for it. 4/5

*4.5

The perfect spooky reading for a reader like me, who doesn’t like horror. This is a cute adventurous romance, with just an hint of fear and lots of laugh and mystery. I love it a lot. And it’s well written and the banter are delivered so smoothly.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

I was really interested in the premise of this book from the moment I read the blurb. It has everything I want in a story, and the story itself was really interesting with a couple of cool twists I didn’t expect. My biggest issue with this book was how many times the author would restate/rehash things. The central interpersonal drama centered around one friend taking a job in Turkey and the other feeling abandoned. Which didn’t make sense to me as another job for the traveling friend seemed to have taken her to other countries for multiple years at a time. This being their main argument seemed contrived and I was really sick of hearing about the anger on one side and guilt on the other by the 3-4th time they rehashed it in their heads. I think this book has real promise and the bones are so good. I just think it could use a bit tighter editing on some of these things. Best friends secretly pining for each other would have been fine for me. I didn’t need the overblown past drama to be invested. If you want a story of a couple of cool lady archaeologists getting up to hijinks and aren’t opposed to some repetitive story telling elements, I do recommend giving it a read. There simply aren’t enough books in this genre to not give it a shot.

IF I DIG YOU: sapphic indiana jones meets rightful repatriation?

1. fourteen years ago, Isadora Ross's mother went missing. 2. her best friend Louise Morgenstern picked up the pieces. 3. Isi falls in love with Lou. 4. Lou falls in love with someone else, gets her heart broken, and moves across the world to escape her feelings. 5. and in classic sapphic fashion, nobody does anything about it, at least until a "private collector" shows up on Isi's doorstep looking for a hidden treasure her mom apparently found before going missing. now it's a race against gun-toting treasure hunters to find Isi's ancestors' fortune, hidden in the mountains where Isi's mom disappeared.

one hundred percent honesty: this wasn't my favorite book of all time. in reality, it teeters closer to three stars for me, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't a fan, so, in my attempt to be objective (I'm not a big fan of romance!) I've decided to round up, because I think if you like this /kind/ of book, you'll like this book. and to balance it out, I'll be listing everything (yes, everything) I didn't like about this book. you know, in exchange for the extra star.

the Cons:
- very repetitive. the love interests rehashed the same argument over and over again, half forgiving each other and half resenting each other, moving away and back towards the same topic. when they finally forgave each other I didn't know if we were finally actually done or if it was going to start all over again. (this is something I've noticed in romance novels, and I think it takes up unnecessary space.)
- SEX. IN THE WOODS. DIRTY AS ALL HELL. AFTER GETTING SHOT AT. this is not an objective problem, it's subjective, I know lots of people don't care about unrealistic/concerning sex in romance books, but I could not stop worrying about the state of their fingernails. again, this is a me problem, but if you're like me, you'll hate the moments they have sex.
- this was a romance novel that felt like it wanted to also be an adventure novel... the plot was engaging, and I would have loved to read it as an adventure novel with a romance subplot, but because it was primarily romance, the adventure just felt underwhelming to me. which was a little sad, because it could have been very whelming.
- the pacing of the events before the story wasn't super clear, and I wasn't sure why Isi couldn't have found these clues sooner after her mom disappeared... I just kept questioning why everything happened so many years later instead of Isi and Lou meeting earlier in life, or Isi's mom dying later in Isi's life, et c. and it was pretty far into the story before I could piece together the whole timeline, which wasn't even necessary to know, anyway, so I was left wondering why I had been left wondering. you know?

however, there are also the Pros:
- first of all, I only have four cons. in most of my reviews, I'm holding back a LOT of the criticisms I have, because I can be pretty critical. I like to just enjoy things, and I like to let other people enjoy things, so if I actually wrote out everything I didn't like about a book, people reading my reviews would question why on Earth I had read the book in the first place. so four is actually pretty low, and one of them was just "I think you should wash your hands before you have sex."
- the plot was so cool! I don't know anything about archeology in the United States because pop media about archeology is pretty much always set in Egypt, and very rarely in Greece or maybe China (?). I've found U.S. citizens tend to think of our land and history as being very young, which completely discounts the populations living here before European colonization headed over. so I was instantly charmed by the physical setting and the Cherokee history, as well as the fact that both characters are esteemed archeologists/professors thrown into the wilderness looking for buried treasure. (is that praxis? it could be praxis.)
- the overall tone was fun, triumphant, relaxed. a book about a missing Cherokee treasure, hunted by a white billionaire, could have very easily become lecturing or just sad and defeated. and there's a place for those books in the world. but this is a romance! the good guys do good things, the bad guys are cartoonishly villainous (though not unbelievable), there's randomly a bit of magic thrown in for funsies.
- most important of all in a romance: I actually believed these characters were attracted to each other, physically and emotionally. they had chemistry! they had history! they didn't see each other as a blank slate to project their fantasies on!

in sum, it wasn't my typical pick, so it wasn't my typical rating. I'm definitely interested in reading other books by Colby Wilkens, especially since she apparently dabbles in horror. (horror romance, but still. I'll give it a shot.) it was fun, and I think a lot of my issues with it came from expecting... no, hoping for an adventure novel with a side romance, rather than the other way around.

if i dig you is an adorable, nerdy sapphic love story set against the backdrop of archaeology in the appalachian mountains. It explores themes of hidden love, grief, and vulnerability, as isi grapples with her deep, secret feelings for her best friend, lou. Their journey of danger and discovery adds a thrilling layer to this heartfelt story. however, this isn't just a treasure hunt; it's a poignant exploration of vulnerability and what it means to uncover the deepest corners of your heart. with its rich characters and engaging narrative, this is a must-read for anyone who loves adventure and romance.

maybe the real treasure was the lesbian smut we made along the way? 🫶

3.5 stars! what can I say…. I dug it 😎

this was adorable, steamy, and action packed. could the pacing have been a bit better? did the yearning read slightly repetitive? who cares! my bisexual eyes got to read about boobs jiggling and that’s enough for me!

shout out & thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review! definitely pick this up once it’s released on march 25, 2025.

Horny sapphics? Indigenous sapphics? It’s like this book was made for me. I love an adventure romcom, and this was just. So good. Louise and Isi were absolutely everything to me— and did I mention they’re openly horny? WE LOVE TO SEE IT!!! Absolutely adored this one, 10/10, no notes.

⭐️{4.75} rounded up
🌶️{2}

💛What it is basically:
We have dual POV sapphic adventure romance novel. Isi and Louise are our MC’s. Isi is a Cherokee descendant and Louise is the woman she met while they were in school to become archeologists. They were college roommates, best friends, and are both hopelessly (and secretly) in love with each other. Isi’s mom, a well known archeologist goes missing while the women are in grad school, 14 years prior to the events that take place in this book. Both women get sucked into an adventure when Isi finds her mother’s journal that might give her clues about her mother’s disappearance. Unfortunately, there is a group of people that would like to get their hands on the journal and what Isi’s mom went missing searching for. The author is a queer mixed white/Cherokee woman and I think a perfect voice to tell this story.

💛My general thoughts:
This book was mostly a sweet fluffy adventure romance about an indigenous woman and her best friend that she’s down bad for. I feel like this gave the same vibes as home alone or the goonies if those movies were about two grown women who are sickly in love with each other and don’t want to admit it.



💛My favorite thing about this book:
The main characters are in their mid 30s which is such a breath of fresh air in comparison to the usually 18-19 year old MCs we see so often.


💛My least favorite thing about this book:
I honestly can’t think of anything I didn’t like about this book.


💛Who do I think will enjoy this read:
▫️people always looking for a good sapphic romance
▫️people who love friends to lovers
▫️people who like their contemporary romance to have an adventure element.
▫️people who like to read romance books about MCs with cool or interesting careers
▫️people who want to support an indigenous author

Thank you to the author/publisher for providing me with an arc of this book so that I could read it and give my honest thoughts on this work.

If I Dig You was a book filled with adventure, culture, romance, some spice, a few creepy crawlies, and it was great !! This one reads as a sort of sapphic retelling of Indian Jones set in the Appalachians. Two women finding peace, clarity, love, and treasure.

The romance aspect was friends to lovers and I could definitely feel the energy between them. There was always a desperate longing just sitting under the surface that had you in the edge of your seat. When they finally got together it felt well deserved and long awaited !! Although they have some issues it’s sorted in a decent manner that makes sense for them as characters.

I found the cultural aspect to be very important to not only the story but also society as whole. Seeing this character reclaim what is rightfully hers not only for her ancestors but also her community was so so pleasing and I only hope native Americans are able to do the same in real life. I’m extremely happy the author decided to include all of this in the plot and I hope it brings more attention to what’s still happening to native Americans even now.

All in all a very sweet and adventurous story that had me on my toes for a majority of it lol. I loved getting to read about the adventures of these two and seeing them get the closure they deserved !!

If I Dig You caught my attention by stating “National Treasure meets Count Your Lucky Stars”. Which I have no idea what “count your lucky stars” is but I LOVED National Treasure as a kid so I was in. Which I was taking a bit of change with this book because this is my first sapphic romance. I wanted to like this book but it felt like too much. Too many ideas stacked on top of each and that made it hard to get into the story. Two archeologist are on the search for a Cherokee treasure and are racing against rival treasure hunters who are trying to get there before all while one of the Isi is trying to figure out what happened to her mother and using her mother’s journal to find the treasure all while Lou and Isi are instantly falling for each other. Add some Native American culture. I think this book would have benefited from some simplifying

2,5 stars

Don’t judge a book by its cover.

If I Dig You by Colby Wilkens has a promising premise as a sapphic romance about two archaeologist best friends who have secretly been in love with each other for years embarking on a treasure hunt together after being kidnapped…however the execution did not live up to the expectations I had.

I struggled to connect with Isi or Louise throughout this story - I was shocked that these are women in their mid-30s, they acted like teenagers! I do think there is an audience that would enjoy this - perhaps someone who is solely looking for a romance and doesn’t mind the details of the plot. There was a lot of repetitive stuff going on I feel like we get reminded over and over and over again how horny these two are for one another before they decide to finally give into the temptations.

I was not a huge Indiana Jones fan so maybe that was part of the problem as well.

In any event, I did enjoy If I Stopped Haunting You more than this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Publishing Group for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC of this book. Overall I really enjoyed this book. Colby did a great job of making the story believable, from the reactions of the main character to events, and having to deal with minimal supplies, to crawling through tight spaces that made me hold my breath while reading. My only gripe with the story was that for the first third of the book it was hard to remember whose perspective the chapter was from. Each chapter lets you know who’s viewpoint it’s from but it was easy to lose track when memories would be described and both Louise and Isi’s POV would be described. There was also too much time spent on Isi being abandoned by Louise. I get it and don’t need to be reminded so often. Overall thought the book was a fun and exciting read.

If I Dig You is a sapphic friends to lovers romance consisting of two archaeologists who find themselves on a treasure hunt against a rival group of hunters searching for legendary Cherokee gold that may or may not exist. I enjoyed the Indiana Jones vibes and following along as Lou & Isa tried to find the treasure before the rival crew could steal more history that doesn’t belong to them. However, for once I actually wish there was more action and less romance.

I felt like there was too much rehashing and giving the same excuses in their inner monologues as to why they couldn’t be together. I also thought it was a little out of place for them to be constantly thinking ~spicy~ thoughts at inappropriate times aka when they’re running for their lives. The ending did get a bit more exciting though and I like how Wilkens includes a hint of magic in her books. I think I enjoyed If I Stopped Haunting You a bit more, but I’m open to reading more from the author.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Indiana Jones but make it queer... sold! Too bad it didn't quite live up to my own hype...
I am obsessed with stories involving archaeologists/treasure hunters (The Mummy, Lara Croft, etc).
I don't much care for the insta love nor the multiple chapters of info dumping (it's romance, why is there info dumping at all?)

I was so looking forward to this, based on the summary and cover, but it fell flat for me. Where I was hoping for a action-filled exploration of archaeology and this country's complicated history with native tribes & treasures - woven in with some sapphic romance, instead I got two grown adults acting like teenagers, and making bad decision after bad decision, somehow stumbling into safety despite their best efforts otherwise.

The romance - which was obviously highlighted on the front and back cover - was just not there for me. I didn't believe these were friends to lovers, I didn't buy the chemistry, and I didn't really care once they got together. I am really bummed about this, as I was so looking forward to this one.

2 stars. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Another stunning cover and premise! This was an improvement from the author's debut, but it still wasn't great. It was SO SLOW. And not the good kind of slow burn. If I pick up an adventure romance, I want to move at a solid clip. I did enjoy the Cherokee heritage/history and the friends-to-lovers elements, but overall this was just disappointing.

Thank you NetGallery for the eARC!

The premise of this novel was very promising! Two archeologists who are secretly in love with each other on the hunt for long lost treasure—what could go wrong?

Well, unfortunately many things. What was most disappointing in this book was how fast the romance actually occurred. Or perhaps it was the way they finally revealed it to each other that’s bugging me? Either way, “pleasing” yourself in front of another person without consent is just so icky. That is something you can do once you’ve established some kind of consent, not before that. And oh my god, there were so many mentions of Louise’s’ boobs that I felt like I was losing it. We can be more creative right? There are definitely other features on her body. On top of all this, I hate when romance books go from pining to only sex. What happened to all of the flirting and romantic gestures? I guess that’s harder to establish when they are literally fighting to survive, but they still had time to have sex so whatever ig.

Okay! I feel that is my biggest issue. There are other things, such as how they were just walking through the woods having the same conversation over and over in multiple chapters, or the way they killed a whole bunch of people and there were no implications??? Also unanswered questions about the magical compass, Louise’s brother, etc.

Good things now!

I really enjoyed all of the real life encounters they had in the woods. The spiders, snake, the cold, are things that usually don’t get mentioned in these kinds of adventure stories. I also loved getting Native history mentioned; it’s always nice to get more diversified characters and plots. There was also some good action; Sophie’s fingers getting blown off, trying to escape zip ties, Louise being cursed! Very interesting things.

Overall, this book was promising, but the execution just wasn’t it. It was hard to be interested in continuing on most of the time.

Ok this was a nice adventure that grips you from the start. Its blend of action and budding romance, this story is sure to resonate with fans of the treasure-hunting genre. The Lara Croft vibes are unmistakable, and Wilkens does a fantastic job of bringing that exhilarating sense of adventure to life. The plot follows our fiercely determined protagonist as she embarks on a quest filled with danger and discovery of finding what happened to her mother. The pacing is spot-on, keeping you engaged as each twist unfolds. Wilkens skillfully balances high-stakes action with the charming dynamics of the characters’ relationships, creating a rich tapestry that’s both exciting and heartfelt.

One of the standout aspects of this book is the best friend-to-lovers trope, which is executed beautifully. The chemistry between the characters is electric, and their journey from friendship to something more feels authentic and organic. I loved watching their bond deepen, and their interactions brought a delightful mix of humor and warmth to the story. It’s the kind of romance that makes you root for them every step of the way. While the book shines in many areas, I found myself wanting a bit more depth in some of the supporting characters and their motivations. However, this minor quibble didn’t detract from my overall enjoyment. I couldn’t help but wish for more adventures featuring these two characters. I would love to see Wilkens expand on their journey and explore the depths of their relationship further in future installments.

This isn't going to make much sense, but it feels like I'm just reading a story rather than feeling like I'm in it and a part of it. It's hard to get lost and sucked into the experience and forget you're reading at a lot of points. But there are a lot of times where it's a funny and adventurous story. I am all here for the slow burn and the native representation!

I have no complaints- well I have one complaint but it’s a spoiler so it can wait. This book was delightful and cute. I took a lot fewer notes than I usually do because I was enraptured in the adventure and excited to get to the end of the mystery.
It’s often that a book feels dull because the author doesn’t want to do the crazy shit, but there’s a good amount of crazy shit in this book and that’s what I’m all about. It’s a sweet and passionate story about two friends who come to term with their feeling for each other.
Friends to lovers isn’t my favorite trope, I like a little more angst in my romance than we got here, but it was a sweet story.
I love the queer indigenous lead and I’m excited for this book to fall into the hands of someone who will love it fervently.
I don’t really have any complaints besides this isn’t the kind of book I’d normally gravitate to. I was overjoyed when the stakes got higher than just romance. I’m so glad the author built a fascinating world and series of events around the main characters and thought I’m not the biggest fan of romance, I wasn’t bored for a second.
The last many books I’ve reviewed were three stars but I really can’t think of much I’d do differently or want more of so I think it has to be at least four stars. Very entertaining read and I loved so many parts of it.