First queer romance book I've read and it gave me little heart palpitations.
I love an archaeological theme- Tomb Raider and Indiana Jones were also my favorite growing up.
I love a dual POV and it thrust a ton of dark humor into the nerve-wracking situations.
I liked this one !

Fourteen years ago, Isi's mother disappeared. Isi's never had closure, and after her best friend Louise left on a dig, she hasn't had closure there—not with their friendship and not with her unresolved feelings. Lou is back, but things have never been the same.

It looks as though they'll both keep struggling along—until a surprise visit catapults them into the woods and into an unasked-for adventure that tests the strength of their friendship—and forces them both to ask if the risk of upsetting the status quo might be worth the reward.

I picked this up partly for the archeology theme (both characters are archeologists, and they end up searching for lost Cherokee treasure) and partly for the queer romance and partly because, you know, into the woods. I love me a good into-the-woods story. The Cherokee material is super interesting—I hadn't heard of this lost treasure before, and I've been curious about archeology fiction since reading Kate Myers' "Excavations". Wilkens is part Choctaw-Cherokee, Isi is part Cherokee, and though I'm not usually one for supernatural material (keeping it vague to avoid spoilers) I actually really enjoyed the way that heritage plays into the story.

Now. I'm bad at suspending disbelief. This is a theme in my reviews. Normally the supernatural element here might have given me trouble, but again, in this case I didn't mind. However...I struggled with quite a lot of things in the rest of the book. There's the way characters jump to conclusions: Isi's mother is "declared deceased" (loc. 28) six weeks after going missing, and I'm not an expert but that is a *wildly* fast timeline to decide that someone is dead (missing, presumed dead...maybe? *Maybe.* But not definitively deceased, not with the limited information they had). There's an assumption that a daughter searching for her missing mother must be doing so because the daughter knows Major Secrets rather than because...she misses her mother. There's an assumption that if someone rings your doorbell when you aren't expecting them, you should burn it all down. (You think I am exaggerating. I am not.) I'm also a little puzzled by the timeline—why have fourteen years passed, and not, say, four? Seems sort of odd that the baddies would hang out and do nothing for so long, or that Isi wouldn't have noticed oddities in her mother's home sooner; seems very, very, very odd that Isi's mother somehow still has a desk at the university where she taught (she wouldn't after four years of disappearance either, mind, but still).

Even getting past all that, I don't understand how Isi and Lou don't end up dead. I just don't. They head into the woods woefully unprepared—plastic ballet flats and rations totalling half a protein bar per person per day. (Again: you think I am exaggerating. I am not. The author has clearly never tried hiking on insufficient food, because I can tell you that it doesn't work in real life the way it works out for Isi and Louise.) They're fleeing from danger, but they never make it far before heading back into danger's camp, or stopping to have a heart-to-heart, or turning on a flashlight or building a fire that would immediately alert anyone around them to their location. We're told that it can get down to thirty at night (that's below freezing!), but they never hesitate to wade into whatever water they come across, often fully clothed—thus sending their chances of hypothermia sky-high. At one point there's a fall, and Louise spends a few moments wondering whether Isi is dead or critically injured before getting distracted by...glowworms. Because priorities. Neither of them is particularly troubled by one woman ending up barefoot, or making out when neither of them has seen a toothbrush in days (romance novel logic)...okay, the latter isn't really a survival thing, but it stretched the bounds of my imagination. (How do their libidos continue to rage unchecked when they should be tired and hungry and cold and in pain and scared?) At one point Louise *insists* that the only way they will survive is if Isi *immediately* destroys one of her few pieces of clothing and uses the last of their matches to make a torch, *now*, there's no time to waste, because it's...crucial that that happen before Louise joins Isi in a space that might not have an exit? I don't know. I read that section three times to try to figure out the thought process, and I still couldn't don't understand. There's a situation that puts everyone but Isi in extreme danger, for reasons, and when reinforcements arrive...Isi and Louise do exactly nothing to warn said reinforcements about that danger. (Oh boy.)

This feels like a great draft that still needs a couple of big rounds of edits. I was thrilled that it was an into-the-woods book (I'm always thrilled when it's an into-the-woods book), but I would have found it so much more believable if Isi and Louise had taken the time to go home, dig out their outdoors gear, pack their bags full of rations, and *then* go into the woods to race against time to beat the baddies at their own game. (And—at one point a snake is described as "wet and slimy" (loc. 2339), which is not how snakes work—they're quite smooth and dry. I don't think either the author or the editor is an outdoorsy person? Which is fine, obviously, but Isi's wet and slimy rattlesnake highlights the importance of books that take place in the woods getting a read by an outdoorsy person during the editing process.)

It's still a cute romance, and if you like your relationships high on angst and aren't really an into-the-woods person yourself, you'll probably struggle with this less than I did. I might pick up another of the author's books in the future—I just won't take Isi or Louise's lead in planning for my next backpacking trip.

Thanks to the author and publisher for inviting me to read a review copy through NetGalley.

First of all, this cover! It is probably one of my favorite covers ever.
I loved so much about this book - the friends to lovers trope, the sapphic Indiana Jones-ness of it all, and the through-line of archeology and giving back to the natives what colonizers stole. Beautifully done.

They're archeologists, damn it! They can't be in love!

Which is an idea that seems to be repeated like every other page for the first ~half of the book. That refrain of being above human necessity, like companionship or romance, is a sentiment that is heavily pushed by both character POVs, so maybe it's just a commonly held belief by archeologists? IDK, but boy do you hear about it. I do think that bit became a little bit tiring, and also implausible as it's never really explained why either of them feel that way. But truly, that's about my only gripe with this book.

It's a standalone set in the same world as the authors last book, so people going into this without understanding the supernatural elements of the first book might be taken for a bit of a shock when they appear towards the end of the book. Well, it's through out a lot of the book, but it's written in a way that could be explained by intuition or ancestorial knowledge, until it isn't and you are wondering why there is seemingly sentient gold. It makes sense, but it's a bit hand wavy, with a reference to the author's first book set in this world and the hauntings those characters face.

But that's mostly ancillary to the majority of the book, which is an adventure romance between two archeologists. There seems to have been a bit of a boom for this type of adventure/romance, so heavily inspired by the likes of The Mummy and Indiana Jones. I think this book does the actual adventure part a lot better than most of the other similar books. It does the romance better too, with a fleshed out relationship between two people with a complicated (and dare I say, slightly codependent? I'm not complaining, I'm sucker for romances where they are each others everything) history. It's not big, tall guy with muscles and a sad backstory, and tiny, mousey girl who likes books as a replacement for personality, which seems to be the formula for this type of stories. It's two women who read as actual adults, learning to overcome these invisible obstacles they made for themselves, with a heavy dose of friends-to-lovers angst. Which I love to see. There is a tipping point where they both realize that the other does have feelings for them too, but they still hesitate on that edge, and those moments are for the girlies who love longing.

Now as a romance book, I am not reading this for accuracy or believability. I don't care about the logistics, but doing it in the mountains, where you are stranded and being hunted down, lost to the world around you?? Falling asleep together at the same time, when there is clear and present danger, instead of taking shifts? I--was at loss for words. At least the scenes were hot. It makes up for the terrible decision making by two people we are led to believe are accustomed to being out in the wilderness.

The part of the book I liked most was the indigenous representation. I really resonated with Isi's struggles with half-remembered histories and guilt for not being more connected to her indigenous ancestry. How it was made even more difficult for her with the loss of her mother, and not really having anyone left to pass that knowledge on to her. I like how the story made a point of establishing that even if you don't feel like you know it, there is still some there, and that its not too late to learn more. To seek it out. I also liked the emphasis on letting the indigenous community decide on what should be done with the treasure the main leads set out to find. I liked how, at the end, it shows them working with the tribe to showcase the find. Over all, I think it's great to see positive depictions of indigenous communities right to self-determination in media. It helps to combat an 0ld and vicious narrative, which is also directly addressed in the narrative, albeit a single comment from the main villain who eventually gets their comeuppance.

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin’s Griffin, and Colby Wilkens for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! I originally requested this one because of the gorgeous cover, but I found it to be a fun and romantic read.

This book follows our two main characters, Isadora Ross and Louise Morgenstern. They’re both archaeologists and have been best friends for a long time, but have been struggling lately because of Louise’s move to Turkey. They are forced to work together though after being kidnapped after Isi found her mom’s old journal that seems to lead to lost Cherokee gold.

This one reminded me a lot of some of my favorites, like The Mummy and Indiana Jones. I loved the mystery and seeing our two characters trying to figure out their map to find the lost treasure. Their blossoming romance was also really sweet, but sometimes it seemed like bad timing for them haha (kissing while being chased? Maybe not a super good idea...)

My only real complaint about this one is that the pacing seemed weird sometimes. I got bored a few times in the middle because it seemed like things were going slowly and not a lot was happening. The end speed things up a lot though and I loved the ending.

If you like mysteries, hidden treasure, and/or Sapphic romances, you should pick this one up when it releases! I’m glad I was able to read it and I recommend it.

Spice Rating: 2.5/5 Somewhere between open-door and explicit open door.

I received this book from NetGalley in return for my truthful review.

TW: Closed spaces (claustrophobia), spiders (arachnophobia), moments of extreme darkness, creepy crawlies like spiders and snakes, and creepy crawlies crawling on a character while in the dark. One scene that really got me was when a spider crawled across Lou's hand in a dark cave. That scene creeped me out because I hate the dark and I hate spiders and those two combined.... ew.

This story follows the characters Isadora (Isi) Ross and Louise (Lou) Morgenstern who are archeologists who are trying to mend their friendship after a separation caused some distance between them. Isi's mother, Dr. Tamora Ross, disappeared 14-years prior to when this story takes place and Isi has been trying to find some sort of clue that could lead to her whereabouts or what happened to her. One night after things almost get a little heated between Isi and Lou, Lou heads for her mother's cabin to clear her head. Of all the times she has gone to the cabin and spent time there, she realizes her mother left a puzzle for her to solve. This puzzle leads to a map and the map supposedly leads to Cherokee gold that her mother told her stories of. A treasure hunter by the name of Clarice Walker wants this map and the treasure. Lou goes to warn Isi of her and they have to flee because Clarice and her goons are after them. Captured, but not defeated, Isi and Lou escape to search for the treasure. The search for treasure also leads to the search for their feelings for each other. Do they find the gold? You'll have to read and find out. Do Isi and Lou end up together? Maybe.

The blending of fact and fiction made this story enjoyable for me. It definitely gave me a feel of "National Treasure" with more spice. Some of the author's descriptions of Cherokee lore got me interested and I went and Googled some of the sayings and stories. It added to the enjoyment of the book and helped me understand Isi more as a character. I also enjoyed some humor mixed into some tense situations. Without giving too much away, Isi and Lou are trying to escape a situation and a couple guards believe the woods are haunted and Isi starts whispering obscure Cherokee sayings that creep them out and they end up running off. Isi then explains what the words meant to Lou and it gave me a good laugh during a tense situation.

It would be fun to see these characters in future stories/series. Kind of like Indiana Jones.

I don't think there is much I would say I disliked about this story. It flowed very well. There may have been a couple scenes/chapters that might could have been bypassed as they didn't really move the plot forward.

This book is basically lesbian Indiana Jones and I’m so glad Netgalley let me read it early!!!

Best friends and archeologists Isi and Louise are racing against a treasure hunter to find lost Cherokee treasure in the mountains of Georgia. They’ve been kidnapped and taken into the wilderness with nothing but sexual frustration and friendship, what could go wrong? Literally everything! Someone loses fingers, there a curse, spider bites and trap doors. This is one of those books you see the ending coming from the beginning, but eat it up anyway. This comes out March 25 and I can’t wait to add it to my shelf! 4🌟

I really enjoyed this book! The characters were lovely and I loved their storylines. The book was well-written and interesting. I really enjoy this author’s writing and I loved this book!

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

If I dig you is a sapphic adventure story, with lots of thrills and steamy romance. I enjoyed the journey that Isi and Louise went on, and all of the twist and turns.

I do feel like they spent a long time circling back to the same argument, and it felt like sometimes I was re-reading the same passage from a few chapters earlier.

If you like friends to lovers, forced proximity, and slow burn romance with lots of spice and adventure, then you will probably enjoy this book!

A fast and fun sapphic adventure, I was entertained once I got past the slow start. It's a fun read for those who are Indiana Jones fans. Personally I didn't like a few parts in the middle- felt redundant to the story but overall it was a decent read.

This was a fun sapphic adventure romance! I’m a sucker for treasure hunting stories, and when you add in indigenous elements and a bit of curse driven retribution, I’m all in. However, the beginning felt a little slow, and I wish there had been more action scenes to really make it pop. One thing I loved about the author’s previous book was the balance of paranormal activity, romance, and plot building. Unfortunately, this one fell a bit short on the adventure/action front and I just wanted more excitement!

That said, it was still an enjoyable read, even if it didn’t grab me like the first book. I’ll definitely check out more from this author because I love her storytelling overall, and I see lots of promise in her future work. This one’s a 3.5⭐️ for me, but I’m rounding up because I’d still recommend it to anyone looking for a fun adventure or a sapphic romance!

Such a good moment in history pop quiz and friends to lovers i needed to keep reading! I loved these woman's stories and needed more!

I loved the story, the world building and meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it.

Friends to lovers really just hits that much harder when they're queer! This book was such a fun adventure from start to finish. They have to focus not only love, but survival and I truly love books with more than just a romance plot, but something more adventurous and this totally fits the bill. It was a bit slow in places, but had all the elements that I really love. The cover is also BEAUTIFUL, which is what drew me in. The banter and tension was really good, and I felt the chemistry. I really enjoyed this! It was a wild ride with a great romance and a fun adventure.

This book was so horny and adventurous and I loved it. 😂 I am a huge fan of Indiana Jones and archaeology type books and movies so this was a big hit for me! Love love love. The cover is gorgeous too!

Thank you to St. Martin's Publishing Group and NetGalley for the e-ARC.

I really really wanted to like this book because the concept sounded so fun but it was just too horny, dirty (not the good kind) and bloody for me. I feel like it would have been better if they were friends to lovers instead of friends but not really friends to lovers. I needed to see them acting as just friends, in order for it to be believable that they where so afraid to lose their friendship that they kept quite for so long and it would have also been kind of nice to see them being a couple for longer than we got. I did love the clues and stories of the Cherokee people and how that related to the treasure and I wish we had more time with that.

If I Dig You is a queer romance between two archeologists, Louise and Isi, who go on a wild adventure in search of lost treasure and answers about Isi’s mom’s disappearance. I haven’t read many adventure romances so I was excited about this one! The adventure plot line is steady throughout the story, but I found the romance to drag and be repetitive. That said, if you enjoy slow burn friends to lovers, only one sleeping bag, or Indiana Jones this one is worth a shot! The information about Cherokee history was also interesting, I wish there was even more of that.

3.5⭐️

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an E-Arc in exchange for an honest review!

I just want to say a quick thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to read an early copy of If I dig you. I've been looking forward to this book for months since I first saw the announcement post and I'm so pleased to say that I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I will always take an opportunity to read sapphic books especially if they are set in mixed genres. A sapphic adventure romance is not something I knew I needed until I saw it but now I can't believe I've never read that combination before. Wilkens took every opportunity to make us laugh and swoon over the romance between Isi and Louise but also left us with a lot of tears and bittersweet conversations. I feel like there were a few points where I felt like it was a bit ridiculous that they were able to focus so much on their history and personal problems when they were actively being chased through the woods but that’s sort of the charm of romance as a genre and overall I felt like the mix of developing their relationship and exploring their survival and the adventure at hand was pretty balanced.

I want to say more but I don't really like to leave spoiler reviews so I'll just say I love the tattoo Louise got in the end :)

I would highly recommend this to anyone that likes the sound of the synopsis! It was so much fun

I really wanted to love this. The premise was great but it was sloooooow in the beginning, picked up about the halfway point, and then some things were just… weird? Like, these two were WAY too focused on each other in places where they should have been focused on escape. It felt kind of forced in that way. I love the friends to lovers trope, but it wasn’t until 60% that they acted on it and I got a little tired of BOTH of them being all angsty and refusing to say anything to the other one.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

Although I was expecting some sapphic pining considering this is a friend's to lovers trope, I wasn't anticipating quite this much. I'd say about 20% of the book is adventuring and the other 80% is Lou and Isa silently pining for one another and trying not to tear their clothes off in the middle of the woods. It also wasn't as intense a book as I thought it would be considering the warnings, there are plenty of cute and campy moments. The aspect of this book that was lacking for me, however, was that adventure aspect. I wasn't super drawn in by the quest for the gold, and found myself questioning at many points how they were navigating and surviving as well as they did. It felt like too much of the adventure was spent on them just walking miserable and cold through the woods. Overall though, the story is enjoyable and definitely much more of a romance book. If you want lots of sapphic pining, some spice, and a little side of adventure, then this fits the bill. 3.9/5 stars rounded up