3.5 Stars
Leaving no further review after discovering the author’s Indigenous history was false. I will not be supporting this book

This book was slow and just didn’t capture my attention. I liked the concept but not the execution. The dialogue and plot were underdeveloped. I also get bad vibes by how much this is being marketed as Native rep when the way it is presented in the book feels shallow and performative.

I will not be giving feedback on this title because of the author falsely claiming to be indigenous. I am still writing a review here so other readers are made aware.

Rating 5 stars so as not to drag down the rating because I didn't actually read it.

I can’t give feedback on this because of the author’s allegations. Sorry! I don’t feel right with reading and reviewing this book at the moment.

I can’t support author’s who lie about their heritage. I was excited for this one but it looks like it’s a pass for me.

Disappointed I didn't get a chance to read this one. I was really looking forward to it. Even more disappointed with the way the author lied about her Native heritage though. I appreciate the publisher's decision to pull this book but mourn its loss at the same time. :(

This title has been pulled from publication, and as such I will not be reading it. Thanks to SMP for the ARC.

This book has been pulled from publication so I will not be reading it or reviewing it out of respect for those affected.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced review copy!

As it has recently come to my attention that the author does not have Native American ancestry, and yet is claiming to be writing from and representing those who have Cherokee and Choctaw ancestry, I will not be reading this book. Nor anything written and/or published by this author in the future.

Automatic pass after being brought to light the fact that the author claims to be POC and is not. The publisher is doing a disservice to those of actual Native/Cherokee heritage by supporting this.

"There have been allegations that Colby Wilkens is not actually Native, according to a genealogical study. Although the organization that conducted the study is itself controversial, the Cherokee Nation, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, and the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians have a clear statement on who is allowed to claim an identity as Cherokee. I do not support white authors claiming to be indigenous or people of color if they are not. I have also heard things about Wilkens's treatment of other BIPOC authors that make me no longer willing to support her as an author."


1 star as I can't rate lower.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review of If I Dig You. This was a wild adventure for sure with a little bit of magic thrown in. I wanted to like this more than I did. The trope & internal thoughts repeated too much for me and I wanted more archeology related content!

If I Dig You by Colby Wilkens was a frustrating read. The representation of Cherokee culture is riddled with inaccuracies and stereotypes, and it’s clear that this story lacks a real connection to the heritage it claims to portray. The “Cherokee Gold” concept and the misused “two wolves” story are just two examples that show a need for thorough research and genuine respect.

For a book that centers so heavily on Native identity, this one falls short in ways that feel more harmful than helpful. It’s painful to see readers praising these portrayals when they miss the mark entirely. This book would have benefited from either a complete rewrite or a thoughtful sensitivity read. I cannot recommend it, and I hope publishers start being more vigilant with Native representation.

Loved the idea of this book and I think it definitely had potential. Unfortunately it missed the mark for me. I believe it was repetitive and was weird to me that both girls acted entirely too childish even though they were in their 30s.

Thank you NetGalley and St Martins Publishing Group for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I'm not sure why this book is still on NetGalley, since to the best of my knowledge this book is no longer being published. The author presented herself as Indigenous, which was revealed to be untrue.

I was so disappointed with how this author turned out. I saw the post about this not being published and was sad. But then when I dig deeper I was actually really disappointed that they didn’t catch this, especially when the help was offered. The book was fine. Not my favorite story but well written. I hope Colby finds a way to make this right because I’d love to read more from her.

I was so excited for this book based off the synopsis and the absolutely gorgeous cover. However,
after trying to read this it was not holding my attention at all, and after finding out that the author had been dishonest about her heritage it soured my desire to attempt to push though and finish. It’s such a shame, it had such a great premise & was such a great idea for *any* romance, but especially a sapphic one.
Thank you to SMP for the eARC.

The title has been pulled from publication and I will not be giving feedback at this time. Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the eARC!

I read this before hearing the new information revealed about the author or that this book has been pulled from publication. However, I didn’t love the book anyway. The spice was okay, but the pacing was extremely off and I found the level of miscommunication/lack of communication between the main characters to be extremely frustrating. I also didn’t love the execution of the plot, despite being very intrigued by the summary.

I will not be giving feedback on this tittle, as the galley has been removed and the book won't be published.

The concept sounded interesting and I was looking forward to reading a sapphic Tomb Raider romp. Since it was pulled from publication and due to the extenuating circumstances, I have no other feedback at this time. Thank you to SMP for the eARC.