Thank you Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter, and Netgalley for an arc copy to complete this review.

LIGHT Spoilers Ahead.

Whoops. For a destination adventure romcom based on archaeology, a lot of the book sure takes place within a hotel room.

I was so excited for this story as I love Indiana Jones, Tomb Raider, the Mummy, and all the tropes listed as selling points for this book, but…

I dnf’d at 76% as I found myself unable to actually care about the adventure as there are very little consequences for Adriana and Andrew to actually follow up on the quest. I feel like this could have been explored more deeply, and handled more carefully, though as someone with an archaeology degree I feel I may be biased in its portrayal and use of the profession. I suppose it was interesting enough for a while there, to get me to read 76%.

While the characters have interesting backstories, it felt Iike there was too much telling and not enough showing. The story takes place over a couple days, but Adriana is so heavily focused on one aspect of her past, that she repeats soooo many times throughout the book, that she felt like a one dimensional character with no growth or other aspects to care about.

All in all, the book was alright, but I can’t see myself finishing, at least not in the immediate future. I will, however, still be suggesting it to people who want something cheesy romantic with a ~sprinkle~ of archaeology, but not to expect something adventurous and exciting.

Digging Dr. Jones was such a fun book to spend my day getting lost in. The plot was fun and unique. I don't typically read quest or adventure themed books, but loved the Indiana Jones vibes and couldn't help but be instantly captivated by Andrew and Adriana.

Andrew and Adriana had instant chemistry and I loved their banter. The burn between them was slow, yet intense. I loved all the will they/won't they moments. These two kept me on my toes and certainly steamed up the pages.

If you're looking for an entertaining read filled with great characters, adventure, and lots of steam, you won't want to miss Digging Dr. Jones. This book was just the escape I was looking for and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

I was looking for a fun rom-com with a unique plot, and when I started reading this book I knew it was the one! It felt like Indiana Jones meets spicy fun romantic comedy, and the two "genres" balanced perfectly. The writing was amazing and it kept me HOOKED from the first page. It's honesly such a perfect read for summer, fun and intriguing at the same time!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4-4.5/5 🌶️🌶️ 2.5/5

💎 Forced Proximity
💎 Opposites Attract
💎 He falls first
💎 Treasure Hunting

This book for me was giving nostalgic romcom X Indiana Jones ( big uncharted vibes) and I ate it up (the 3am finish was 100% worth it).

The chemistry between Adriana and Andrew was enjoyable despite it feeling a little rushed, but paired with the fast paced treasure hunting, i found myself invested.

“Your brilliance is limitless” (Andrew was so down bad)

The second half of the book felt a lot stronger and changed my opinion/rating to a 4-4.5/5 due to really enjoying the character development and the interactions between the main characters and side characters, especially during the final treasure hunting endeavour (so hard not to reveal spoilers but it’s great).

For Olivia Jackson’s debut novel this was phenomenal and really established her as a romance author to follow/ look out for, I for one will be reading her next book. I really enjoyed the treasure hunting aspect and the development of the research explored during the quests and I can’t wait to see what she writes next.

A big thank you to HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter & NetGalley for the ARC I will be buying a physical copy because that cover art? Beautiful. absolutely no notes.

National Treasure + The Lost City makes a romance novel great for fans of Meghan Quinn and Christina Lauren!

This book would be a great beach/pool read this summer for any fan of light hearted rom coms and adventure. If you're looking for an easy read that'll give you a good time, this one is for you! The treasure hunt & adventure scenes were entertaining. The romance fell a little flat for me, and the dialogue was a bit too cheesy for my taste, but it was still an enjoyable read. Overall, I just didn't really connect with the characters, and felt it to be a little too hallmark movie-esque for me to love it.

I was in the mood for a good romance rom com but I was a little disappointed. The plot sounded amazing and fun but it went slow. The FMC was very much a woe is me, I was poor so no one can love me type. While also being a I’m so not pretty but actually is. I hate those people in real life, so in fiction I don’t like it either.
The biggest problem I had was at the beginning of the book was she thought the MMC was married, while she told herself that he was married she continued to flirt with him and think how attractive he was, and think about him in a sexual way. As a married woman this isn’t something I enjoy. I’ve read books about infidelity but this wasn’t the right way to do it.
There were a lot of cliches. Like a lot.

The good news is it has a cute plot and is a decent romance. It’s not super funny but it has great Temple of the lost heart vibes.

Thank you to HarperCollins UK and NetGalley for the arc.
This was an arc and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

I tend to really enjoy adventure romances, and while there wasn’t anything necessarily wrong with this (I liked the story and the couple well enough), two things brought my rating down. The first being the MFC’s attitude about not falling in love because she felt she wasn’t good enough was a bit overdone and frustrating, and the second being it felt like there was a lot of bouncing around/disconnectedness in the events that progressed the story forward.

Overall, a middle of the road title

I adored this book. It was so so cute! It had adventure, romance and some spice. What's there not to love. Would definitely recommend as a cute beach read this year!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to review this!

First off, thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for an ARC of this book.

HOLY COW! Okay, I loved every second of this book from the first page to the last. The banter between Adriana and William is so fun, the romance with Andriana and Andrew (NOT ANDY) is swoon worthy.

Now, I might be a bit bias because my soon to be husband is an Archeologist, but I love these classic romance books with a hint of adventure and history. Also, can we just appreciate that there is no miscommunication troupe in this?!?!?!?! Like they actually talk to each other like adults! Also, no third act break up?!?!

I adore this book, and Olivia's writing, I cannot wait for more <3

If you like your romcoms with adventure, sizzling chemistry, and just a tiny bit of life-threatening danger, Digging Dr. Jones is the perfect read for you. It’s The Lost City meets Romancing the Stone with a sprinkle of National Treasure—and trust me, you’ll want to book a vacation (or maybe an archaeology degree) after reading it.

Adriana Jones planned on a relaxing getaway, but instead, she accidentally handcuffs herself (well, sort of) to a grumpy, ridiculously attractive archaeologist named Andrew Jones. One cursed bracelet and one very urgent treasure hunt later, she’s trudging through the jungles of Colombia, dodging danger, and falling hard for the man who definitely did not sign up for this level of chaos.

The tropes? Chef’s kiss. Forced proximity, opposites attract, and a fish-out-of-water heroine who somehow thrives under pressure (and looks great doing it). Andrew is peak “reluctant hero with a heart of gold,” and their banter? Top-tier. Also, we need to talk about Adriana’s brother, William—scene-stealer, comedic gold, and quite possibly my new favorite fictional sibling.

This book is fast-paced, fun, and full of spice (both the romantic and near-death-experience variety). Whether you’re lounging on a beach or just dreaming of one, Digging Dr. Jones is the perfect escape.

Think National Treasure meets Indiana Jones, make it spicy and add more humour. This was a fun time, definitely an easy-going reading experience and I enjoyed the banter between characters.

Personally the romance was a little too insta-love for my liking and there was a lot of Apple product references which felt strange to me. But this was fun & would make a good holiday read.

*Thank you HarperCollins, One More Chapter and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If you love The Mummy or Indiana Jones then this book is calling your name! It was totally reminding me The Mummy Returns regarding the bracelet that keeps our main couple in close proximity.

At times I found the brother and sister annoying but overall it was a fun read. It’s more plot focused than character focused so I wished we had more development.

3.5/5

*Spoilers*

I did truly enjoy the unique storyline and nods to Indiana Jones and the like. This was a cute and easy read which was much harder to put down once the story truly gained momentum. I will say, I felt there was a bit too much quirky-ness and "like, duh" to Adriana's character, which made the beginning a little cringe, but again, once things got moving and the tension began to build between her and Andrew she seemed to become much more bearable.
I absolutely loved William and I would love to read a novel about him or his POV.
Giving the antagonist the name Richard Head was fucking hilarious and I laughed out loud every time he popped up.

Overall didn't hate this one, but probably won't be buying it.

It's cute and it had it's moments, but it is definitely longer than it should be.

I love the sense of adventure but there was so many steps to the journey that it was starting to drag and I felt like skimming through each discovery to get to the romance. The pace is slower than I would've anticipated, especially considering how Adriana is attracted to him and has that push-and-pull from the get-go.

I did enjoy Andrew plenty, he was a total cinnamon roll/Rick O'Connell type of lead that I adored from the beginning. Adrianna kept repeating the same internal monologue over and over again about her traumas and at this point, I know where she's coming from, but after about 60% in, she's still repeating the same things and doesn't show much semblance of growth. Especially after that heart to heart with her brother just pages before where he tells her to let go of what's been dragging her for ten years. Girl.

If you're looking for an adventure with a splash for romance, this will be good enough for it. Just prepare for how slow then burn actually is.

Thank you to HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter, and NetGalley for the eArc in exchange for an honest review.

Fun book but the author seemed to prioritize plot development over character development. Still fun read though

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Indiana Jones vibe and storyline were really fun. But saying that, the majority of the book was plot-focused, and thus the characters were very 1- and 2-dimensional. Plus, the romance was just very childish and boring as well.
3

Thank You NetGalley and the publishers for letting me read this book before the release date.

If you enjoy, Indiana Jones, The Mummy, and The Goonies you might enjoy this book. You should read this book for fun not historical accuracy.

The main characters were fun and thought out. Andrew has past trauma as well as Adriana. They form a relationship throughout their adventure together. Once they get together they “get together” a lot.

Another thing I enjoyed in this book is the play on words. The author played with her influences as mentioned before or just fun names for the MMC “Dr Long Dong Silver”.

Digging Dr. Jones by Olivia Jackson is an opposites attract, forced proximity, full of adventure romance that was an absolute DELIGHT!

Adriana Jones is on a luxury vacation with her brother in Costa Rica, attempting to come to terms with her dream business plan falling apart. A bracelet arrives at her room, but unfortunately it was not meant for her and now they cannot get it off. Dr. Andrew Jones is a handsome archaeologist and professor, who was meant to receive the bracelet. They end up on an amazing adventure to Columbia searching for treasure, immersed in history, and falling in love. This story was so much fun, I loved the banter between Adriana and Andrew as well as getting to know their back stories and character development. I got a little lost/bored in some of the historical aspects of the book, but overall this was a great read!

Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Collins UK, One More Chapter, and the author for this e-ARC.

If you love that Indiana Jones romance feel than this book is definitely for you. When a mistaken identity causes a braclet to be delivered to the wrong room, Dr Jones meet Miss Jones. The braclet is the start of amazing fun and quick paced adventure. Andrew is our main archeologist and Adriana is just in the right place at the right time. It's sweet and swoony with mystery and anticipation. Richard is our dreaded bad guy who is always just a Step behind. Definitely a fun easy read.

It's a very nice book, I really enjoyed reading it. Is it a favorite? No. Would I come back to it? Hell yeah. It’s good, just not overwhelmingly amazing. I had fun, though.

There were a lot of great things about it, like the writing in general, the spice (very nicely written and sprinkled in), the tension between Andrew and Adriana, and the adventure part. I actually liked the main characters and the nods to Indiana Jones. I think there was some depth there, though it wasn’t oceans, more like a big pool or a small lake.

Overall, I liked it. Great debut. I'd happily read more from the author, and I hope to have the opportunity in the future.

There are many small things which prevent me from saying that it's brilliant, even though
it's fun, like:
*SOFT SPOILERS, NOTHING MAJOR BUT STILL*
- objectifying Dr Jones a lot right from the start (I get he's hot, but it can't be his only trait that leads to FMC falling in love, I'm sorry, I need more),
- introducing and immediately forgetting about FMC's fear of relationships (it wasn't completely forgotten, but I think it also wasn't discussed enough? fears like that don't go away easily just because your boyfriend is hot and says everything is fine),
- very schematic and typical characters with no redeeming qualities (I'm sorry but as much as I enjoyed Dr Dickhead's name, it didn't make sense for Brie to be with him, and for Andrew to ever be with Brie),
- a very annoying brother (I'm half-sure that the sole purpose of William's existence was to annoy me).

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!