Got about halfway through before discovering the controversy with the author’s claims of Cherokee and Choctaw ancestry… big yikes. Really disappointing, and very discouraging for indigenous readers looking for representation in books.

This book was sooo good! I could not put it down. And the cover is gorgeous! Thank you netgalley for the chance to read the advanced copy!

So sad it won't be published, but really enjoyed this book, the coziness, the queerness, and the over all sort of nostalgic action/adventure feel you get from it.

This was a cute read, its a shame the author has apparently being profitting from indigenous communities and their cultures.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for this ARC Copy!

I really wanted to enjoy this book, the cover sucked me in so fast, and I really was excited about the premise just looks so cute. I do feel like my enjoyment of the book was tainted by the controversy of the author. Since I had received an ARC Copy I did want to give it a full opportunity for an honest review but I just feel like the book was not nearly good enough for me to get past the issues with the author.

Will not be reading or reviewing as the author and publisher pulled this book from publication due to the authors connection with the Indigenous community.

I'm sorry but this did NOT do it for me. It took me weeks to get into it, and had to force myself to stay interested. Eventually had to call it and DNF at 40%.

This book was a lot of fun. The two main characters (best friends turned lovers) both have distinct, unique personalities.

I didn't read this book due to the controversy with the author writing native stories and stating she was native when she is not. Additionally this book was pulled from publication.

If I Dig You by Colby Wilkens
Contemporary diverse sapphic romance. Slow burn.
Archaeologist Isadora Ross lost her mother fourteen years ago. She disappeared on a research trip in the mountains. Isa has been quietly searching different area of the mountain to try to get answers but hasn’t found anything to help. Isa also misses her best friend who moved to Turkey for a dig, leaving Isa behind. She’s in love with Louisa and can’t believe she left her alone.
Dr Louisa Morgenster recently moved back to the Georgia mountains to teach archaeology. She ran to Turkey as an excuse. She’s been in love with Isa forever and hopes she can figure out how to get their friendship back at the very least.
When Isa finds her mother’s journal, she and Louisa are kidnapped for a treasure map that was included. They escape and then follow the clues on the map while being followed by the group that’s after the treasure. While they search the mountains and follow the clues, Isa and Louisa try to deny their feelings but finally start to reveal and talk about their love. The path is perilous both physically and emotionally.
Can they find the treasure before the others? Can they repair their relationship? It’s an adventure on both sides.

Lies and lack of communication are my least favorite troupes, so I struggled through a lot of the angst in this story. The treasure hunting was interesting. The villains almost comical.

I cannot address the cultural details or issues since I don’t have the knowledge.
My review is on the romance only which was disappointing for the number of years they hid their feelings or lied which followed them for the bulk of their adventures.

I was gifted a copy of this from NetGalley.

I was recently made aware of the controversy surrounding this book, so I’m not sure if this will be published later on or if it’s been completely removed. But I did enjoy several aspects of this book including the archaeological plot and the sapphic romance.

Thank you the publisher via Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Note: I received this e-ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I wanted to enjoy this book, it had a great premise, but fell flat. The writing style was very juvenile and it felt like the author and editor tried to make up for it with a lot of sexual innuendo, but that just made it feel even younger.
I was unaware of the author’s controversy before reading this book, and now am disappointed that I read it to begin with. If it’s still being published, I wouldn’t continue to recommend it at all.

Thank you to SMP and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

I’m not sure if this is still being published, but I did just want to say I did enjoy it. I loved the Indigenous notes and the relationship. I thought it was a good book.

Let me preface this review saying that I know of the Colby Wilkens identity controversy. When I requested/accepted the book, I honestly didn’t focus on the name. I focused on the fact that it was a sapphic book and said “yes” to the dress so to speak. It wasn’t until much later that I recognized the name and said, “Damn.” I still took a book from a publisher in exchange for an honest review. So here it is….

I have to admit to being a little excited to get a fun sapphic Romancing the Stone (Dir. R. Zemeckis, 1984) book and for the most part it is action-packed. There are clues, bad guys, a solid backstory, and some romance thrown in. Okay, the romance is heavily thrown in (chuckle). For the most part, it is fun if you can separate yourself from reality for a bit.

For professors who have gone out on expeditions before, they are pretty ignorant. Here is a small spoiler to give an example, how do you not know that a flashlight lit up in the dark allows the bad guys to find you? There are a couple of things that while reading will take you out of the story because you will be scratching your head saying, “huh?!” I think the biggest for me are the sex scenes. I get that the author is trying to create chemistry and show that there is heat in the story, but seriously this would not happen - any of it. There might be a glance or two, but you’re bleeding, freezing cold, injured, and with a crew of bad guys chasing you. Let’s just stop and have some nookie because I just can’t keep my scratched and bleeding hands off you. (smh)

The second-chance romance is okay. I find the time frame confusing between when Isi’s mother died and Dylan broke up with Lou. At first it seems like it is a distance apart, so it’s confusing how Lou doesn’t know that Isi kept looking for her mother and deserted her. Then in another part of the book, the events are all lumped together. Maybe it’s because for Isi they are all lumped together and that’s why it reads that way, or the timeline isn’t clearly laid out.

I did have fun with If I Dig You. It’s corny just like an ‘80s movie. I escaped for an afternoon chasing treasure and shook my head from time to time and I’m okay with that.

This book wasn't really for me. I liked the National Treasure premise, but it just didn't feel right to me. I understand suspending disbelief in order for things to make more sense in fictional worlds, but I couldn't get past how much I needed to just let things happen in order for the plot and book to make sense.

Additionally, upon reading other reviews, this book has been pulled from publication and there is controversy around the author. I am leaving this review because I received this ARC in exchange for a review from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/St. Martin's Griffin.

This was a fun, sapphic National Treasure-style romp with just enough angst to keep my little BookTok heart fed. If I Dig You gave me everything I wanted on paper—buried treasure, emotional pining, mutual survival trauma—but I didn’t fully fall head over boots for it. The chemistry between Isi and Lou was there, but the pacing felt a bit uneven, like the romance and the action-adventure elements were sometimes fighting for screen time. That said, I still devoured it in a weekend and would 100% watch the chaotic gay treasure-hunting movie this deserves to be. Not my all-time fave, but definitely a solid "add to your TBR if you love mess, mud, and mutual yearning."

It has come to my attention that this book has been pulled from publication due to the author fabricating her Native American heritage. Thank you St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for my advanced digital copy, but I will not be finishing it at this time.

I was recently made aware of the controversy and lack of publishing for this book. I did not start this book and I am choosing not to read it at this time. Thank you NetGalley and SMP for the opportunity.

This is a two-part review. The story is great. “If I Dig You” is a spicy sapphic romance with some treasure hunting. This part of the book was fantastic. I enjoyed the story. That is a 4 star review

The second part of the review is how The Tribal Alliance Against Frauds found that Colby Wilkens is not of Cherokee and Choctaw descent as she claimed. This is negative stars.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press | St

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!
3.5 stars
I enjoyed the archaeological aspects of this book and the friends to lovers trope. This was a unique story and it did keep you on the edge of your seat.