So I will no longer be reading this because while I bet its likely good, I heard that native american treasure is a part of the plot and that the author may or may not have faked her own connection to native american heritage. Yes I love my sapphics but not at the expense of another marginalized community.

Due to this book being currently pulled from publication and possible mis-representation of Cherokee heritage by the author and misleading Native content in the book, I will focus my review on the non-Native elements of the book. As a white reader and reviewer, I will not comment on the validity or accuracy of Native representation in the story, as I do not have personal knowledge or expertise in this area. I would encourage any potential readers to seek the voices of Native reviewers to gain an understanding of this aspect of the book.
The idea of adventure mixed with friends-to-lovers romance is what drew me to this book. However, as I read this book, the repetition of the internal monologue related to the strained friendship between the two main characters made it difficult to stay engaged. The same worries about abandonment and forgiveness were repeated many times with no emotional development or connection between the characters. The ending seemed to be anti-climactic and random, with an appearance by a character that had only been mentioned once or twice before, that became pivotal. I enjoyed the beginning of the book, but the middle was too drawn out and the end was confusing and unsatisfying.

This book was pulled from publication due to questions about the authors claim of native heritage, Given that, I will not be reading it.

I really enjoyed this very much. I liked the friends to lovers aspect. As well as the mystery and action that took place. I really liked the contrast of the two main characters as well as the tension between them as neither wanted to admit their feelings at first. The crazy adventure they went on kept me turning the pages unable to put this down! I highly recommend giving this a try if that sounds like themes you'd enjoy!

As this book has been pulled from publication, I will not be reading it at the request of the author. I hope the author has learned some lessons and will find redemption, as this did look like a very promising read.

Thank you to St Martin's Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy.

Thanks to Netgalley & St. Martin's Press for the
E-ARC! Really cute!! Loved the themes & characters so much. I think I even liked this more than the 1st book! Excited to read more!

Since finishing this book, I have heard that the author’s indigenous status is being called into question and that the author treats BIPOC authors poorly. I cannot in good conscience rate this book otherwise.

This story has since been completely pulled from publication due to the author's misrepresentation of their Native heritage. Because of this, I will not be writing a review for this book. The story is very directly influenced with Native characters and beliefs that cannot be accurately portrayed

The premise of the book was very promising but I called it quits after chapter 7. I didn't really get a chance to get to know the MCs and start caring for them before the unbelievable events started happening - burning down the mother's cabin and her journal, not to mention her note. Telling me that early on that something as big as a final note from her mother is unlikely to be resolved made me less excited to pick it up again. I found the writing repetitive and tiresome - I get that Isi has been in love with her BFF for years but putting that on every page is just unnecessary. I really wanted to like this book but unfortunately it didn't work for me.

This book has been pulled from publication, so I will not be reading it at the request of the author. I hope Colby is able to come back after some soul searching and growth.

Thank you to SMP, NetGalley, and the author for sending me an early copy!

I've heard this book has been pulled from publication, so I won't be finishing it. This is a shame, because I met Colby Wilkens at Romance Con 2024 and they seemed like a promising young author. I hope that they are able to find their footing again and continue pursuing their love of writing.

This wasn't a bad book, it was an average read with some enjoyable parts. However, I recently discovered the controversy surrounding the author's background, which has significantly altered my overall opinion of the book.

Like others, I will not be reading this after the information that has been released the author surrounding her lack of lived experience and bullying/intimidation of people who voiced concerns

Between this being pulled from publishing as well as my lack of enjoyment of the book itself, I've chosen to DNF this book at 53%.

Very lighthearted, almost excessively so, silly and goofy. I struggle with books that give their characters these high-ranking and mature careers and yet their own behaviours and dialogue (internal and external) are closer to those of a teenager than a mature adult. I don't have an issue with the silly goofy good-time characters, but perhaps their career choices could be a bit more on-brand for that.

I also struggled with the constant internal monologues about how much one character loves the other character and how horny they are for them. It was constant and in every single scene multiple times.

If this book ever does return to publishing in some form (I suspect the Indigenous components would be removed and it would be purely a standard treasure-hunting romance), I hope that some of the above issues are resolved.

This book was pulled due to concerns, so I did not finish the book fully as the concerns seem to be valid.

I won't be reading this after all due to the allegations of the author lying and/or exaggerating her indigenous heritage.

This has been pulled and hearing the allegations it is fitting.

I read some of this book and glad I don’t have to finish

Please note: I’m aware of the allegations against Colby and that If I Dig You has been pulled from publication. I am supplying this review per my agreement with NetGalley and the publisher to review this novel in exchange for the free copy, which I received prior to any allegations.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25/5

If I Dig You is a sweet, fun archaeology adventure with a sizzling romance and entertaining plot.

I had a lot of fun with this one. The characters were well-developed and entertaining. I had hoped for a faster beginning, but once Isi and Lou started their adventure, the story picked up to a nice pace. Some of the romantic scenes felt out of place, but I enjoyed the sweet queer romance. I was also hoping for a little more danger, adventure, and lore throughout the story and would love to see more of the magical aspects of the story fleshed out. That being said, this is an entertaining and romantic treasure hunt that was both relaxing and exhilarating to read. It is a romance at its heart, and I enjoyed Isi and Lou’s story. Colby’s prose was also lovely.

Thank you to the publisher for the free ARC!

I believe this book has been pulled from publication at this time. Therefore, this is as much of a review as I can give.

I think I’m kind of over the adventure, Indiana Jones-style of story that’s having its moment in romance. Isi and Louise are former best friends who both have harbored feelings and reunite in an odd Cherokee treasure hunt. There’s lots of adventure and steaminess, but I also found both their inner monologues really repetitive (so much “I love her, but we’re just friends!” on a loop). A cute story, but nothing terribly exciting or special.