Thank you so much to Harper Collins UK and One More Chapter for an early copy of Digging Dr Jones! 💖
If you watched Indiana Jones and thought you would be that person in his lecture with "love you" written on your eyelids, this book is for you! This Indiana Jones inspire romcom has SO much action and adventure and it brings such a fun and fresh aspect to this romance! There's also aspects of insta-love, forced proximity, fake dating (ish), enemies to lovers (ish), and so much more! There are even some aspects of grief and family trauma that the main characters experience and grow with.
I think if you love all of these things, you will adore this book! Although, personally, there were some aspects that I struggled with, like the writing style and the insta-love... This writing style was pretty simple and some descriptions/action moments felt like they weren't completely described. This is something that usually doesn't bother me but for some reason this book kind of made me notice it. If you're good with a little more simple writing style and insta-love, then the things that bothered me shouldn't bother you at all! Especially if you like all of the above aspects! 💕

Big not for me. The writing was WAY too fast-paced. I could never fully immerse myself because I didn't fully understand what was really going on. Weird relationships, okay plot, the writing honestly felt like it was a last minute hack job write or it was ai written and the author and editors neglected to check to make sure things were flowing correctly. I feel misled and oversold on this book. I will not write a public review to avoid diminishing the hype around release day as some people may like fast-paced and hasty writing.

Digging Dr. Jones is for all the Indiana Jones lovers who wanted a heaping dose of romance with the action and adventure. This was fantastic, and such a fun read!

There is a lot to love about this book - the author clearly has used all of the standard adventure works as inspiration for the story (Romancing the Stone, The Goonies, Indiana Jones, National Treasure, and even The Lost City) and it shows in how lovingly the characters and plot are detailed. I found myself enjoying all of the main characters, though I felt the antagonists were somewhat paper-thin at times. There isn't really anything shocking or surprising here, but there's nothing wrong with a book that is skillfully written, entertaining, sexy and fun. I enjoyed that it avoided a great number of tropes - it sorta exists outside of them all (the closest would be the "forced proximity" but it isn't all that forced). I enjoyed the references to modern Atlanta (my home town)...though I found it fascinating that her favorite two things to show the MMC when he says he'll visit Atlanta are: The Biltmore (hours away and in North Carolina) and Savannah, also hours away. But whatever.

Nothing earth shattering, but highly enjoyable nonetheless. Rounding up for avoiding the tropes and for the light sense of humor that is a deep part of the novel. A solid 3.75...rounded up to 4 for GR.

Big thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for an opportunity to read an advance copy. All opinions are my own and are uncompensated. Digging Dr. Jones is out May 2nd and you can preorder now.

3 1/2 stars, rounded up because of all the Indiana Jones references!

I am always looking for books that have romance mixed with an adventure. I am also a huge fan of Indiana Jones so as soon as I heard about this book, it became one of my most anticipated releases and I knew I had to read it.

This book follows Adriana Jones, who meets Dr. Andrew Jones, an archaeologist(!) while on vacation with her brother in Costa Rica. Due to a mixup, she ends up with a bracelet that was meant for him and that bracelet is a clue to finding a treasure. However, others are after the treasure for themselves, while Dr. Jones is basically like:
<img src="https://media1.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPTc5MGI3NjExZGQwODh6eGg2d2dkMXpmYTJ4N25sNHdobWlvZmJlaWFqNHBkMHhtbyZlcD12MV9pbnRlcm5hbF9naWZfYnlfaWQmY3Q9Zw/uj8SbnHpCfxlm3jfJA/giphy.gif" width="300" height="200" alt="description"/>
Adriana and Andrew team up to find the treasure and the story goes forward from there.

I absolutely loved all the references! There were plenty of Indiana Jones references of course, like Adriana buying him a Fedora (which I loved), but there were also references to The Mummy (another all time favorite movie of mine!) and even Tomb Raider. I highlighted so many references in my copy because they were all so well done and fitted into the story so seamlessly.

Since this is a romance first and foremost, it ended up being more romance focused than treasure hunting focused. The clues that they kept finding were vague and hard to follow at times, but they seemed to find exactly what they were looking for with little effort. In the middle of the hunt for the treasure (and the race to beat the others looking for it) they end up getting distracted by each other instead, and I'm here like:
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I thought the writing was interesting and engaging overall, but a few things that Andrew said got somewhat cheesy and didn't seem like something a man would say.

Overall, I did really enjoy this book. It was a fun debut, especially for Indiana Jones fans!

Following the life of Adriana, alongside her brother and the love interest Dr Jones, Digging Dr Jones was such a fun read!

As the trio go on the hunt for a sought after treasure, we see many moments of humour, romance, and just sheer cheerfulness too... something which is honestly so refreshing!

All in all, it was a light-hearted, entertaining read!

Thank you for the opportunity to read this ARC, I really enjoyed 'Digging Dr Jones by Olivia Jackson.

It's a spicy, adventurous, rom-com. The tension was tensioning. I can see where all of the great reviews come from, I really fun, easy read.

A very fun romance for fans of action/adventure/comedy and Indiana Jones.

Great characters and compelling storyline and a joyful quick read.

Indiana Jones but make it a romcom. I had so much fun reading this book.

The characters were so cute. Likeable and well fleshed out with backstories which fed in to their insecurities. This helped me understand some of the choices they made within the story. Even the side characters shine through, I loved the brother William.

The destination backdrop was great, the Colombian jungle really gives it that Indiana Jones vibe. I loved the little parts of Colombia thrown in, like the foods.

An element of danger is added with the hunt for ancient treasure. Between this and the chemistry between characters it makes for an exciting read.

There is an instant attraction between the two main characters which some might class as instalove/instalust, but I felt like it was the right amount of slow burn and tension that it didn't feel rushed.

I did not expect to have this much fun reading a book and it had me giggling at times. It has all the makings of a feel good romantic comedy!

Thank you to Harper Collins one more chapter for this NetGalley ARC.

I really love a romance with an adventure built in, so this book has me excited! It was an easy read with plenty of chemistry, but a bit more cheese than I personally enjoy in a book. Definitely worth picking up if you want an Indiana Jones style romance though!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

I read an an eARC of this book so thank you to the author, the publisher and NetGalley.

This was a pretty wholesome romance about two really nice people, with a fun theme and a gorgeous setting. A good one for fans of books with a mix of adventure and love story. We have a woman on holiday with her brother, recovering from a cruel break up that has also put her business at risk. The brother/sister companionship was wonderful and I loved the brother as the comic relief, buffer for the lovers and just enormously supportive relationship for his hurting sister. This was on of my favourite parts of the book. Our female MC comes across the male love interest when she accidentally receives a bracelet meant for him and then can’t take it off. The bracelet is necessary to solve the location of a missing treasure so she and her brother find themselves accompanying this handsome professor to Colombia to search for it.

The setting was another highlight of this book. We follow our adventurers across various locations in Colombia as they attempt to solve their historical mystery, mixing museums, town and nature locations and luxurious hotels.

The romance wasn’t particularly groundshaking, but I was rooting for them both. They’re really nice people which I always enjoy and this was wholesome and rooted in affection and growing admiration. Both of them had been really hurt and let down by other people in their lives and it was really sweet to see how they supported each other and helped each other heal and trust.

Fantastic setting, fun adventure and a romance you can believe in.

Love this story, it was very engaging and the romance vibes were top notch. The spice was good, the suspense kept me on my toes and the archeological treasure hunt was exciting!

A adventurous intense romcom. Had me continuously turning the pages giggling and kicking my feet about the adventures and banter. I could not put it down.

Adriana a business women trying to restart her life after a messy breakup and not having the funds to start up her dream business. Finds a package addressed to her door while on holidays with a gorgeous bracket inside. She puts it on and expects it to just be a nice gift. However it wasn't addressed to her and it won't come off.

Andrew Jones a treasure hunter needs the bracket to find a long lost treasure hidden deep within Colombia.

Adriana must follow Dr Jones to accompany him on his mission as she's stuck to the key to unravel it all.

The chemistry and the forced proximity have me melted. The characters are filled with life and fun bubbly personalities. Dr Jones is definitely a sexy Indiana Jones, like honey sign me up.

This rom com is perfect if you adore tropes like forced proximity, fish out of water and slow burn.

“Men should pay extra taxes for having such beautiful lashes.”

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for providing a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to love this book. The cover? Gorgeous. The premise? Hilarious and full of potential. But the execution? Sadly fell flat for me.

The characters felt one-dimensional and lacked the spark to make me root for them. Adriana’s inner monologue, while occasionally witty, often became repetitive—sometimes echoing the same thoughts just a few paragraphs later.

The archaeological hijinks had their moments and could’ve been a lot of fun if they weren’t so over-the-top. At first, I was willing to suspend disbelief and go along for the ride, but it quickly veered into caricature territory—complete with cartoonishly evil villains and increasingly absurd scenarios. (also why was the majority of this book spent in various hotels...)

I can see how this might work as a fun, escapist, brain-off kind of read for some, but for me, it ended up feeling more frustrating than entertaining. Lots of potential, but not quite the treasure I was hoping to unearth.

PERFECT SUMMER ROM COM. if you love the vibes of Indiana Jones meets uncharted Laura Croft meets her match with a dash of Adventure. This is the book for you. Absolutely loved it. I love books like this.

4 Stars

As an archaeologist myself, I love archaeology romances and adventure stories. They’re a very underrepresented sub-genre and I’m excited to find new ones like Digging Dr Jones - and I wasn’t disappointed by my experience.

Adriana Jones is on a luxury vacation in Costa Rica with her brother and best friend, William, when a mysterious package with an antique bracelet turns up to her room. Though she doesn’t know who it could be from she puts it on and heads out for happy hour at the hotel bar. That’s where the very handsome, very tall, and grumpy Dr Andrew Jones of the Cambridge archaeology department finds her and demands she give up the bracelet - it was meant for him and sent to Adriana by mistake. Only the bracelet won’t come off.

Adriana and William are suddenly roped into a race against time expedition in Colombia to find a missing pirates treasure. They have to follow the clues left in sketches, letters and tombs to figure out its location - whilst Adriana and Dr Jones figure they have a lot in common, after all.

Digging Dr Jones was a fun time. It felt like a slow burn steeped with tension and I really enjoyed being on the adventure, watching them fall in love and everything in between. Adriana had a lot of trauma from childhood that made her combative and self conscious (relate) and being in her head it was occasionally frustrating. But overall I liked her and her character.

I also liked Andrew and William, though I feel like William wasn’t as involved in the treasure hunting as I’d have expected given his initial excitement at the beginning. Though I did love the side plot about him and Brandon.

Andrew was just a sweetheart and, though no real archaeology was had in this book, made for a really fun hero. There were tons of references to Indiana Jones and the Mummy (the latter of which this definitely felt like a fan fiction for with the trio dynamic) and it felt like the author really loved the sub-genre she was emulating- which i appreciate since i do, too.

My only gripe was that on occasion it felt a bit long and I was so stoked to find another CF woman in Adriana only for that to seemingly be walked back in the epilogue. I also think they should have moved to England not Atlanta - but that’s just me.

Overall, this was a really good time and I had fun. This is exactly the kind of adventure romance I love and I highly recommend it.

*Special thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC - this is my honest review*

Digging Dr Jones follows Adriana, her brother William and the love interest Dr. Andrew Jones, with an Indiana Jones-like vibe, as they try to find a historical treasure. Overall, this was a light and funny romance, but I wish the adventurous tone present in the last chapters had extended to the rest of the book. The first chapters were a bit too slow and confusing, with some info dumping that was necessary but could have been more spaced out throughout the book.

Where do I start with this book?!?! I absolutely LOVED it! A little romance, a little adventure, a little and a little spice.....all perfectly balanced. This book had me from start to finish. What was an innocent mistake turned into an adventure filled with tension, romance and spice. The main characters (and side characters) were so well written. This was an enemies-to-lovers with a HEA book that I wished didn't end! Get your hands on this book when it releases--you will not be disappointed.

I received a complimentary ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. Thank you Netgalley, HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter and Olivia Jackson

Digging Dr. Jones is a delightfully outrageous, romcom-fuelled romp through the Colombian jungle, complete with cursed bracelets, hidden treasure, and a simmering slow-burn romance that keeps the pages turning.

When Adriana Jones finds herself accidentally locked into a priceless artifact meant for someone else—namely the renowned (and infuriatingly attractive) archaeologist Andrew Jones—her laid-back vacation takes an unexpected detour. The bracelet is the key to a long-lost treasure, and now she's stuck on a high-stakes quest with a man who’s equal parts brilliant and brooding. What follows is an adventure filled with ancient clues, forced proximity, tropical danger, and a whole lot of unresolved tension.

This novel leans heavily into the adventure-romance trope, and does so with undeniable charm. The banter between Adriana and Andrew is witty, sharp, and at times laugh-out-loud funny, giving the story a playful tone that balances the more action-driven moments.

While the plot stretches plausibility more than once, the sheer fun of the narrative makes it easy to suspend disbelief. Adriana is a lively protagonist, full of sass and stubbornness, though at times her internal monologue veers a little too far into self-deprecating territory. Andrew, on the other hand, is a standout—nerdy, noble, and with just the right touch of smolder.

There are a few uneven moments in pacing, and not every joke lands quite as smoothly as intended. But overall, Olivia Jackson's debut delivers a light-hearted, flirtatious, and escapist read that fans of spicy romcoms and treasure-hunting tales will devour in one sitting. It's unapologetically over-the-top, and all the better for it.

A perfect pick for readers craving humour, heat, and heart.

3.5/5⭐️

I’ve been dying for a fun, Indiana Jones style romance and this one gave me what I was looking for! I really enjoyed the adventure/treasure-hunting plot, and the setting was perfect for the story. The banter between Adriana and Andrew was fun to read, and the spice was really good!

A few parts of this book were a miss for me. I felt like Adriana and her brother William were a bit juvenile at times, and I would’ve loved to see some more depth to our leading man Andrew. Additionally, I really wanted a redemption arc for Brie. I don’t love reading about women tearing each other down (especially over a MAN?! like come on ladies).

Overall, this was a super solid debut! It was a fun, engaging read that had the right amount of adventure and romance.