This is a fun adventure romance book (the first one I’ve read in this niche sub-genre). I liked the treasure hunting plot, but I really liked the romance between the two main characters. It felt very real and sweet, and the tension was well developed. Generally, the side characters added to the book, especially the brother.

Some aspects of the story felt a bit underdeveloped and/or rushed, but at the same time I understand you have to accept the concept as silly (which it is, but fun nonetheless) and view the logic of the plot through those parameters.

Sometimes the writing had a “quirky millennial” vibe to it that I didn’t enjoy (‘dudgammit’???). I also found some comments about other women took away from my like of the main character (why insult Julia Roberts? I know Brie cheated and works for a Russian oligarch, but gosh some of the comments were so unnecessary).

I would recommend this book!

A fun, fast-paced romance book that takes you along for an adventurous ride! The chemistry between the FMC and MMC is great, and their relationship is well-written without sacrificing an interesting plot; 4 stars!

3.5

It was good read light and fluffy the FMC and MMC had a lot of fun interactions together, the flirtatious was over done made me chuckle alot. I also loved the style of the story it reminded me of a few movies I've seen in the sub genre definitely excited to see if this author writes more novels like this I will be l9oking for them

Unfortunately, I'm DNFing this one at 35%. I really tried to push through but it's so juvenile and the characters are shallow. I'm not gelling with the main characters at all, I'm finding them quite cringey.

I was excited for a big adventure but the whole approach to archaeology feels off, they go around breaking into places and smashing things up to try and find clues with little to no reason behind what they're doing. There's also a very ridiculous 'evil' character who's trying to find the treasure first, it made everything feel like a parody.

When Adriana Jones is delivered a bracelet to her hotel room while on vacation, she never would have anticipated that the bracelet was supposed to be delivered to Andrew Jones, a renowned archaeologist, and that the bracelet will not come off. She sets off on an adventure to the deep jungles to remove the bracelet, as Andrew will not let anything get in the way of his career.

This book was a fun adventure! I love forced proximity, so an adventure to another country where they're tied together because of the bracelet that won't come off? Top tier. There was a great sense of adventure and tension.

Some of the characters are a bit shallow and one-dimensional (eg Andrew's ex) which did make the story even more unbelievable.

Thank you HarperCollins UK for an e-arc! All opinions are my own.

Thank you to the author and netgalley for my #gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I went into this one expecting a fun adventure and wasn’t disappointed! Maybe it’s the scientist in me, but these adventure, looking for lost treasure stories always excite me. I was definitely invested in them finding it and how they would get there.

Andrew and Adriana had immediate chemistry, even if she didn’t want to admit it. I enjoyed their banter and flirting and the situations they found themselves in😝 William was such a great wingman/brother and I loved his and Adriana’s relationship.

This one is out May 2nd and if you like stories kinda like National Treasure, this one might be for you!

I love a good adventure, especially when it's the sexy British archeologist x sassy American just trying to enjoy her South American vacation ❤️ Throw in a meet cute involving an accident with a priceless bracelet and the two strangers are stuck together as they search for hidden treasure! This was a really fun read and I devoured it all in one day. It's fairly light and easy to get into, but there are still 🔥 spicy scenes to enjoy. Highly recommend for anyone looking for adventure & romance!

Thank you to Netgalley, Harper Collins UK & One More Chapter for this ARC!

This adventure romcom is the perfect mix of humor, romance, and a touch of danger. When Adriana’s vacation takes a wild turn thanks to a mysterious bracelet and a brooding archaeologist, she’s suddenly trekking through jungles and uncovering more than just ancient treasure. With forced proximity, opposites attract, and a slow-burn connection that builds with every twist in the journey, this is a fun, feel-good story full of chemistry, heart, and unexpected discoveries.

A fun and fast-paced romcom with nice banter. It was a quick and easy read, which could straight up be another Indiana Jones movie. Loved the dialogues and dripping sarcasm. It was nicely paced, with enough tension but not too much. Characters were quite relatable and overall, a solid 4-star read.

However, some of the characters were way too stereotypic and might have been tuned down a bit. What also grinds my gears is when the dialogue is not life-like and over the top. I get that it's necessary to portray emotion, but it can come off as unrealistic.

That aside, it made me feel like I was right there in the jungle with Adriana and Andrew and a part of their crew. The book kept me entertained until the end. If you're looking for a nice and easy romcom, I recommend!

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins, One More Chapter for this ARC ebook.

Digging Dr Jones promises humor, spice, and adventure with vibes reminding me of National Treasure and Indiana Jones. The story has promise, but I struggled to engage with the characters and plot line.

Adriana Jones is the main character and finds herself in an unexpected escapade when bracelet connects her to the archaeologist, Andrew Jones. What begins as a vacation mishap quickly transforms into a journey through Colombian jungles in search of ancient treasure. Despite the promising setup of adventure and romance, I felt the plot struggled to maintain momentum; I wanted more depth in character development and plot progression. I struggled to fall in love with any of the characters.

The book does provide some humor. However, the humor, at points, felt immature and more YA. This book may be appealing for fans of light-hearted romances and scavenger hunts.

Thank you to NetGalley, OMC, and HarperCollins UK for the ARC! I am always grateful for the opportunity!

I really enjoyed the adventure in this book, it kept me on the edge of my seat - especially the last destination they went to, so many twists and turns it, I couldn't put it down!

This is unlike most romance books Ive read any I really enjoyed it - definitely want to try and find more book similar to this to read

I loved the forced proximity and seeing the main characters fall in love and mixed with the adventure they went on to find the treasure it was great

- forced proximity
- adventure to find hidden treasure
- opposites attract
- single pov, 1st person

DNF @ 23%
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital copy to review. All thoughts are my own.

I tried to get into this Indiana Jones-styled romp, but admittedly, I struggled a LOT with the really cringe-worthy writing. There were so many moments between the main protagonist Adriana and her brother William alone that made me cringe at the dialogue. Add in a very obvious instalove storyline with Dr Andrew Jones, aka Dr Hot Bod, and I just couldn't get into the storyline with all the cheesy dialogue and 2D characters. I'm definitely not the right reader to enjoy this.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the ARC.

What is not to love about this book? I love the Indiana Jones movies so if you do too, pick up this adorable rom com. A Mix up in package leads Adriana Jones to get a package meant for Dr. Andrew Jones. She ends up putting on the bracelet and this is where the adventure starts. I hope there is a series because these two were so much fun to spend a few hours with!

Dr. Jones! Dr. Jones! There's a book out there for everyone! 80s kids will think of Romancing the Stone or Raiders of the Lost Ark when they meet Andrew and Adriana Jones. Follow these two on a case of mistaken identity that turns into the adventure of a lifetime! Professor and treasure hunter Andrew is on the hunt, and Adriana must go along for the ride.

The characters are well-developed with great chemistry, amazing banter, trips into the Colombian jungle, and a great mystery to be solved with treasure at the end! You need to read to find out. Adriana's inner dialogue is hysterical, and her older brother is a favorite supporting character. If you loved Lyla Sage's Done and Dusted, you will LOVE Digging Dr. Jones!

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter, for the opportunity to review this advanced reader copy.

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Digging Dr Jones was so captivating and entertaining!

Adriana Jones is on vacation with her brother, William, and receives a package containing a bracelet that she puts on. It turns out the package was actually intended for Dr Andrew Jones and Adriana is unable to remove the bracelet so ends up going on an expedition to unlock lost treasure.

I LOVED The Mummy, National Treasure, Indiana Jones, The Lost City vibes and dynamics! The pacing of the story was great and I felt so invested on their adventure through Colombia. I also adored Adriana and William's relationship and seeing them both grow from past relationship issues.

Where it fell a little short for me to rate as a 5 Star - sex in a sacred space, Adriana's inner monologue was repetitive at times, Adriana and William's conversations were sometimes funny but also felt juvenile for their ages.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to read an advance copy!

I read this book so fast, it would make your head spin. But that's because I LOVED it so much!!! This was the action adventure romance I've been looking for all my life. And yes, I read the other reviews and while I agree there is:
insta-love
lots of sex scenes
lots of time spent in the hotel for like the majority of the book
not a very British guy who I kept forgetting was British
and bizarrely numerous Apple device and app store references
a caricature gay guy

However, I'm still gonna give this thing 5 stars because
1. It started out right away with action, love, attraction + fun dialogue
2. I liked Adriana's immature and ridiculous personality - it was awesome. Does everything need to be dark and depressing to be deep and meaningful, this isn't the Gold Finch, people!
3. I don't want a lot of boring exposition on the archaeological background - I'm pretty much skipped all of those sections in Outlander so the author did me a favor by not even info dumping that into this book. Plus, it's a romance, not a historical documentary. Lighten up everyone - you have wikipedia and youtube if you really need more facts on Colombian dig sites
4. It was fun
5. It had witty banter and I loved Adriana's everything

So I hear you bad reviews but I think that's what made this book just PERFECT!!! I will read anything Olivia Jackson writes - she's now in my Top 10 FAVES list!

Thank you #NetGalley for providing me with this eARC of #DiggingDrJones by Olivia Jackson

I really wanted to love this book. I kept seeing and hearing about it on social media, but I knew after the first paragraph that this was not the book for me. I know it's not necessarily "fair" to say; however, it's giving rough draft vibes. I already can't stand William or Adriana and I'm not even 20 pages in. Unfortunately, this is a DNF for me.

4.5 ⭐️ Digging Dr Jones by Olivia Jackson was a fun, fast-paced, adventure filled debut romcom. Were following Adriana Jones and her brother William’s journey after a hotel delivery mixup lands Adriana with a ancient artifact bracelet locked on her wrist and forcing her and her brother to accompany Dr Andrew Jones on a treasure hunt of a lifetime.

Olivia Jackson’s debut novel is such a fun take on an adventure romance! The plot takes us through jungles, caves, and ruins of long lost palaces in search of Augustine Perez’s treasure. Adriana and Andrew are great main characters and their romance is sweet and a little spicy. I enjoyed all of the side characters and the depth they added to the story.

My only complaints were the abrupt ending/time jump to the epilogue and the slightly excessive amount of spicy scenes. While I did think some of them added to the plot and moved the story along, there didn’t necessarily need to be scene after scene.

Overall, super fun story that was fast paced and engaging with a sweet romance and fun characters! Highly recommend for fans of adventure romcoms and enjoy quick paced romance.

Starring Andrew & Adrianna in adventure, rom com. Adrianna receives a package of a bracelet. That bracelet just so happens to be the key a certain Andrew needs, but it stuck to her wrist. As a result, she ends up on the adventure with him. Adventure and danger is about to ensue but there is always so time for some fun. And a make out.

This book was so much fun with the dynamic between Andrew and Adrianna. But the book didn’t only focus on that, it had the wide plot which made the book that much more entertaining and engaging to read. Andrew has such a kind heart, being supportive to Adrianna while also valuing the help and skill which she can provide.

DNF

DNF

I have never wanted to close a book so quickly in my life. Digging Dr. Jones promised the kind of fun, globe-trotting adventure I usually eat up—something in the vein of action-packed archaeology with a touch of romance and humor. But what I got instead was a clunky, juvenile mess that made me cringe within the first few pages.

Let’s start with the characters. I’m still in awe (and not in a good way) at how instantly annoying everyone was. The fmc agrees to travel to a foreign country with a man she just met—within a single page of him suggesting it. No hesitation, no concerns, just blind enthusiasm for a mission he’s not even sure will pan out. Who does that? Literally no one with a brain cell or basic self-preservation instinct. And it only goes downhill from there.

The dialogue? I’ve read frat bros’ Tinder profiles with more depth and coherence. “Wowza”? At 2% in? I got the ick so fast I practically whiplashed myself. I actually recoiled. Every interaction feels like it was written by someone who just discovered TikTok and thought “this is how young people talk.” Spoiler: it’s not.

And don’t get me started on the archaeology. First off, museums don’t auction off artifacts. That’s not how it works. That’s not how any of this works. The book reads like someone skimmed an Indiana Jones movie while half-asleep and thought, “Yeah, that’s probably how archaeology works.” Spoiler alert: IT IS NOT. Real archaeologists don’t swing from vines wearing fedoras...

The FMC and her brother are written with the emotional intelligence of high school freshmen. There’s a constant mention of “mommy and daddy issues” that gets old real fast. And her brother? He’s the walking stereotype of the over-the-top gay best friend. It’s 2025. Can we not? He can’t go on holiday without dragging a ridiculous number of suitcases, of course, because that’s apparently still a personality trait. It’s tired, lazy, and borderline offensive.

The biggest issue, though, is the writing. It’s clunky. It’s immature. It’s trying way too hard to be cute and quirky, and it fails at every turn. Nothing flows naturally. The plot is forced, the dialogue is painful, and the story doesn't evolve—it jerks around like it’s being dragged against its will.

I genuinely don’t know who this book was written for, but it wasn’t me. I had to DNF it before I spiraled into a full reading slump.

Final verdict? I did not dig Digging Dr. Jones. Not even a little.