Excavations

by Kate Myers

USA TODAY BESTSELLER • BEST SUMMER READS OF 2023: The New York Post • Oprah Book Club • Oprah Daily • USA Today • Good Housekeeping • Brit + Co • The Good Trade • Parade • Zibby Mag • O Quaterly “Funny, smart and deeply delicious.” —Amy Poehler “Witty and acerbic, Myers’ debut is humorous and sharply written, as if Aubrey Plaza’s April Ludgate from Parks and Recreation decided to write a sun-drenched novel about feminism, friendship, and archeology.” — Booklist Over a summer in sun-drenched Greece, four incompatible women digging into the past may just find the answers to their futures. An "academic satire with a feminist bent... Fresh, funny, intelligent, and deeply satisfying.”— Kirkus (Starred Review) On a remote archeological site in Greece, the mythic home of the first Olympics, four women discover an unusual artifact. It’s a piece of history that definitely shouldn’t exist. And for the head archaeologist in charge, a relic himself, it means something’s gone horribly wrong. Elise, Kara, Z and Patty all find themselves digging here together, but they couldn’t be farther apart. Kara’s a polished conservator calling off her wedding. Patty and her bowl cut are desperate for love. Millennial Z just got dumped and fired yet again. And Elise, their star excavator, is a lone wolf about to go rogue.  To figure out what they’re really digging for, and to topple the man who wants to hide their history, these dirt-crusted colleagues have to become what they’ve avoided for years—friends. If they put their own messes aside for one summer, they might just make the discovery of a lifetime.

Genres: Fiction, Audiobook, Contemporary, Book Club, Adult, Literary Fiction, Greece

288 pages, Hardcover

First published July 4, 2023

About the author

Kate Myers is the bestselling author of Salty and Excavations, which is now being turned into the TV series DIG on Peacock, starring Amy Poehler. She lives in Annapolis, Maryland, with her husband, daughters and dog.

You can find her on Instagram @frontdoorsofannapolis.

Reviews

[Victoria Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️ 3.5 ⭐️
UHG this book had po👏🏼ten👏🏼tial 👏🏼. I was enticed by the lovely book cover and engaging summary. It was giving Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 👖 meets Oceans 8 🌊 meets The Mummy ⏳. Unfortunately, it did not deliver (for me at least). I felt the plot took too much time to pick up, I had a difficult time following the characters (I sometimes had NO idea who was narrating a chapter) and did not find the mystery very interesting - which made the ending a bit anticlimactic. I also expected the 4 main characters to develop together and be interwoven with each other a bit more than they did.

On a positive note ✅ the story did make me laugh and I learned some archaeology facts. I also appreciate the author’s take on “rewriting” history to include more stories (and truths) about women. I would like to see more by this author as I see potential in her ideas and writing skills and as always I’m here to support women writing about academic subjects! Keep up the good work! 👍👏🏼

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wait, wait, could it be? Women’s Fiction that is actually funny? And isn’t focused on romance? HOORAY.

This is a terrific summer read that is light but sharp and smart, and it’s the kind of thing that encapsulates all that used to be good about chick lit and women’s fiction before it all devolved into tropey romance and formulaic mass-churn plots.

First, credit to Myers for actually getting all the life on a dig content EXACTLY right. Even in a light read I need my authors to do their homework to properly enjoy a book, and that happens a lot less often than it should, especially in this genre.

The humor actually transcends the genre, which really added to my enjoyment of an already enjoyable story. It’s extremely difficult to write good comic fiction that isn’t just riffing and doesn’t feel either too mean or too try hard, and Myers did an exceptionally good job of hitting all the right notes.

This is the perfect beach read for those who want theirs to be just a little smarter and a little more unique than your average book that gets tagged with this descriptor.

*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

[Liralen · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Greece, an archeological field site is in the process of being explored, not for the first (or, most likely, last) time. This summer, though, five very different women are involved. There's Kara, desperate to prove herself and use her archeological experience as a springboard to a position at Christie's or Sotheby's; Elise, who has more expertise than most of the workers combined but gets only half the credit because she doesn't have the same academic degrees as the men in power; Z, stagnating in work and love and desperate for a reset and a new direction; and Patty, an undergraduate who is onsite to do grunt work and have an adventure, any adventure, that will get her out of the States and out from under her stifling family's home. (That's only four women, you say. True: the last woman's story is hers to tell, and hers alone.)

Read with tongue firmly in cheek, this is witty and incisive. It's a slim little novel, and at times the descriptions read like snarky character studies—these characters, with their quirks and flaws and petty moments, are never held on pedestals, even as they're banding together to turn the dig on its head. They're not always entirely self-aware, but the narration makes up for that. Meanwhile, I don't think I've read a book set at an archeological dig before (wait, does Caroline B. Cooney's For All Time count?), and this strips away any romantic notions I might have had.

I wavered between three and four stars, because if I try to take the book too seriously, the bad guy (I'll not spoil it, though it's obvious early on) is so cartoonishly bad—inflated ego, dishonesty, pith helmet and all—that, well, he can't be taken seriously. And yet...when I remind myself that success tends to blind people to faults, and most of the characters are allowed their cartoonish moments, I find it harder to mind.

For all the broader-picture material about gender and elitism and who writes history, my favorite parts of the book were usually found one or two lines at a time:*

Six years ago, Z was on her hands and knees checking to see if an ancient priest had dropped anything from his toga pocket. Now half a decade, four jobs, and eight boyfriends later, she was on her hands and knees checking to see if, when the priest had dropped anything from his pocket, it bounced. (loc. 1554)

He was a walking reminder of who she used to be and had an annoying suspicion she still was. (loc. 1599)

He really talked like this, and people were really okay with it. (loc. 3108)

It seemed to her that trust was when you decided to care slightly less about something in order to let someone else care about that thing a bit more for you. (loc. 3543)

Z gave her a quizzical thumbs up from the driver's seat, and Elise returned a demoralized one, a lexicon that would have to do for the moment. (loc. 3652)

*I read an advance copy, so quotes and location numbers may not be final.

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley.

[Zoë · Rating 5 out of 5]

damn it … am I really going to be inspired by one book to go back into academics to get my PhD because I miss the feeling of dirt covering my body and not being able to feel my shoulders by the end of the day ?

goddamn it

[emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this in preparation for the upcoming Amy Poehler and Mike Schur series based on the book. What began as excitement soon turned to disappointment. Excavations had so much potential but ultimately went nowhere. Despite the intriguing premise, four women at very different points in their lives, brought together at an archaeological dig in rural Greece as they uncover an artefact that challenges long-held beliefs, I found myself lost among characters who were poorly introduced and a narration that never made clear who the narrator actually was. The dynamics between Z, Elise, Kara and Patty could have been compelling, but instead felt muddled and underdeveloped, leaving the story flat despite its promising setting. All in all, I was simply desperate to reach the end just to say I’d finished it.

[Anna Heald · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

Wanted to love this so badly but ended up liking it.

Fave quote: “Thank you,” he said, then slipped his fingers away. “Better late than never.” And that’s exactly the point, isn’t it? To correct the record, that’s what she was doing. No matter how many years go by—five here, five thousand there—setting the good record straight is the only thing we endless streams of people on planet earth can do for each other.

[Casey Coleman · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed parts of the writing but I found the story to be a little bland if that makes sense? I found it difficult at times to tell who was who and who was narrating. I think this author has a ton of potential. It’s a quick summer read for sure.

[Krista | theliterateporcupine · Rating 3 out of 5]

An archaeological dig is the setting for this book, which was fun to read about. The story started out strong, but I quickly zoned out once a ton of characters were added and the "bad guy" was a two-dimensional stereotype of a misogynist. I appreciate that the author tried to make this a funny but feminist novel, but it seemed too try hard and would have fallen completely flat had the setting not been so unique.

Four women with very different personalities must band together at the archeological site in Greece to protect what is theirs in matters of life, love, and history.

Amusing at times, but with Shallow characters and a Simple plot, this was good for some laughs but lacked the oomph I was hoping for.

Thanks to the publisher and Libro.fm for an ALC.

[Linniegayl · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought I would love this. An excavation on a Greek island featuring four women? What's not to love? Unfortunately, we spent far too much time in each of the four women's heads, far too much time with lengthy descriptions of what the undergraduate students on the excavation were doing, and not enough time moving the plot forward. It didn't help that I found the four women unlikeable for much of the book.

Clearly others love this book, but it just didn't work for me.

[Matt Chisling (MattyandtheBooks) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who knew an archeological dig could be a terrific setting for uncovering (aha!) strong, hilarious relationships between a quartet of women with something to prove, and a group of men who are, by no surprise, terrible.

EXCAVATIONS is the debut novel by Kate Myers, an archeologist who takes her lived experience to her debut. Over the course of a searingly hot summer, four women orbit the world of an egomaniac academic doctor whose work surrounds the excellence of men in sports. These women include: Kara, the keener ready to elevate her career. Elise, the excavator ready to make her mark. Patty, the hopeless undergrad ready for a fresh start. And Z, the millennial who is more hopeless and ready for an even fresher start. When these four women all contribute to the discovery of an artifact that threatens the doctor's work, they must put their differences aside and change the path of history. But, you know, boy crushes can get in the way. Or girl crushes. Or engagements. Or douchebags in puka shell necklaces.

EXCAVATIONS is as much a madcap romp through Greece as it is an empowering, action-oriented escape. Myers is a funny (make that really funny) author, with great zingy one-liners and a narrator with enough bite to keep you cackling. The growth of our heroines as they overcome their personal and social challenges elevates this novel above other escapist reads. The experiences at the archeological site are interesting and educational to casual readers without detracting from the plot. It's a fierce novel. It's Feminist. It's funny. It's a perfect summer read.

Thank you to the author and HarperVia for my gifted copy! EXCAVATIONS is out now.

[Margie Bunting · Rating 2 out of 5]

Four women of different levels of experience, age, motivation, personality, and needs come together for an archaeological dig in beautiful Greece one summer. They hope to find hard evidence that the Olympics we still enjoy was preceded in history by a similar set of games with only women competing, while their male leader resists this perceived threat to his masculinity. An interesting premise to be sure, but the author's writing style just didn't work for me. It is so fragmented, so dense, that I didn't find myself engaged with any of the characters, and I labored to finish. Others will most likely appreciate her style more than I did, but I was unable to enjoy this book.

My review is based on a complimentary pre-release copy of this book.

[Marcia reading past dark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who likes digging for treasure? I am so grateful that I unearthed EXCAVATIONS, a snappy, witty story set in the beautiful Greek Isles. Four intriguing women, Elisa, Kara, Z, and Patty, are digging together but are incompatible in every other way. I loved the quick banter written alongside the mystery of the missing discs.

It was also interesting to read about the process used in archeological digs. Author Kate Myers studied archaeology at the University of Pennsylvania, so she knows her stuff.

A delightful book, best when served with baklava.

[Sydney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Smart, funny, heartwarming, satisfying. So good.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although the back book jacket describes this book as "laugh-out-loud hilarious", I did not find it to be as described. After a slow start, I did enjoy reading about the archaeological dig and liked the growing camaraderie between the four central women. The ending was satisfying. Thanks to HarperVia for an ARC of this book won through a Goodreads giveaway.

[Katie M · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this very slow and it was hard to keep up with the characters. I kept feeling like the storyline was not going very far and I did not see the point in reading it. I kept reading because the author’s name is so similar to mine, which I liked.

[Corinne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had all the makings of a great read and I loved the first half of it. I was really expecting a massive finally but it just .... tied it all in a bow with very little emotion and that was that. I love a fluff read but it was missing so much depth
But its a standard vacation read

[Toni · Rating 2 out of 5]

The idea of the novel was great. Unfortunately, I found most of the characters to be unlikable and one-dimensional, and I fought my way through to the end, hoping I would enjoy it more as I read. The writing to me felt like a series of TikTok vignettes and did not do justice to the premise/theme.

[Henry Rincavage · Rating 3 out of 5]

Strong start! I’m not sure why but it became a bit of a drag to finish.

I will say the author did an amazing job describing scenes of discovering objects. Captured the feeling perfectly.

[Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

i liked the archaeology vibes but the first half was very boring. it got okay by the second half though but still solidly a 3 star read

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

On an archeological dig in Greece, the mythic site of the first Olympics and where one ego-centric academic has made his career on promulgating these myths and long-held beliefs about male achievement, it turns out to be a much different summer than the usual dull digging, when the personalities and the ambitions of four different women meet: Z, who participated in the dig in college and is now returning after getting dumped and fired yet again, and is trying to figure out her purpose (or maybe just get back with her old grad student boyfriend); Kara, who has been at the dig since Z's summer there and has been working her way dutifully up the academic ladder, very by the book and organized and polished and aiming for a career at Sotheby's but struggling on the social side of things; Elise, an excavator who is amazing at her job, has no time for a personal life, and did not go the academic route so has a bit of a chip on her shoulder regarding how the PhDs treat her; and Patty, a naïve and hapless undergrad who knows nothing of the world in a literal and figurative sense. Along with some other great side characters, the story of this summer's dig hinges on whether these can come together as friends and allies, despite their baggage, to maybe make a discovery and overturn some patriarchal history...

I thought this would be a fun read, but I was pleasantly surprised by liking it even more than I expected. I did worry a bit in the first chapter that the snappy/snarky tone and the career/life flailing of Z and her millennial attitude about it would get annoying or feel one-note, but then the next chapter focused on a different character, and by the time we got back to Z she was a bit endeared to me. And there was nothing one-note about the writing or the characters: I'm still thinking about the themes of sexism in academia, who gets to tell history, how the patriarchy pits women against each other even in telling our own stories - but I'm also still thinking about these characters and how funny they were but how they also managed to feel like real people with their foibles and flaws (the exception perhaps being Charles, who felt a bit stereotypical old white guy in academia - but then part of the point of this book is that more than enough airtime has been given to these guys, so focusing on the depth of the female characters in this story makes sense!)

It's definitely breezy beach read material, but also smart and thought-provoking; it's filled with snappy and incisive character studies, but the intrigue at the dig site really propels it along. Honestly, the way it's written, I was on the edge of my seat whether they would find something in the dig, and whether Charles would get his comeuppance, even when the characters were just doing their methodical and tedious digging. Some of the scenarios started to verge on a bit slapstick by the end, but the wry and witty tone kept it all together by letting the plot be fun but still insightful.

4.5⭐️

[Philip Nash · Rating 3 out of 5]

A summer read about a summer job, an archeological dig in Greece, brings 4 different women together. Two of them blame each other for the earlier destruction of the most important artifact found there, but they soon find themselves at odds with the relic of a professor in charge. There's a lot of humour, and I felt I was given a good idea of what the work and the setting would be like. The narration's a bit muddy at the beginning, but the story gains momentum and complicates nicely. Urgency is added as we learn that something is rotten and crooked. A rainstorm and an earthquake are tossed in for good measure, as well as an hilarious party, on the way to a satisfying conclusion. I got quite a few laughs out of the story.

[Josh Adams]

What a fun read! I've read books that were funny before but I don't know that I've read one that caught me so off guard (in the best ways) as this one did. One moment you're reading a line about the dig and all of a sudden a joke lands like you're watching a well-written comedy! Truly amazing.

I love all of the characters, too. Just a great job making them each unique characters that still make sense together at this place. Myers also did a fantastic job of displaying the stakes without demonizing any character.

Finally, the overall story was great. I won't ruin any of it because some of it I had guessed but was still surprised and intrigued by how it came to be. I can't think of another book that was adapted, that I've looked forward to more.

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ambitious debut novel. This was really fun to read and I laughed out loud several times. Myers had a really good balance of wacky and serious that kept the plot moving and the read entertaining. There were issues with shifting POVs and pacing but I’m willing to overlook it. I look forward to reading Myers future books.

[Annette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it!

[thebookybird · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sharp funny, summer camp for adults

[Sofia Escamilla · Rating 4 out of 5]

be(lie)ve wo(men) !

[Olivia Swindler · Rating 4 out of 5]

This had been on my TBR for a while but after it was announced that Amy Poehler and Mike Schner were adapting it, I bumped it to the top! This is a witty novel about four women on a dig in Greece. While lighthearted, it has some deeper themes. This is a great quick beach read!

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5
Delightful, hilarious, girlhood

[Abby Rieck · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the epitome of a 3 star book and i adore it. As a (now former) archaeologist this was such a blast and also so terrible in all the best ways possible. Perfect summer read

[Julia Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up. This delivered in terms of being a fun summer read. At times predictable, but in a unique Greek setting and with a smattering of entertaining characters (some predictable stereotypes, others less so and with sharp witticisms under their belts). The wrap-up felt odd and disjointed in places, but I enjoyed the book overall. Definitely helped me imagine I was on an Adriatic beach scarfing down gyros and baklava instead of holed up in the house with two broken arms!