This was my first Regina Black book and I thoroughly enjoyed it! I loved the discussion of Black country artists, genre bending music, racism, abuse, inter generational trauma, second chances, neglect, theft, and the inclusion of podcasts transcripts. I did however feel that the shifts between the 2009 timeline, the 2023 timeline and the podcast could be a little jarring and made it hard to keep track of the order of events. I also felt that the shift between from estrangement to forgiveness was a little too quick for my liking. But the depictions of August’s, Luke’s, and even Jojo’s relationships with their mothers made up for it. This book kept me intrigued and wanting more, I honestly could have read another 100 pages with no complaint.

Wow, I had no idea what I was getting into when I picked up this book - it was so good! I never expected it (ok to be fair, I went in pretty blind) to so emotional and heart breaking. I loved how the author used time hops and podcast transcripts to tell the story - I was hooked right from the start. We get a front row seat to August and Luke and their pasts and present.

Luke has the opportunity to grow his career…but that means he needs to go back to his hometown and confront his past.

August and Luke had this amazing connection…but life and relationships can be complicated. These characters are dealing with trauma and grief and so many different emotions. This book also dives into how Black country artists have to work so much harder to exist in that space.

This is one of those books that really sticks with you for a while…I also really loved the song lyrics. Oversll this book was so good and I highly recommend it!

⚠️This story touches on some tough topics, so please check the content warnings.

✨What To Expect:
🎸Black Country Music Stars
🎤Singer x Singer
💖Love Story
🌾Small Town
💔Angsty & Emotional
🔥Slow Burn
✌️Second Chance
❤️‍🩹Trauma & Grief
⏰Time Hops/Dual Timelines

Happy Publication Week to August Lane! Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher (Grand Central Publishing) for providing me this E-ARC! I enjoyed this one! I would describe it as a Black, Country, slow-burn love story with two characters who both are working on a redemption arc.

One sentence summary: When Luke receives the opportunity of a lifetime to revive his quickly dying career, he must face the fact that his fame is built on the stolen song he made with the love of his life, August.

This book was raw, gritty, and full of heart-tugging moments. When I first started reading it - my first thought was August and Luke are both a trainwreck, who need to not be together. It touches on so many topics: addiction, getting help, child abuse, abandonment, racism, avoidance, the legacy of Black folks in country music, redemption, and more.

This is my first book for Regina Black and my goodness what emotionally rich and dynamic characters she has created! Even when I was frustrated with August, I deeply loved her. The same with Luke, I was so annoyed with so many of his choices, but I also understood exactly where he was coming from. To say this is "just a romance," does not give this book enough credit for all the character growth and history that is intertwined in the story.

I would recommend this book to folks who loved Cowboy Carter, people who enjoy books that unfold like peeling back the layers of an onion, readers who enjoy dual POVs and Timelines, people who enjoy rich, emotionally deep stories, girlies who love men who make things right and those who are musically inclined.

This book takes you on a JOURNEY. Every moment is for a reason and there were some twists I didn’t see coming, masterful storytelling. I feel like this would be adapted to a movie or miniseries so easily with the intermingling of this small town, family, and fame.

10 years ago Luke and August wrote a song and it was big hit propelling Luke into (albeit short lasting) fame, except no one ever knew August helped write it. To make matters worse August was left behind in their small town with her grandma, the woman who raised her. They get pulled back into each other’s orbit when Jojo, August’s famous (and also absent) mother, asks him to take part in a hometown concert honoring her.

There is so much in this that is highlight-able but I feel the one quote I picked summarizes the current timeline best. This has a high level of angst with certain moments or ends of chapters I wasn’t sure I’d be able to recover from, but miraculously I did and I truly felt so at peace by the end I promise!

Thank you to grand central pub for the eARC.

Quote:

"“You wouldn’t have wanted to hear from me,” he said. “I wasn’t ready for this. For you.”

August wasn’t ready for him, either. She’d realized it the minute Bill said Luke was coming back. She was right where he left her all those years ago—hurt, angry, and humiliated by what he’d done. It was easier to think of him as a list of offenses instead of a man. Luke lied. Luke left. Luke was selfish. It was a simple and uncluttered hate that only worked in the absence of contradictions. But that’s what he was, a bundle of things at war with each other. Luke lied but also looked lost. Luke left but had returned to the sight of his worst nightmares. Luke was selfish but wore regret like a penitent King Midas desperate to touch something real."

If you want incredible storytelling with tough, but lovable characters that have had their happy ending separated by years, may I suggest August Lane? You haven’t read a book like this. Told from the perspectives of August and Luke (with intermittent chapters featuring an interview from August’s country music stereotype defying mother, Jojo), August Lane is somewhat of a redemption story for a girl who has always had to prove she is worthy of unconditional love. Raised by her late grandmother Birdie, August may be the daughter of a famous black country musician, but she is still living in the delta in Arcadia, Arkansas surrounding herself with trouble she can’t seem to remove herself from.

It would be fair for August to have a healthy dose of rage for the many injustices in her life, but somehow she’s still surviving. When a music showcase featuring Jojo is set to take place in Arcadia to commemorate her induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame, August comes face to face with the ghosts of her past, including Luke Randall, her former teen confidant come musician who’s claimed August’s songwriting as his own. It’s not that Luke set out to be devious, but more allowed credit to be taken by him. So now August and Luke will have to reconcile their past hurts and passion and acknowledge their attraction for each other has never waned.
Regina Black writes pain and tension so well and yet her characters’ brokenness is what draws them to each other. August is full of defiance and survival just as much as Luke, and seeing their story lived out in two timelines (high school vs. now) makes their connection so much more powerful. This is a Master Class™️ in writing raw , flawed, and beautifully human characters and I loved every interaction between Luke and August. It also may be one of my favorite meet cutes I’ve ever read. You know the feeling you get when two people are destined to be together, despite circumstances? August and Luke have that and it’s a joy to see it transpire. I received an early copy from Grand Central, all opinions are my own.

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Tension: ✂️🔪
Steam: 🪭🪭

This book was a slow read. I found the pacing to be slow and the dual timelines seemed to add to it. I found the characters complex but that their development and arcs were not clear. They seemed to stay messy without growth. I just couldn’t find myself rooting for August and Luke. I think in this sorry the dual timelines made it harder to see their connection. Unfortunately this one was not for me.

I became an immediate fan of this author after reading her debut novel, The Art of Scandal and awaited her second novel with great anticipation. August Lane does not disappoint in that regard. If anything, it takes the drama found in her first novel and increases it by a hundred times. This book is all caps DRAMA.

The titular heroine in August Lane is the daughter of a Black country music star who herself was a mere child of fifteen when she gave birth. August has spent her whole life with the innate understanding that she’s never been wanted, not by her mother and certainly not by the dangerous man who fathered her by forcing himself on a fifteen year old girl. The dark themes that make up her origin story are further complicated by the fact that August is also ostracized by her peers at school, slut shamed for falling for the charms of the rich white boy who takes her virginity only to turn around and debase her to the whole school when it’s revealed he had a girlfriend all along.

Shunned by everyone at her mostly white school, August strikes up an unlikely and reluctant friendship with Luke Randall, the Black football star who has big painful secrets of his own.

Cut to present day, 10 years after he left their small town in Arkansas, becoming yet another person who abandoned August Lane. In current times, he’s a one time rising country music star and a now sober recovering alcoholic who makes his ends meet by singing his one hit in a motel lounge. He hates the song for what it represents, his betrayal of the only woman he’s ever loved.

Luke and August cross paths when Luke returns to their hometown where August, reeling from grief after losing her grandmother to dementia, works as a waitress at a diner owned by her uncle. Made bitter and angry and resentful by all that life has taken from her, August makes a deal with Luke. She’ll keep his secret – that his one hit wonder that he claimed he wrote was actually written by her and in exchange, they’ll write a new song together to perform at her mother’s Country Music Hall of Fame induction ceremony concert.

This is a poignant story of second chances and redemption, of love lost and found, of dreams long buried coming to light, and a love story years in the making. August and Luke have a lot of history between them and each have a lot of painful baggage to deal with. August has been constantly abandoned by her mother and Luke has been abused by his mother, who has issues of her own dealing with loss, pain, and drug use.

There was so much trauma and drama layered in this story, some of it generational trauma, that I would strongly advise anyone reading this book to really take their time with it. It’s worth the time though, with beautifully flawed and complex characters, a love story that spans a decade, a hard-fought and well-earned HEA with a slow burn romance.

The story also involves some really great commentary on racism and gatekeeping within the entertainment industry and how we as a society decide who gets to belong in what spaces. There is a lot of discussion in this book about Black people in country music that feels very timely and relevant today.

But at the end of the day, it’s a romance, a beautiful, heartbreaking, painful romance between two people who have been hurt and must make peace with each other and learn to trust and let go of old wounds in order to forge a new beginning.

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and Regina Black for the gifted eARC of August Lane! All opinions are my own.

When Regina started posting snippets of August Lane forever ago, I got a Substack subscription just to read her newsletter. And the second I saw it on NetGalley I raced to click request because I knew I couldn’t wait!

This book is about so much more than romance. It’s about pain, regret, missed chances—and what happens when two people are forced to confront the past they’ve been pretending didn’t shape them.

August and Luke are both broken. Their lives haven’t turned out the way they dreamed. And then, suddenly, Luke is scheduled as the opening act at the Hall of Fame show honoring August’s mom. Just like that, there’s a crack in the wall—an opening for everything left unsaid. And slowly, the doors that had been slammed shut start to creak open… and Luke and August find themselves back in their little hometown, facing each other again.

The mix of flashbacks and present day was the perfect way to tell this story. It let the characters breathe and deepen, layer by layer. This book also isn’t shy about rough family dynamics, racism, stereotypes, vices and addictions. Regina Black faces these themes head on.

I think that’s why I can say that August Lane resonated with me in ways I wish it hadn't. It's all too easy to let your mind pretend you don't actually know the truth of the matter when it comes to your loved ones, and sometimes I still fall into that habit.

I couldn’t have said it better than Regina did in this passage:

“I understand her more than I used to.”
“She hasn't earned that either.”
“It's not about that. Earning things. We can't cancel out bad with good. People are both.”

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
My review was posted to Goodreads and Amazon on 7/31/25.
My Instagram review will be posted on 8/13/2025.

Beautifully written and astonishingly emotional. Regina balances character POV and timeline changes perfectly and the story moved effortlessly. Fascinating characters that kept me wanting to know more about them.

I adored this book. It’s hard to put into words how this impacted me. I loved everything about it from the music history, the slow burn, the banter, the trauma, the music. It was absolutely wonderful. This is my first book by Regina Black but it will definitely not be my last.

August Lane is a contemporary romance novel that explores love, being vulnerable and healing no matter how hard it can be.

August made me think of I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou. The things that August has continually endured had her confined like a caged bird who only wanted to be free, to love and be loved in return.

Lucas and August had an undeniable chemistry that did not whether through time. Regina Black does an excellent job of weaving the correlating past and present timelines of the story to build a strong narrative.

The character growth of August, Lucas, and Davis Henry felt real and palatable in a way that I could connect to the story.

I enjoyed this story about second chances, family dynamics, and prejudice in country music. The narration technique was nice and the ending was satisfying.

I had high hopes for this, because I thought The Art of Scandal was an engaging read, and I typically enjoy celebrity romances. At first things looked promising, but at over 30% in, I was still waiting for the story to start and for things to actually happen. Everything felt so slow, and I still didn't feel hooked on the story or the characters. Based on this, I decided to DNF.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the early access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was an absolutely beautifully written novel that brought me to tears multiple times. There were some very emotional layers in this story, from August and Luke's childhoods to their friendship (in the past and present) to their love story (in the past and present) to the parent/guardian-child relationships to grieving lost or broken relationships to finding one's voice and identity to battling stereotypes, racism and ignorance.

I really liked how the book was formatted, featuring different periods of time, and I especially loved the HEA and how brilliantly the story concluded.

August Lane is a novel I will read again. I look forward to Regina Black's next novel!

This was a second-chance romance with tension thick enough to cut. I had a hard time connecting with August at times—I really wanted her to love herself more. Everyone in this story is carrying some level of trauma, and while I appreciate that their love story emerged in spite of all that pain (because not every romance is easy), whew… it was a lot.

What really hooked me was the music thread woven throughout, and the podcast element? Chef’s kiss. That gave the story such a modern, textured vibe.

TW: addiction, child abuse
Not super spicy—and honestly, that felt like a smart choice by Regina. If it had been spicy on top of everything else, it would’ve felt overwhelming.

An excellent small town second chance romance! I fell in love with August and Luke and their story toward and away from each other, and thought that Regina Black did such a lovely job making sure that these characters were fully developed and treated with care as messy, complicated people in addition to love interests. I was cheering for throughout the book and loved how both characters experienced second chances, not only with each other but with the other relationships in their lives. This book is sexy, sweet, and swoony, and I ate it right up. I can’t wait to read what Regina writes next!

SIX STARS!!! This book was phenomenal. The type of romance that forever alters your brain chemistry. One of the best contemporary romance novels I've read in a long time.

August Lane is a second chance, small town romance and so much more.

August Lane is a 30-something aspiring country music artist (and daughter of Black country icon JoJo Lane) who's never lived outside of her small Arkansas town. Luke Randall was her first love (and heartbreak) who she lost touch with after he became an overnight country music sensation (in part by passing off a song August wrote as his own). They reconnect thirteen years later when Luke comes back to their hometown to perform in a special concert honoring August's mother.

Both August and Luke are messy, complex characters and Regina Black's writing made them feel so REAL. The prose was exquisite-- simultaneously evocative and sensory. This is a book that also had so much to say about race, gender, and class, small town politics, the boundaries of genre, and misogynoir in the country music industry. It's also a story about grief and anger, repair and forgiveness, and the drive to create art. If that sounds like perhaps too much for one stand alone romance novel to explore, please be assured you are in the *best* hands with Regina Black.

August and Luke's character arcs were so satisfying and their HEA felt so well earned. My only complaint is that I was desperate for more time with these characters after the book ended!

After loving The Art Of Scandal, I had to get my hands on August Lane, Regina Black's latest release! (Spoiler - this is another five-star read from her!)

Music is the backdrop to this wonderful story and with references to country music singers from years past. Black created such a nostalgic experience. I loved how the whole book was written to be a song, with each part broken down and opening up with a podcast interview transcript. Crafted in this way allows the story to be stunning, layered and even more impactful!

Black flawlessly creates romance books where romance is truly not the focus. Instead her point and themes are beautifully disguised under strong female characters and tangible plots, with romance as a secondary note.

Audiobook narrators Bahni Turpin, William DeMerritt, January LaVoy and Stephanie Cannon come together to create one knockout experience! This is one of the most easy listening audiobooks I've read with the voices matching the lyrical and honeyed quality to Black's words.

If you loved Seven Days In June and Daisy Jones & The Six - you'll love this one too!

Thank you NetGalley, Grand Central Publishing and Hachette Audio for the complimentary copies to read and review.

One of my most anticipated reads of the year and it did not disappoint! Put two of my favorite things together, second chance and music, and it’s guaranteed water works all day over here 😮‍💨

This book was just beautiful. Absolutely freaking beautiful. As a music teacher I loved how much rich music history was included in this book and how much it highlighted Black musicians who have paved the way in the country music world. August Lane really brought more light into this new wave of Black country, and shows us that we’ve truly been here all along and we’re here to stay.

August and Luke’s love story brought me to my KNEES. Both of them went through so much and their journey was one that broke my heart and then put it right back together. The growth we see in both of them is incredible and inspiring 🥹 I just love their love!!!

August Lane really hit me hard in ways I wasn’t expecting and I just connected so strongly as I was reading. It is truly a story you don’t want to miss!

Thanks to Grand Central for this e-arc! I have been so amped for whatever Regina Black was going to release as a follow up to The Art of Scandal and August Lane fully delivered and then some. A romance that's so much more than love story, the story is set against the backdrop of country music fame coming back to roost against small town ghosts. These characters are so rich, so complex - their grief, their heartbreak, their dreams feel so real. The prose is gorgeous and lyrical and the story that's spun tackles so much ground but never feels like it's doing too much - Black exposes thoughtfully elements of racism, the wounds our parents leave us, addiction, finding your footing and your family, and chasing your big dreams while exploring the second chance love story and amends that need to be made between Luke and August. It is deep, it is beautiful - you won't be able to put it down.