For fans of SEVEN DAYS IN JUNE and DAISY JONES, AUGUST LANE was everything I wanted it to be. A second chance romance steeped in Black country music and family drama. Our Discord group was pretty passionate about this one and universally loved the audio narration. There were so many talented narrators in this full cast recording as well as sound effects, truly so much fun at a high production value.

Tortured artist ex lovers haunting each other for years after a break up and being (kinda) forced to work together on new music.
I really enjoyed this book a lot. It was an emotional ride going from seeing them as best friends in love with each other to present day when they're strangers. Their personal growth and romantic development were amazing to witness and definetely need to keep an eye out for the author. Her writing is phenomenal.

*arc kindly provided in exchange of an honest review

Thank you to the author Hachette Audio, Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for the alc and arc in exchange for an honest review.

— This was an emotional read navigating trauma and healing between two Black country artists, August and Luke with dual timelines. This story includes second chance romance, complex characters, complicated love story, heavy topics and angst. — it was great to watch their individual healing journey alongside the reconnection.
— I enjoyed the audiobook narration with the multiple POV’s and variety of voices.

The premise of August Lane really caught my attention since it is a second chance love story set in the world of country music, which I always enjoy. The idea of Luke Randall and August Lane working through their complicated past promised something emotional and layered. However, the dual timeline did not quite work for me and made it harder to fully connect with their journey. Even with such a rich setting and plenty of potential, it just did not feel like the right fit this time. Thanks so much to the publisher and NetGalley for the digital copy.

second chance romance but make it about a failing musician and a girl stuck in her hometown who was betrayed by said musician? Absolutely sold.

This book was emotional and healing and so moving. I loved the individual and relationship development. Both Luke and August needed to heal and learn to trust each other all over again to be able to come back together.

The dual timelines and podcast breaks added a lot for me! Because August’s relationship with her mom was so tense I really liked getting to know her through the podcast episodes. I also died reading Luke and August’s meet cute in high school. The nuance of awkward first encounters and balancing tense social dynamics in adolescence was written so well.

The angst and yearning in the present timeline is burned into my brain. Luke was doing the work to get August back and I applaud him. He swept me off my feet.

🎧 the audiobook had four amazing narrators and they added so much to the story. Both leads for August and Luke blew me away. I also loved the podcaster narration as well. I listened to this nearly in one sitting over one day and their performances had me locked in the entire time.

Thank you Hachette Audio and Grand Central Publishing for the arc and alc!

I loved Regina Black's debut, and this follow-up did not disappoint. I loved the flawed characters - this story is not afraid to delve deep and show the messier side to people. It's this fearless exploration that makes the romance all the more powerful. I also really enjoyed the way media was interwoven into the story, through the section titles alluding to songs, the lyrics, and podcast transcripts. I would LOVE to see this adapted for the screen so I can hear the songs. A heart-wrenching and beautiful book!!

I adored The Art of Scandal so I was thrilled to be approved for an advance copy of August Lane! Regina Black is a master at crafting flawed characters that come alive on the page. I appreciated how each character was given the space to be complex without falling into caricatures. I also loved the conversations about being a Black musician in the country space. The commentary on the music industry was very relevant. I felt deeply for both of our main characters. They have had it rough and I was rooting for them to get their happy ending. This is a heavy read so definitely check trigger warnings before diving in. It is an emotional book and I found myself struggling at points because certain aspects hit really close to home for me. Because the book covers so much pain I wish that we had gotten to spend a little more time on the ending. After all that they've been through, seeing all the threads get wrapped up in an extended epilogue would have been lovely. As it was this was a heartwrenching story of two people who got pulled apart by circumstances and find a way back to each other. If you are looking for an emotional romance, this is the book for you.

Regina Black's debut, The Art of Scandal was in my top ten the year it came out. So I was both anticipatory and slightly nervous about her second book, worried that it was a one-off accomplishment. Instead, she has leveled up as an author, with this perfectly crafted, perfectly plotted and paced novel of two broken people who are made whole together.

August is the daughter of JoJo, a country music star, Luke is a one-hit country music wonder, and that one hit? A song they wrote together in high school that he took sole credit for. This book weaves together three narrative threads - the 2023 (lets call it) present, their senior year in high school when they fell in love, and the 2024 transcript of an interview with JoJo, all within the structure of song components. "Because every song did have a story. This one haunted him like a ghost." The narrative threads are perfectly matched with each other, and with the song structure; truths are revealed in each part, at the same pace to fit beautifully.

August is an social outcast, betrayed by men who lie to her, friends and relations who use her for social jockeying, and her mother, who has left her to be raised by a grandmother, and makes it impossible for August to "win" her love. A reveal late in the book helps explain her miserable HS and young adult years in her highly churched town, and her strained relationship with her cousin, her only nearby relative. Luke is trying to keep his brother fed and alive in a highly abusive home with their single mom. We see the physical and psychological scars on him, how he leans into August's affectionate touch as a teen "an agonizing joy, the kind only someone raised in a violent house could understand."

The present day, when Luke comes home for the first time to sing with JoJo at his only shot of a comeback shows them reckoning with his sudden departure and betrayal about the song. August wasn't the only person he left without a word. Black wrestles with forgiveness and atonement in this book, some characters are breathlessly selfish and cruel, while others go above what anyone could expect to help others, based on generational debts and old ties.

This book is definitely one for the lovers of an angsty tale. These two have been through the wringer, both separately and together, and they put themselves through all the accumulated pain and mistrust their lives have given them in their path back together. As August says, "I loved you like breathing. But then you left and stole my air." Black is an author the reader can trust with their tender feelings. If never feels as if we are reading suffering for suffering's sake, but rather seeing the stones that have been used to build the walls around these characters' hearts. Which makes the comfort and joy they find in the end all the sweeter - reading the final paragraph of the present-day thread made me actually give a happy sob.

Even though this book deals with heavy topics, abuse, addiction, abandonment, racism, teens being horrible, it never feels like homework or a chore. There is community and family, love and sacrifice. And through it all August and Luke, finding their way back to each other.

Thank you to Ballantine Books and Netgalley for the arc.

I DNFd August Lane at 75%.

Regina Black's writing is beautiful. The prose is engaging and the stories she weaves for her characters are stories that need to be told.

However, I found the characters to be frustrating and somewhat boring. August really had no fight in her, was impulsive and immature, and she came across as starving for the love she was often deprived of and being repeatedly ready to get that love from all the wrong places. Luke had a lot of trauma growing up, but he was just this stubborn trunk of a man who was difficult to root for. I didn't like the decision to have Luke steal August's song, fumble his career, and then have a very Jackson Maine-esque comeback era where he begins to fumble again before he can get off the ground. The flashing between 2009 and 2023 became confusing and was done too many times to make me feel submerged in their love story in either timeline. I cannot grasp how they fell in love with each other honestly. I was most interested in JoJo's story, and she is not in this nearly enough even though she is a huge character and plays a big role in how August came to be who she is.

I thought Luke and JoJo's narrators were fine but I didn't care for August's.

I'm disappointed because this was one of my most anticipated reads of the year, especially in the wake of Cowboy Carter and the emphasis placed on untold stories among Black country artists, but this missed the mark for me. I really tried to keep hanging in there, but I couldn't. I definitely think it's worth reading if you're interested in journeying with flawed characters who make a way for themselves through the pain, as the book really does a great job with that aspect.

Thank you to Hachette Audio, /Grand Central Publishing, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC and ALC!

What an unexpected yet equally satisfying swerve by Black from her stellar debut novel! This story is a beautifully layered, raw and earned second chance romance between August and Luke that effectively employs two timelines to show how they came together and fell in love as teenagers as well as what happens after they are reunited as adults years later following his betrayal. Since the tale weaves in multiple serious topics through the experiences of these characters, it can feel very heavy at times with the pain that is felt by them quite palpable, but there is thankfully hope and happiness sprinkled throughout with an ending that makes it well worth the journey. I liked seeing how August and Luke found a way to fix what was broken between the two of them to both get what they want and heal from their difficult family histories. Black's writing here is consistently excellent and evocative, and I appreciated how the book takes a head-on approach to racism in country music.

Imagine chasing your dream of becoming a country music star, only to have that dream built on a lie—you didn’t even write the hit song that put you on the map. That’s the reality for Luke, whose once-promising career is now in shambles. Just when it seems too far gone to save, he’s handed a surprising opportunity: perform at the Country Music Hall of Fame induction concert of one of his lifelong idols. But there's a catch—she’s the mother of August, the woman whose song he stole… and the woman he used to love. Talk about complicated. What follows is an emotional journey full of tension, regret, and the slow work of forgiveness, as both Luke and August are forced to face their tangled past and painful childhoods.

I was completely drawn into the rawness of their story—the hurt, the healing, and the revelations that surfaced throughout. The book masterfully blends timelines and storytelling formats, switching between present-day scenes and podcast interviews that added unique depth and perspective. It’s a layered narrative that unfolds with intention and emotion, and I loved how it kept me engaged from start to finish. The audiobook was a standout—it brought the characters and emotions to life in such a powerful way that I’d highly recommend going that route if you can. This story hit all the right notes—heartache, redemption, and a second chance at more than just fame.

August Lane is a gritty, lyrically written story of love, pain, abandonment and redemption. It's also tribute to Black country music and much like a country song, August Lane is about finding love and losing it before finding redemption. Your heart will break in equal measure for August and then for Luke, and you'll root for them to find hope in the barren landscape of their small Arkansas town. Regina Black brings August and Luke's love story to the page with powerful emotion and vivid imagery. I couldn't put it down and like all good books, I am still thinking about August and Luke weeks after reading it. A five star read.

Thank you Hachette Audio and Grand Central Pub for the advanced copy to review!

Having fully enjoyed Regina Black’s debut, I was eagerly awaiting her sophomore novel and was so grateful to get an advanced copy AND the audio too!!

I loved the way the story was told in the dual timeline. The podcast format was so effective and the audio being a full (amazing) cast was an experience! I devoured the audio over a couple of days and was pleased with the storytelling style. There were also some truly incredible, beautiful lines in this novel.

It wasn’t just a second chance romance - there’s so much to unpack here with found family, parental abuse, sibling dynamics, complex family dynamics, racism, music business frustration, and more.

If you liked Regina’s debut, you will love this. I would absolutely say to grab the audio for the ultimative experience.

This is such a beautifully written book. I also loved how perfectly flawed August and Luke were. The struggles that Luke and August experience throughout their lifetime apart and together was so heartbreaking but made their romance so much more meaningful.

For the audiobook, the performances were wonderful. The emotions that were portrayed by all of the narrators was great and the production was superb. I mean there were even dings for the text messages. Loved it so much.

+ Second-chance romance
+ Small town romance

Regina Black has a magic pen. I loved her debut, The Art of Scandal, but August Lane might be my favorite. This is a story that sings about legacy, love, and the Black roots of country music.

“We are blues. We are rock. We are country. And all those things are us. We've always known that.”

We follow August Lane, daughter of a legendary Black country star, and Luke Randall, the former heartthrob who built his short-lived career on a hit song… that August wrote. Without credit.

Now, years later, Luke is back in their hometown for a tribute concert, and August gives him a choice: finally tell the truth or write and perform a new song with her. The story that unfolds is electric, emotional, and deeply human.

I read this just before Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter tour, and the timing couldn’t have been more perfect. When the tour showed the visual interlude: “Never ask permission for something that already belongs to you”, I thought of August, JoJo, and Black women claiming space in genres and places that hasn’t always embraced them.

JoJo’s presence is felt in every chapter and not just as August’s mother, but as a legend in her own right. Her voice comes through in podcast segments throughout the novel, reflecting on her battles, brilliance, and complicated relationship with country music. She’s a beauty queen, a survivor, a trailblazer, and, ultimately, a mother whose story still echoes in her daughter’s.

This novel explores generational trauma and reconciliation, artistry and authorship, forgiveness and fear. Luke and August’s relationship, past and present, is complicated, messy, and magnetic. You feel the hurt, the hope, and the undeniable connection between them.

August Lane also handles themes of addiction, neglect, and healing with care. Not for shock, but with intention and truth. Regina Black has written a love song of her own: to the music, to the legacy, and to all the Black women who shaped country and are still shaping it now.

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and Netgalley for the eARC. August Lane publishes on July 29th. I’ve already preordered my copy. And if you’re a fan of messy love, hard-won healing, and stories that sing, you should too.

Wow, August Lane. You are a force to be reckoned with. This entire book is so incredibly well written. If you love music, if you listen to it and you have *that* song that brings about goosebumps, puts that lump in your throat, makes you dream blissfully, makes you feel empowered and limitless. That is exactly how August Lane reads. It’s that song that hits deepest. It can hurt at times, it can pour lyrics that make your heart wrench, but it will make you feel you can soar the skies. Once you embrace your true self.

One hit wonder Luke Randall is heading back to his hometown to open for a music legend, JoJo Lane, as she is celebrated and welcomed into the Country Music Hall of Fame. It’s Luke's opportunity to rise again in stardom, but to rise he must first face a ghost of his past who has never ceased to haunt him– or claim his heart– August Lane. Estranged daughter to a legend, August is already dealing with very mixed feelings of her mother’s celebrity shadow over her, the last thing she needs is to see the boy of her past, now a man, who broke her heart. And stole her song that made him a star…

If I could sum up this work in one word it is “raw.” Everything felt like an open vein, with secrets, truths, wishes, and fears pouring out. And it wasn’t clean, it was messy. Even hurtful at times. There were certain points I wondered if this was a biography based on real people because they felt so incredibly real. Tangible and meaningful in so many ways. Raw. Needy. Messy. Lonely. Vulnerable. True. Empowered. Fierce. Authentic. It is that final word of description, authentic, that most piques my interest.

There is no doubt within their POVs we see the authenticity of August and Luke’s dreams, hopes, regrets, and mistakes. But we also see how they, principally Luke and the country music industry, perform authenticity. For Luke, it’s just to get the door open to a world he already belongs in but still must for. For the industry it is to rewrite its white / straight space as inclusive, welcoming JoJo into its Hall of Fame when it barely allowed her space during her career. If you follow Beyoncé, you may have heard her critically acclaimed album Cowboy Carter. It’s an album that appealed not only to country music fans, but all music fans. Here I am, a listener who does not like country music and I can sing every lyric of II Most Wanted. Beyoncé poured her soul into this album and with her prowess had new ears listening to a genre they stayed away from. She broke records and claimed the top spots on the charts. And yet she was shut out of the Country Music Awards. Denied entry. Denied space. Looked at as inauthentic even though she hails from Texas! She did everything right and still people in that industry said no. So when I see someone like Luke perform authenticity, by claiming a song that isn’t his as his, by shaking hands that look to humiliate and attack, by presenting a false image of a marriage to a country star to keep his own a glow, I only find myself seeing him with sympathy and understanding. Frustration too, but not as him, but at the industry that still has so much to fix. Luke carves a space that would otherwise either push him out, or as it does with JoJo, a space that uses him for its own advantage. Luke’s journey is one of true authenticity. To shed the false skin, confront the inner and outer demons, and to tend to his heart. A heart that never stopped beating for the person he betrayed most.

Oh August. She is authentic in every definition. She is prone to mistakes, bad judgements, bitterness, and yet she has a soft heart that bleeds and hurts. She lives in her estranged mother’s shadow and watches as the boy she once loved grows to be a man who stole her voice by means of a love song she wrote. She’s done wrong but more than anything she has been wronged. Her journey is one to reclaim her voice, to find her footing and to march to a destiny she makes all of her own. She owns her past, her mistakes, and embraces the change she wishes to be. The future longs to live in. Her story is not only relatable, it’s empowering and inspiring.

There is most certainly a love story of second chances between Luke and August but the love story that truly got me was how they learned to love themselves enough to be true to themselves.

We have our leads, now let’s talk about their stage.

The way the chapters are presented reads literally like a song. It is structured the way a song is. We have: intro, verses, lift, bridge, and outro. The attention to this detail by Regina Black elevates an already all-consuming work. The song is presented through three timelines, 2009, 2023, and 2024. The latter serves to introduce the sections of the song, some it’s more like interludes. Now I tend not to favor flashbacks, so I did become impatient at times during my stay in 2009, but I do believe it is a necessary stay. The moments of our past can cast shadows, create consequence, and, of course, enacts change to our present. Or in this case 2023, where August and Luke must contend with their past, confront it, choose to cut or embrace its facets, and decide what it means for their futures. Everything is so brilliantly integral to the narrative pushing forward. I just thought this structure was brilliant.

It’s a song in novel form.

Gosh half my heart hurts, the other half feels empowered. This book is poignantly told, its weight is one you will feel as you read through, and its impact is indelible. I can go on and on! There are themes of motherhood that you can write essays about. Themes concerning stardom and its negative and positive effects. And so much more. This is a song in novel, a learning experience, and a statement you will never forget.

Thank you Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for this advanced complimentary copy, I leave this honest review voluntarily.

Has-been country singer Luke Randall is barely making a living singing every week in a motel lounge. When he's presented with an opportunity to sing with famous country singer JoJo Lane, he can't pass up the opportunity. The gig is in Luke's hometown, a place he fled nearly fourteen years ago, and returning home brings back the past he was trying to avoid. It also gives him an opportunity to reconnect with JoJo's daughter, August Lane. Can she forgive him for leaving all those years ago?

Regina Black has another hit with her sophomore release. I loved her debut, THE ART OF SCANDAL, and I knew that I would read anything she writes after I read that book. This book has a different vibe and feel to it, but I loved it all the same. Regina Black has a voice that compels your attention. She is an exceptional writer and with this book, it's clear that she is also an exceptional storyteller.

This book had depth and it was messy. I loved that this novel was not just about two people who found love with each other again. It was also about each of their journeys through pain, heartbreak, self-destruction, and healing. August and Luke were both broken for different reasons. As their past was revealed in the dual timeline, my heart broke over and over for them.

August was a complex character that I enjoyed diving into. At first, I didn't know if I would like her. She was flawed and reckless and that kind of character usually has me running the other way. But I knew there was something about August that intrigued me and that there were reasons why she was so prickly and careless. Underneath the facade was a woman who lived a life of abandonment, harassment, and feelings of inadequacy. Luke came back into her life when she needed him most. He forced her to see that she deserved love, happiness, and success.

One of the main themes in this book that is going to stay with me is that people are 100% good or 100% bad. I know it's easier for people to think of certain people as bad people, but maybe there is a reason why they way they are. That's not to say that you shouldn't put boundaries in relationships where they're needed.

What an accomplishment that Regina Black has achieved with this book! You'll want to pick this one up when it releases!

Steam level: 🔥🔥¾
⚠️: infidelity (not between the main characters), addiction, child abuse, bullying, harassment, mention of rape & abortion

I really enjoyed this one. Regina Black did an excellent job creating raw, lived in characters that had me thinking I could look up their music on Spotify.

Thank to you Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for the eArc of this book and to Hachette Audio and NetGalley for the ALC.

Here are the deets:
August Lane is the daughter of Black country music star JoJo Lane, who is being inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and wants to have it all happen in Arcadia, AR, her hometown and where her daughter, August lives. But who does JoJo want to sing a duet with? None other than Luke Randall, the boy who August wrote a song with that he took all the credit for when he became a country artist. It’s has been 13 years since August has seen or heard from Luke and she has been hesitant to ever open her heart up again. Will Luke be able to face the pain of the past and being in Arcadia again for a chance to make it right with August and save his career? Will August be able to trust him and find a way to make music again?

The story is told in 2 (though kinda 3) story lines- past 2009 and present 2023 from both Luke and August’s POV. There is also a continuous podcast (2024) that plays at the beginning of each part with JoJo Lane and journalist/podcaster Emma Fisher. The titles for each part are so creative and I loved the way Regina broke them up.

August and Luke’s story is not an easy one with their past, but the way Regina weaved the past and present together tells such a beautiful story. You can tell this story was not only well researched, but it was one that deserves to be told. It made me think about Beyoncé a lot and her Cowboy Carter album and the backlash that she has received- and probably is still receiving. I am grateful for Regina writing this story and encourage anyone who likes contemporary romance to check it out.

I encourage you to check content warnings for this one as it deals with sensitive issues.

4 stars.

"August Lane" by Regina Black is a wonderful second-chance rockstar romance that's more than meets the eye. It's heartbreaking and revelatory, raw and realistic, intriguing and sad, uplifting and vulnerable. Please check the trigger warnings before reading because this book deals with some heavy topics (including alcohol abuse/alcoholism, ab0rtion, domestic and parental abuse, abandonment, dementia, etc). All of the characters in this story are flawed individuals, which I think makes this story all the more interesting. August and Luke are two characters I loved reading about despite the fact that their stories are difficult to digest because of the nature of what they go through. August has been living in her country music star mother's shadow since she was young. She has always been a sensitive, complex soul. August's mother, Jojo, was never particularly warm to her. She cared much more about putting in her music-scene dues than parenting. As such, August was raised by her grandmother. Luke's home life was also awful and full of physical abuse, strife, and abandonment. They both carry heavy, heavy burdens on their shoulders. They managed to find solace in one another in high school, only to have it all fall apart. This book will run readers through a gamut of emotions. You'll find happiness and joy in August and Luke's reconnection. You'll feel anger about the racism Jojo and Luke experience at the hands of country music, its fans, and "the industry." You'll feel sadness and irritation at the horrible conditions and trauma that August and Luke go through throughout their lives. Regina Black clearly poured her soul into writing this, and it shows. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Regina Black, and Grand Central Publishing for the complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated for this review.

OMG a Black country singer, yes please! I liked that this story had elements of seeing August and Luke's story from when they were younger to present day. We get to see how they got close then what caused them to be pulled apart. I loved the complicated emotions you can feel from the characters and the growth they experience.