Regina Black returns with another emotional journey and a beautiful happy ending. The story follows Luke, a struggling musician known for one hit song from his past. He receives a career opportunity he cannot turn down, but it means returning home to August Lane.

The backstories of each character were raw and emotional, and their journey as flawed individuals striving to mend their broken hearts felt incredibly real. Important themes were explored, including race in country music, alcoholism and substance abuse, and parental neglect. Regina did a wonderful job weaving these topics into the story with care, layering them deeply within the love story.

Read if you like:
-Rockstar romance
-Second chance
-Messy love tories
-Dual timeline (2009 and 2023)
-Country music

Thank you GCP for the gifted book!

<3 ALC Review of August Lane by Regina Black <3

Thank you to Hachette Audio for the ALC via NetGalley!

4.5 Stars Rounded up!

The narrators: Bahni Turpin, William DeMerritt, January LaVoy, Stephanie Cannon all did a phenomenal job!!! I was so impressed with the inflections, tones, and emotions behind all of their voices. I did speed up or slow down the audio at times depending on who was speaking, but that was personal preference!! I have been raving about how well the audio was done!!

The Story: This story was more than a romance while there was romance in the book, it was such stunningly written fiction that drew you into the story and in the characters' lives! This story is told in a dual timeline & had a post cast as well. I personally LOVED this set up because I love seeing stories unfold in dual timing and seeing the story unfold in that way.

There were MANY heavy topics approached in this book (so check your triggers as always), but I feel like the author did a fantastic job of addressing everything in a way that was real and raw and vulnerable. You truly were in your feelings with the characters.

I will for sure be picking up this author's books again!

Like a good classic country song, August Lane is raw, heartbreaking and full of longing. These are messy people in a messy world trying to get by. They hurt each other, they make frustrating decisions but damn if you don’t keep rooting for them. This novel has heavy themes, but the love story still has room to thrive.

I love multiple narrators for multiple POVs. It made the back and forth easier to navigate in audio form. The narrators: Bahni Turpin, William DeMerritt, January LaVoy, Stephanie Cannon were all outstanding! In a novel about singers, their voices made the talent of many of the characters believable.

Thank you to Hachette Audio and NetGalley for the ALC in exchange for an honest review!

“Life was different for kids like them. They were never wanted which made them obsessed with being chosen.” 😮‍💨

This book touched be so deeply. I did it on audiobook and the format of the book with the podcast excerpt lent itself so well to audio, plus the narrators do an amazing job bringing this book to life. Exploring the visibility of black voices in country music through times. Complicated families. A second chance at love. Coming home.

Truly, I wish I also had a copy in my hands as I read to highlight all the magic moments.

I felt so deeply for both August and Luke. Please put this one on your radar.

“Feelings didn't have a straight path. They were riddled with forks and ditches, blocked by rivers too strong to wade through.”

Thank You to NetGalley, Hachette Audio and the author Regina Black for the advanced reading copy, all my opinions are my own.

📆 Pub Date: July 28, 2025
🎧 Format: Audiobook
⭐️ Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)

August Lane is a sultry, emotional small-town romance steeped in legacy, regret, and second chances. Regina Black delivers a beautifully messy love story between two former teenage sweethearts who are forced to confront their shared past—along with secrets, betrayals, and the weight of generational expectations.

The audiobook narration is strong across the board, but Bahni Turpin’s performance as August really stood out. The pacing varies between narrators, so I adjusted speeds often, but the emotional delivery was worth it. I especially loved the podcast-style interludes from August’s mother, JoJo—they added so much depth and context to the story.

With rich Southern atmosphere, deeply flawed but compelling characters, and a slow-burning romance full of tension and vulnerability, August Lane is perfect for fans of Kennedy Ryan and Black Southern gothic drama. A strong follow-up to The Art of Scandal.

Thank you to Hachette Audio for the gifted audiobook! I was so SO excited for August Lane, and I really loved so much about it. The story is compelling, told in dual POV with flashbacks to high school. Those can be hit or miss for me, but they really worked here — it didn’t feel like high school drama for the sake of it. Even at 18, August and Luke are dealing with real, weighty issues, and their relationship is so sweet and authentic. I actually forgot they weren’t real people at some points!

That said, the audiobook took away from the experience a bit. Bahni Turpin performs as August, but her delivery didn’t reflect the emotional shifts or big moments in the story — there was little variation in tone or cadence, which made some of the most powerful scenes fall flat. I didn’t realized how much I rely on those vocal cues to follow the emotional arc until they weren’t there.

Overall: big fan of the book, just not the best on audio. This one’s best read with your eyeballs.

What an emotional story of resilience and heartbreak. This is told by more than one point of view and multiple timelines. We get the whole story, even the messy parts. This is a beautiful second chance. #AugustLane #NetGalley

The production of this audiobook was everything. All of the narrators conveyed the characters incredibly well.

Thank you to NetGalley, Hachette Audio, and Grand Central Publishing for the opportunity to listen to this book in exchange for my honest review.

August Lane was my first time reading Regina Black and also my first experience with a musical second chance romance and I enjoyed it. The country music setting felt fresh and meaningful, especially with Black characters taking the spotlight in a genre where they’re rarely seen.

Some parts were a bit confusing at first, especially with the POVs switching between August and Luke. It took me a moment to adjust. I also usually don’t love books that shift between past and present, but here it made sense it helped show how much they’d been through and what was at stake.

Overall, this is a pretty sad story. Both characters deal with a lot alcohol, addiction, complicated and hurtful parents, domestic violence, trauma, and August’s grandmother’s dementia. It’s heavy at times, but that emotional weight also gives the story depth and meaning. I’ll definitely be reading more from Regina Black.

I was able to receive a ALC before release day. Thank you Hachette Audio and Grand Central Publishing. If you are able to listen to this book do it, they have several narrators in this story and they did a wonderful job.

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.

Audiobook review:
The audio on this was done very well. The standouts for me were JoJo Lane (voiced by January LaVoy) and Luke Randall (voiced by William DeMerritt). The care and attention that all the narrators gave to their performance was evident. There are 4 different narrators, but it’s dual pov not duet outside of the podcasts portions.

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.

Thak you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for this ARC in exchange for a review.

This book gave us second-chance romance with a side of mama drama. Luke and August’s reunion is messy, musical, and full of old wounds that still sting. Loved how Regina Black blended the heat of rekindled love with the real tension of complicated mother-daughter dynamics. August Lane is a rich, heartfelt second-chance romance wrapped in the grit and glamour of the country music world. But beyond the music and the chemistry, Regina Black delivers a moving exploration of legacy, voice, and complicated mother-daughter love.

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 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, even more so on audiobook. Each narrator is excellent, adding a little something extra to make this story stand out, to allow readers to get fully invested in each person and situation.

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

Thank you Netgalley and Hachette Audio for allowing me to listen and review this book. I have to start with saying I LOVED the narrators for this audiobook, they were all amazing and really held my attention the entire book. I had my reservations at the beginning of this book because I am not huge into musician books or books about famous people falling in love BUT thankfully I was mistaken in having my reservations. This book had me laughing and smiling at parts, crying at others and down right angry at others! I loved August and Luke’s love story being able to concur everything, I was actually pushing for them to work out and I don’t do that often in books. I truly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone 4.5/5 stars!

I loved this one so much! Great for Black Country Music lovers! d
I absolutely was engrossed in the second-chance romance! Huge fan of reading about "flawed" characters with difficult upbringings.
The interview aspect of this was great too.
This was my first Regina Black book & 1 am pleasantly HAPPY about this!
Would FOR sure recommend.
Thank you grandcentralpub

A story of love, struggle, and redemption. August Lane starts as we follow Luke Randall, a broke country musician who is given the opportunity to perform a duet with a popular black country singer during her award ceremony. In order to do this performance, Luke finds himself back in his small hometown where he has to face our FMC, August Lane again. August and Luke have a tumultuous relationship dating back years where they first wrote a hit song together.

Told in dual timelines, 2009 and 2023, we follow August and Luke as we see them first meet, form their friendship and writing partnership, and all the tough battles they had to endure as kids. From Luke dealing with being an alcoholic who grew up in an abusive household, August taking care of her grandmother with dementia, my heart ached for them and I just anted to reach through the pages to give them a hug. I loved that this was told in dual timelines because we really got to see how their experiences earlier in life shaped them into the adults that they were. The romance between August and Luke was messy but real, which made me love their slow burn even more.

Regina Black’s writing in this once again excels. Through her storytelling, this book explore race in the country music genre, racism, dementia, alcoholism, domestic violence, and trauma. While these are all heavy topics, she writes about this with the respect and care that they deserve. Regina Black is truly a master of character building and I just loved August and Luke. I will forever read what Regina writes and can’t wait to see what she does next!

The audiobook is narrated by four incredible narrators: Bahni Turpin, William DeMerritt, January LaVoy and Stephanie Cannon. They all did an amazing job bringing these characters and all the emotions to life.

Rating: 3.5⭐️

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing & Netgalley or the e-ARC and Hachette Audio for ALC in exchange for my review. It was such a great time getting to immersive read this one!

I wanted to like this so bad but it just wasn’t for me. I struggled with the flashbacks throughout the book it didn’t seem to build up the story as much as it could. There also was so many plot lines it was hard to follow and I wasn’t completely sold on the romance between the main characters. Overall I do think that production of this audiobook was so good.

Second chance romance. He left and took credit for the song they wrote together
Now he’s back ready for his comeback joining a concert show for her mom‘s recognition award. Luke is singing his only hit song, the song he took full credit for, with her mom as a duet. The vulnerability and the depths of the character was heavy with emotion and tension. I loved everything about it. It felt like I was reading someone’s biography. It was so good. The romance was the perfect amount of tense and angsty, with dual timeline. I honestly didn’t want this book to end.

this one didn’t fully land for me. the pacing felt uneven and there were long stretches where i struggled to stay invested. the romance element felt a little muted and the emotional tension didn’t build the way i hoped it would. it wasn’t a bad read by any means—just one that didn’t quite hit the high notes for me.

📕 August Lane by Regina Black was a second chance romance journey that pulled me along for an emotional ride. From childhood trauma to found family this book has so much substance. At the backdrop, we have the undercurrents of race as our black main characters navigate the world of country music.

🎙️ The arrangement and editing of this audiobook combined with the narrative talents of Bahni Turpin; William DeMerritt; January LaVoy; Stephanie Cannon provides an immersive experience for the reader.

🏆 I highly recommend this read! Thank you to NetGalley, Hachette Audio, Grand Central Publishing and author Regina Black for the advanced listener copy of this audiobook. All opinions expressed are my own.

Favorite Quote: “Each time I sing it, I get to fall in love with you again, hurts like hell when its over but its worth it. I want to hurt that way for the rest of my life” ~ Luke Randall

I read Regina Black’s debut novel ‘The Art Of Scandal’ that released in 2023 of August of last year. I liked it but did not feel strongly about the characters and felt they lacked some depth.

Now I was granted the amazing opportunity to listen to a advanced copy of Ms. Black’s second novel and my favorite part of this was the multilayered characters. I was blown away by this story, this felt like more than a simple second chance romance. You feel the growth in the author’s skills from one book to another and I can only see this getting better from here.

Semi failed country star Luke Randall gets the opportunity for a redemption arc and is asked to perform a duet with one of his idols, unfortunately it forces him to return to his traumatic small childhood town and his past childhood love, whose song that he stole launched his career many years ago.

This does not even touch the surface of this layered story told that is written in dual timelines (which really made this story) with a podcast interview in the middle from the country idol, Jojo Lane. This story dived into being a Black country music star, addiction, integrational trauma and so much more. I don’t want to spoil this amazing story but please listen or read if you can!

The narration of this story was so amazing!!! They use 4 narrators and they fit all of the characters so well and they really brought the passion and pain for the characters alive. This is a narration and story that will sit with me for a long time.

Super excited for August Lane. I loved Regina Black's previous book and was eagerly anticipating this one. I started listening to the audio and it was an immediate no for me in terms of audio production and quality. Even though some of my favorite narrators are featured, the quality of the sound was so subpar that I put the book down and will pick it back up once I can read with my eyes. Very disappointing as a reader who primarily does audiobooks.

The star rating is for the audio, not for the content of the book.