Country music star Luke Randall is facing a stalled singing career when he gets the chance of a lifetime to open for 90s-era country music queen JoJo Lane. But agreeing means letting August Lane, JoJo’s daughter, back into his life, his first love and the woman whose lyrics he stole to launch his singing career.

At this point, I’m convinced Regina Black can do no wrong. Her first book, The Art of Scandal, put her on the map, and her follow-up, August Lane, will surely keep her there. Her stories are rich with emotion; her settings picturesque. And her characters are so incredibly lifelike, they feel as though they exist as much off the page as on.

I went into this story a bit unsure what to expect, and came away feeling as though I had taken a journey with these dynamic characters as they faced childhood traumas, life-changing decisions, and one more chance to try again. The story has a very slow-burn feel to it as we are woven back and forth through the past and present, as the layers of each character are peeled back little by little.

The author tackles the harder themes of child abuse, addiction and the deep racism that is innate in the country music world and yet, never losing site of these characters or overpowering the story. And shining most brightly at the end of each character’s growth arc is this complex, messy, beautiful love story worthy of a love song.

🎧 While the audio is fantastic, narrated by a full cast including a few of my favorites, I felt myself more drawn to the written word in this case. I think an immersive read is probably the best way to experience August Lane.

Read if you like:
▪️country music
▪️second chances
▪️family dramas
▪️slow burn
▪️character-driven stories
▪️dual timelines/perspectives

Thank you Hachette Audio for the advanced copy.

This is my first, but not last Regina Black story. I have heard good things about the author. The representation is there. A black country singer. Also one of my favorite tropes happens to be second chance romance.

I did not love the male narrator, but the story was still enjoyable to me!

Hachette Audio ALC
Complex and layered. This book was about so much and the author balanced it so well. It was about being a black country artist. It was about fame and the impact on families. It captured the difficulties of first loves and heartbreak. It also captured August's struggle to figure out her life while steeped in grief of her grandmother - the woman who raised her. Luke was just as complicated. He had to deal with how his addict mother and her choices affected his entire life. He wrestled with a lot, This book isn't light, but it tackled such important topics like mother wounds and parental expectations. It was beautifully layered and gave me a lot to think about. t I can’t wait to see her on book tour and hear her talk about her inspiration and drive behind this book.
Bahni Turpin and January LaVoy are two of my favorites, and with Will DeMerritt and Stephanie Cannon their performances brought this book to life. I could hear all of the anguish and heartache in their character's lives. I think this book would be best on audio because of how well the full cast narration brought this story to life.

ALC Review
📚 Book Title: August Lane
✍🏽Author: Regina Black
🎙️Narrator(s): Bahni Turpin, William DeMerritt, January Lavoy, Stephanie Cannon

📕 Format: 🎧

⭐️ Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 

🌶 Spice Level: 🌶️🌶️ = Mild

🕑 Quick Take:
At just 17 years old, August Lane wrote a hit song and chose to give it away.

Luke Randle, a former country heartthrob, achieved great success with “Another Love Song,” which he’d never given August credit.

Jo Jo Lane, August’s mother, is about to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

This induction will bring everyone back to Arcadia, AR, for the ceremony. Will August finally be able to step out from her mother’s and Luke’s shadows?

💕What I Loved:
Right from the start, the intro music was straight givin’! It had me rocking and swaying. I appreciated the creative structure of the book, which mimicked the format of a song, featuring an intro, first verse, bridge, chorus, and outro. The multiple POVs provided insight into the various layers of each character’s life, adding depth and perspective to the story. The story flashes back and forth between a dual timeline in 2009 and 2023, and a podcast in 2024. I also enjoyed that it highlighted the experiences of Black people, specifically Black women, in the country music industry.

Tropes
- Black Women in Country Music
- Small Town
- Renewed Attraction
- Rightful Place in the Spotlight

⚠️ Heads Up (Trigger/Content Warnings): As mentioned in the intro and observed while listening: 
- Intimate Partner Violence
- Addiction
- Mental Health Issues
- Sexual Assault (Off Page)
- Strained Family Relationships
- Caregiver Stress
- Conceived By Sexual Assault
- Early-Onset Dementia

🎭 Narration:
The cast did an excellent job bringing August Lane to light! The narration was engaging and evoked emotion.

💭 Final Thoughts:
Overall, this was a good, solid listen, and I liked the story. This was my second encounter with Regina Black’s work, as I read *The Art of Scandal* last summer. This book was an emotional and deep read, so be prepared for the content warning as noted above. I anticipated this book’s release this month, so I was really excited when I received the option for an ALC!

Thanks to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for this advanced listener copy.

This is a complicated one for me - I was so excited to get the audiobook for this because I have only heard rave reviews of the Art of Scandal and I felt the plot intriguing, especially in the light of how everyone treated Cowboy Carter. But to be honest, the audiobook did not feel particularly good to me. I really liked the narrator for JoJo and for Luke but to me, the narrator for August didn't feel like the right voice... I am not sure why but it felt like that wouldn't be her voice, almost like it didn't match her age. I also felt like the acting didn't always match what was happening on the page.

Overall, I liked the story itself enough. There was a lot of beautiful writing in this book, especially around trauma, identity, and the assumptions people make about one another's life. I loved the complexity of the characters and their family dynamics. I could picture so much of what was happening so clearly and that's a testament to Regina Black's writing.

I think I may go back and read this in a physical copy to see if it impacts how I feel about the book.

Based off the audiobook, I have to go with 3.75 stars. Thank you to Hachette Audio, Grand Central Publishing, and NetGalley for this audiobook ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Wow - this is not what I was expecting! August and Luke’s love story is complicated and emotional. It also felt very real. We bounce between 2009 when they are in high school to 2023 when Luke comes home for the first time since 2009 to perform at a concert where August’s mother is being inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. This story explores some heavy topics but done in a thoughtful way. Luke is raised in an abusive home and his mother is an addict - August is being raised by her grandmother who gets diagnosed with dementia.

The topic of race in country music is a constant theme throughout. The author did a great job showcasing how much Black artists have to fight to be taken seriously not only in the country music space but in the music industry as a whole.

This was beautifully written and I highly recommend it but this is not a happy, sappy, rom-com where you are kicking your feet the whole time. I recommend checking out the trigger warnings before jumping in.

This was high on my most anticipated reads list for this year. It truly did not disappoint! Such a beautiful and raw storytelling coupled with complicated and messy characters that you can root for. After you read this, you’ll want to listen to Cowboy Carter on repeat for days!

Luke Randall is a washed up one hit wonder playing small dive bars to make ends meet. He’s approached by an agent that wants him to sing this hit, “Another Love Song” with his childhood idol, JoJo Lane, as part of her induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame. The catch is that he has to perform in the one place he swore he would never return, his hometown, and see the woman who wrote the song with him, August Lane, who is also the daughter of his music idol. August Lane resents Luke and his song. To give her a final shot out at music that she desperately wants, August blackmails Luke into writing a song with her and have him play it at the concert, finally getting the credit she deserves. As the begin working together on it, they begin to write more than just a song, but also their own love story in the process

I loved the dual timeline perspective, as well as the podcast recording sound bites throughout. It drew me in completely and I was hooked. It helped add so much character depth, while also making me more understanding of how August and Luke got to where they are in the present day timeline. By the end, I couldn’t help but root for them, despite their missteps and mistakes. It was also an interesting perspective into dealing with family trauma and forgiveness, so it wades into very heavy/challenging topics. It was emotional, raw, and real. I also loved the audiobook production and every single one of the narrators. The cast is talented beyond belief. If you have the option, definitely opt for the audiobook!

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the ARC!

Thanks to Hachette Audio for an ALC in exchange for an honest review!!

What an emotional, beautiful second-chance romance! Each narrator did a great job at breathing life from the pages to the audiobook. Bahni Turpin and William DeMeritt were great at narrating August and Luke's POVs in both timelines. August Lane and Luke Randall had rough childhoods and had unhealthy coping mechanisms, but country music brought them together and centered them. Not gonna lie, I was not sure how Regina Black would write a second-chance romance when Luke became famous and didn't give August credit for writing "Another Love Song." Forgiveness is a major theme and not just for the romance. August deals with feeling abandoned by her famous mother, Jojo Lane, and Luke had dealt with abuse from his mother during childhood. I appreciated getting excerpts of some podcast episodes featuring January LaVoy and Stephanie Cannon's narrations for Jojo Lane's POV. Those transcript excerpts gave more context on August and Jojo's relationship and more insight on having a daughter at 15 years old.

Overall, this romance will not be for everyone. However, if you want to read a second-chance romance featuring older complex, messy characters who love country music, then look no further.

CWs: child abuse, sexual assault (off-page), alcoholism, chronic pain, C-PTSD, panic attacks, drug addiction, dementia (grandparent), pregnancy, abortion

Thank you BookSparks, Regina Black, and Grand Central Publishing for my #gifted finished copy and Hachette Audio for my #gifted listening copy of August Lane! #hachetteaudio #GrandCentralPub #GrandCentralPublishing #SRC2025 #booksparks #AugustLane #ReginaBlack

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: 𝐀𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐞
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐚 𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤
𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬: 𝐁𝐚𝐡𝐧𝐢 𝐓𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐢𝐧, 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐦 𝐃𝐞𝐌𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐭, 𝐉𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐋𝐚𝐕𝐨𝐲, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐩𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐧
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝟐𝟗, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓

August Lane was a beautifully written second chance romance with complex characters but it’s so much more. It was messy with lots of emotions and it’s not a light read. It’s a heavy book that will make you think. It explores race in country music and also all aspects of life, and is done so in such a powerful way. The romance side of this book was good, and I loved August and Luke and their journey. The dual timeline format really worked for me with this book and I loved seeing how everything unfolded between the two timelines. This was definitely not a light rom-com, so don’t read it expecting that, but it was so well-written and I really enjoyed it. I would definitely recommend this one!

🎧The audiobook was narrated by a cast of top notch narrators with Bahni Turpin, William DeMerritt, January LaVoy, and Stephanie Cannon! WOW! Talk about a performance! I loved this cast and I could not stop listening to this one! The emotions that they brought were so perfect and I could not have picked a better cast! If you love audiobooks, this is one you won’t want to miss! Pure perfection!

Posted on Goodreads on July 28, 2025: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/144922955?ref=nav_profile_l
**Posted on Instagram - Full Review- on or around July 29, 2025: http://www.instagram.com/nobookmark_noproblem
**Posted on Amazon on July 29, 2025
**-will post on designated date

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.

Thank you to Hachette Audio for an early listening copy.

Regina Black's sophomore album follows Luke Randall, who's country music career has fizzled, after he couldn't replicate his success from his first song that he hates, "Another Love Song". When Luke is invited to preform at a benefit as his former idol, JoJo Lane, is inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, he has to confront his past and the real person who wrote his popular song. August Lane hates the song that Luke stole from her and resents her best feelings for Luke. The entire time, August has been stuck in her small hometown, and has been avoiding her grief over her grandmother's recent passing, while avoiding her superstar mother.

This book primarily follows Luke and August's rekindling, while Regina Black examines the intricacies of how black artists are undermined in the realm of country music. The audiobook really benefits from having a full cast narration, and each voice actor does a phenomenal job at bringing the characters to life. The end product is perfect for fans of "The Final Revival of Opal" and Nev and "Daisy Jones and the Six".

Thank you to Hachette Audio for the advanced listening copy!

This book comes out tomorrow, and I need you to add it to your TBR. Even better, preorder it today!

When someone asks for audiobook recommendations, this one is going to be at the top of the list. The audio production on this is perfection. Multiple narrators with a production that feels cinematic. It draws you in from the start and the narrators’ voices and inflection inject a level of drama that keeps you invested throughout the entire story.

I loved this book. It emotionally wrecked me but was worth every tear, gut-wrench, and feeling. Flashback chapters and future podcast episodes are interspersed throughout the present-day timeline. The podcast scenes made you feel like you were listening to an actual podcast and it gave you some backstory and helped you get to know one of the characters more.

August Lane is more than a contemporary romance. The characters are messy and flawed. The story is thought-provoking and is confronts the visibility of Black artists in country music. Not only a love story, but it’s also a story that explores family dynamics, coming home again, and confronting the past.

The two main characters, August and Luke broke my heart into a million pieces, but I loved how the author wrapped up their stories.

So many quotes I wanted to capture. The writing style was flawless. Regina Black’s writing draws you in and doesn’t let you go until the final word on the page. The drama, tension, redemption and healing, and the depth of the characters - I need this to be a tv show or movie. I loved this book, and preordered my physical copy immediately after finishing the audio.

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.

The narrators did a lovely job in this full cast audio! The accents they used really made the small town come to life. I especially enjoyed William DeMerritt's performance. His delivery pulled me into the story and made me root for Luke even harder.

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!

With four narrators, this book grabs you from the opening chapter and rarely lets you go. I enjoyed that mixture of having some of the narrators duet with each other and having a specific voice read the perspective of other characters and their own. If you are interested in reading this story, one would not err with selecting this format.

In only two books, Regina Black has made herself an autobuy author for me. She's such a lovely storyteller with a deep understanding of her characters, their journey, and their swoon. Really enjoyed this one!

What a stunning novel, Regina took me on a journey that was both magical and heartfelt. An extraordinary exploration of history, Black country music, love, grief and second chances. I felt every ounce of dedication put into every word. An amazing listen.

August Lane is a really solid second chance, friends-to-lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers romance. The writing was strong and emotional. The audiobook narration and production, particularly the podcast sections, were very well-done. Listening to the book, I struggled to keep the timelines straight but still enjoyed the book a lot.

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.

Regina Black’s August Lane stands out as one of the most memorable reads of the year so far. The audiobook, in particular, elevated the experience with its immersive production. Told through multiple perspectives and timelines—including present-day media snippets reflecting on past events—the narrative structure is both engaging and emotionally resonant. Luke and August are deeply complex, flawed characters who are easy to root for despite their troubled histories. The novel tackles heavy themes like grief, abandonment, child abuse, addiction, and death with remarkable sensitivity and depth. It’s clear that Regina Black is a writer to watch, and I’m eager to explore more of her work.