AUGUST LANE is country music in book form. The book is divided into sections of a song (verse, chorus, bridge, etc.). It incorporates common themes of the genre, such as regret, small towns, going home, and second chances. It's also written in the characters' voices and shaped by their take on the world. The songs below are just a small sample of the music that helped me bring August and Luke to life.
"Snowden's Jig" by the Carolina Chocolate Drops
Instrumental
This is the first track on my playlist and on the Carolina Chocolate Drops' Genuine Negro Jig album. That album was the first time I'd ever listened to music by a Black bluegrass band. I love that it's technically a jig, the type of song we usually associate with lively parties and dancing, but has a somber, soulful tone that gives it gravitas. It makes me think about how the romance genre, typically associated with light escapism, can also have depth and weight. There's so much culture and history in this simple track, and it does a beautiful job of evoking the book's mood.
"Sorrys Don't Work No More" by Brittney Spencer
Favorite Line: You still look at me the same / But I can't bring my guilty lips to say / That it hurts me / To know you trusted me
The title of this song sums up Luke Randall's character to me. He's a down-on-his-luck Black country singer whose biggest hit is based on his biggest regret. He's also a people-pleaser stuck in survival mode, which means he's constantly apologizing to everyone around him. August tells him that Sorry is his favorite bandage, which makes the same argument as the song. At some point, the words lose their meaning, and only taking meaningful action will heal the harm he’s caused.
"Dumb Luck" by The War and Treaty
Favorite Line: It was all dumb luck / Every penny, every breath I took / Gotta take off those white gloves / You got your reasons / I got my dumb luck
I played The War and Treaty on repeat while I was writing this book. They're a married Black country duo who have two of the best voices in country music. This song evoked the mix of gospel, blues, and country I wanted people to imagine when they read about August and Luke singing together. I also love how the chorus touches on the whims of fate, particularly in the music industry, and how they survived against the odds. That sums up Luke and August's journey toward their happy ending.
"A Song for You" by Donny Hathaway
Favorite Line: And if my words don't come together / Listen to the melody / 'Cause my love is in there hiding
This is probably the most romantic song about songwriting in existence. It was another one I listened to when I wanted to be in Luke's head, particularly when he was thinking about August. One of my favorite lines from the book is “All he had was emotion, big feelings he captured in melodies. August was his transcriptionist, trying to craft verses strong enough to contain them.”
Music is a love language between these two. That's exactly what this song sounds like. A man who can only articulate his love through notes.
"SWEET HONEY BUCKIIN'" by Beyoncé and Shaboozey
Favorite Line: It don't matter what nobody says / Country boy 'til the day that I'm dead
I couldn't end this playlist without a Cowboy Carter track. This is the perfect song to sum up August Lane. It starts with a sample of "I Fall to Pieces" by Patsy Cline, the ultimate broken-hearted, second-chance country anthem. Then it shifts to Shaboozey claiming his country roots, which makes the song feel like an anthem for Black country singers and fans. At its heart, it's a song about going home, which is a major theme in the book. Luke returns to his hometown, but August also returns to her roots by reclaiming her voice and her dream of being a country singer. They both find a home in each other.
Narrator: January LaVoy, William DeMerritt, Bahni Turpin
A New York Times Notable Book
Every Thursday night, former country music heartthrob Luke Randall has to sing “Another Love Song.” God, he hates that song. But performing his lone hit at an interstate motel lounge is the only regular money he still has. Following another lackluster performance at the rock bottom of his career, Luke receives the opportunity of his dreams, opening for his childhood idol—90’s era Black country music star, JoJo Lane, who’s being inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. But the concert is in Arcadia, Arkansas, the small hometown he swore he’d never see again. Going back means facing a painful past of abuse and neglect. It also means facing JoJo’s daughter, August Lane—the woman who wrote the lyrics he’s always claimed as his own.
August also hates that song. But she hates Luke Randall even more. When he shows up ten years too late to apologize for his betrayal, she isn’t interested in making amends. Instead, she threatens to expose his lies unless he co-writes a new song with her and performs it at the concert, something she hopes will launch her out of her mother's shadow and into a songwriting career of her own. Desperate to keep his secret, Luke agrees to put on the rogue performance, despite the risk of losing his shot at a new record deal.
When Luke’s guitar reunites with August’s soulful alto, neither can deny that the passionate bond they formed as teenagers is still there. As the concert nears, August will have to choose between an overdue public reckoning with the boy who betrayed her, or trusting the man he’s become to write a different love song.
An instant USA Today bestseller
An NPR 2025 Book We Love
A New York Times Notable Book of 2025
A Book Riot Best Book of 2025
A Publishers Weekly Best Romance Book of 2025
A Chicago Public Library 2025 Must-Read Romance
Women's Fiction | Multicultural African-American | Romance Multicultural [ Grand Central Publishing, On Sale: May 5, 2026, Trade Paperback / e-Book / audiobook, ISBN: 9781538767535 / eISBN: 9781538767542 ]
Regina Black is a former civil litigator, current law school administrator, and lifelong romance reader who has always been passionate about the depiction of Black women in popular culture. She currently resides in the southeastern United States with her husband and daughter.
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