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Inharmonious
A compelling love story—inspired by the author’s own family history—set in the segregated South during and after World War II, perfect for fans of Kristin Hannah’s The Women and Brit Bennett’s The Vanishing Half.
When three young Black men enlist in the US Army hoping to serve their country with honor, their lives are forever changed.
When Pearl Harbor is attacked in 1941, Cora’s brother, Benny, rushes to enlist against the wishes of Cora and their mother. Able to pass as white due to his pale skin and light eyes, Benny reports for duty only to realize he’s been mistakenly enlisted as a white man in a racially segregated military.
Lee has been friends with Benny ever since he was a troubled teenager, and he’s been sweet on Cora for nearly as long. When Lee enlists without telling Cora, she is heartbroken and feels betrayed by the man she expected to spend the rest of her life with.
Meanwhile, family friend Roscoe, encouraged by Benny, offers to marry Cora in order to ensure that she and her mother—who both remain home—will be provided for should Benny not make it back.
Benny does return, but his new white identity leaves him struggling to find his place in between, in a country that only sees race. As America promises postwar prosperity to white veterans through the GI Bill, Black soldiers are excluded.
While the war may be over, the fight has only just begun for Cora, Lee, Benny, and Roscoe.
When three young Black men enlist in the US Army hoping to serve their country with honor, their lives are forever changed.
When Pearl Harbor is attacked in 1941, Cora’s brother, Benny, rushes to enlist against the wishes of Cora and their mother. Able to pass as white due to his pale skin and light eyes, Benny reports for duty only to realize he’s been mistakenly enlisted as a white man in a racially segregated military.
Lee has been friends with Benny ever since he was a troubled teenager, and he’s been sweet on Cora for nearly as long. When Lee enlists without telling Cora, she is heartbroken and feels betrayed by the man she expected to spend the rest of her life with.
Meanwhile, family friend Roscoe, encouraged by Benny, offers to marry Cora in order to ensure that she and her mother—who both remain home—will be provided for should Benny not make it back.
Benny does return, but his new white identity leaves him struggling to find his place in between, in a country that only sees race. As America promises postwar prosperity to white veterans through the GI Bill, Black soldiers are excluded.
While the war may be over, the fight has only just begun for Cora, Lee, Benny, and Roscoe.
407 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication February 3, 2026
8 people are currently reading
8853 people want to read
About the author
Tammye Huf
4 books116 followersOriginally from the east and west coast of the USA, I have lived in the UK with my husband and three kids for the last twenty years. I love nothing more than to immerse myself into new places and experiences, and I love the way that books allow me to do that, travelling the globe or even back in time with the turn of a page.
Since earning my BA from Wellesley College, I have been a teacher of various ages and abilities as well as a copywriter and a translator. I've had the pleasure of seeing my short stories published in several literary magazines and being named the third-place winner of the London Magazine Short Story Prize 2018.
Since earning my BA from Wellesley College, I have been a teacher of various ages and abilities as well as a copywriter and a translator. I've had the pleasure of seeing my short stories published in several literary magazines and being named the third-place winner of the London Magazine Short Story Prize 2018.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
September 6, 2025
I was thankful to be able to read an ARC of this book from NetGalley and Blackstone publishing. I really liked this book! I definitely agree with the description, that it is a good fit for those that liked the complexity of relationships in Kristin Hannah's book, The Women. The web of family and friendship had me so sad and sometimes hopeful! I really enjoyed meeting Cora, her brother Benny, Lee, and Roscoe. The tangled web of their loves and friendships were a roller coaster! I felt that this story was also a really interesting and new (but historically old!) perspective on "Passing", and the implications that may have carried post WWII. I would definitely recommend!
January 14, 2026
ARC review, all thoughts are my own. Thank you to Black Stone Publishing for offering a copy at a book convention.
If you’re going to read one historical fiction this year, let it be this one.
Refreshing, thoughtful, and soulful World War II story featuring siblings Benny and Cora, who grapple with how to navigate wartime America in the 1940s as Black Americans and fight for their country as well as with it. Benny believes he can show his country he deserves to live there and get equal rights through fighting for it. Cora believes he shouldn't bother because their country wouldn't care if he "lived or died." This all starts after the Pearl Harbor bombing, and the boys (including Jasper, Roscoe, and Lee, three other characters) talk about enlisting, which tears Cora to pieces. Jasper hates the concept of war altogether and ridicules the others for going, but he ends up getting drafted anyway.
This novel debates which is more important from the 1940s Black American: family or country? Does fighting for your country help your family, even if there's no equality in sight? Do you ride the line with your identity and step over it altogether? It offers a beautiful yet devastating discussion on not only racial but gender disparities, how women are treated during wartime, and what they have to sacrifice to feel safe and provided for. While containing romance, it's largely a war and survival story from those who wanted to fight to prove themselves, and could, while the women at home found their way. But only half the story is set during WWII. The other half takes place afterwards, when the men return to segregated buses and water fountains, and how they cope with the strangling realization that home may be more dangerous than abroad.
Not only that, but the character development is subtle as well as beautiful. The battle scenes are gripped with raw truth and tension. It's about dreams coming true while dying at the same time. I was absorbed throughout this entire novel. Well done.
If you’re going to read one historical fiction this year, let it be this one.
Refreshing, thoughtful, and soulful World War II story featuring siblings Benny and Cora, who grapple with how to navigate wartime America in the 1940s as Black Americans and fight for their country as well as with it. Benny believes he can show his country he deserves to live there and get equal rights through fighting for it. Cora believes he shouldn't bother because their country wouldn't care if he "lived or died." This all starts after the Pearl Harbor bombing, and the boys (including Jasper, Roscoe, and Lee, three other characters) talk about enlisting, which tears Cora to pieces. Jasper hates the concept of war altogether and ridicules the others for going, but he ends up getting drafted anyway.
This novel debates which is more important from the 1940s Black American: family or country? Does fighting for your country help your family, even if there's no equality in sight? Do you ride the line with your identity and step over it altogether? It offers a beautiful yet devastating discussion on not only racial but gender disparities, how women are treated during wartime, and what they have to sacrifice to feel safe and provided for. While containing romance, it's largely a war and survival story from those who wanted to fight to prove themselves, and could, while the women at home found their way. But only half the story is set during WWII. The other half takes place afterwards, when the men return to segregated buses and water fountains, and how they cope with the strangling realization that home may be more dangerous than abroad.
Not only that, but the character development is subtle as well as beautiful. The battle scenes are gripped with raw truth and tension. It's about dreams coming true while dying at the same time. I was absorbed throughout this entire novel. Well done.
January 25, 2026
Inharmonious by Tammye Huf
A compelling historical fiction novel set in the segregated South before and after WWII. The novel powerfully examines the racist, segregationist policies and practices of the army and government, as well as the Jim Crow practices of banks and other institutions that flourished during this era. Drawing on her own family history and true stories, Huf crafts a fictionalized narrative of friendship and family tested by the ravages of war, racism and the difficult choices they are forced to make.
The story revolves around four friends and the different ways they experience the war and its aftermath. Benny, who is able to pass as white; Lee, who longs to prove himself; Roscoe who simply wants to do the right thing; and Jasper, who doesn’t believe in fighting for a country that doesn’t believe in him. Alongside them is Cora, the quiet sister that gradually emerges as a force to be reckoned with. Through these characters, readers are given an intimate window into the realities of serving and living in the South. Their anger, frustration, humiliation, shame, longing, grief, pride and resistance are rendered with striking clarity. The multiple POV offer a rich and comprehensive range of experiences and emotional depth, leaving the reader grappling with many of the same feelings.
Huf vividly captures the dehumanizing experiences endured by the Black community during this period, leaving you feeling shattered and furious. At the same time, the novel highlights the deep community spirit and strength, the resilience and the determination to keep fighting for their dignity and rights. The powerful love of family and community that sustains the characters through hardship shines throughout the novel, as does their deep connection to one another and their commitment to true love.
A compelling historical fiction novel set in the segregated South before and after WWII. The novel powerfully examines the racist, segregationist policies and practices of the army and government, as well as the Jim Crow practices of banks and other institutions that flourished during this era. Drawing on her own family history and true stories, Huf crafts a fictionalized narrative of friendship and family tested by the ravages of war, racism and the difficult choices they are forced to make.
The story revolves around four friends and the different ways they experience the war and its aftermath. Benny, who is able to pass as white; Lee, who longs to prove himself; Roscoe who simply wants to do the right thing; and Jasper, who doesn’t believe in fighting for a country that doesn’t believe in him. Alongside them is Cora, the quiet sister that gradually emerges as a force to be reckoned with. Through these characters, readers are given an intimate window into the realities of serving and living in the South. Their anger, frustration, humiliation, shame, longing, grief, pride and resistance are rendered with striking clarity. The multiple POV offer a rich and comprehensive range of experiences and emotional depth, leaving the reader grappling with many of the same feelings.
Huf vividly captures the dehumanizing experiences endured by the Black community during this period, leaving you feeling shattered and furious. At the same time, the novel highlights the deep community spirit and strength, the resilience and the determination to keep fighting for their dignity and rights. The powerful love of family and community that sustains the characters through hardship shines throughout the novel, as does their deep connection to one another and their commitment to true love.
December 11, 2025
Inharmonious by Tammye Huf is a stand out historical fiction novel that I loved reading. In this novel, we follow the lives of a brother (Benny) and sister (Cora), along with three of their friends who all end up enlisting in the US Army after America declares war on Japan following the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941. Prior to enlisting in the war, Benny is able to occasionally pass as white in his hometown, and ends up being accidentally enlisted in the army as a white man. However, Benny and Cora's friends who also enlist in the army (Roscoe, Jasper, and Lee) are forced to endure the brutal treatment that goes with joining the segregated United States army, which treats people of color as second class citizens. Once the men return from the war, their lives are forever changed and they struggle to adjust to a society that refuses to provide help to African American veterans who fought for their country.
The author's prose in the novel is beautiful and immediately draws readers into the story and into the lives of all of the characters in the book. I felt as if I knew the characters personally and truly got a sense of the struggles they were facing throughout the story. I appreciate that the author wrote extensively about so many little known issues that returning African American veterans faced, including being denied access to the benefits of the GI Bill just because of the color of their skin. The historical note at the end of the book also helped to provide context for a lot of the important historical events that the author mentions throughout the novel. I think a lot of people will love and connect with this beautiful story of hope and resilience. I could have read 100 more pages of this book and was sad when the story ended. I am so looking forward to reading more from this author in the future.
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review!
The author's prose in the novel is beautiful and immediately draws readers into the story and into the lives of all of the characters in the book. I felt as if I knew the characters personally and truly got a sense of the struggles they were facing throughout the story. I appreciate that the author wrote extensively about so many little known issues that returning African American veterans faced, including being denied access to the benefits of the GI Bill just because of the color of their skin. The historical note at the end of the book also helped to provide context for a lot of the important historical events that the author mentions throughout the novel. I think a lot of people will love and connect with this beautiful story of hope and resilience. I could have read 100 more pages of this book and was sad when the story ended. I am so looking forward to reading more from this author in the future.
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review!
November 1, 2025
I am not into historical fiction but Inharmonious definitely kept my attention. When I wasn’t reading I thought about the characters. This book several characters: Roscoe, Cora, Benny, Lee and Jasper; each on a journey of finding their way in life! Reading this book not only gave me experience of what times were like and the challenges during segregation but also the bravery of those who fought for rights. It may be curious about those who are white passing if it crossed their minds to take on another identity to live a different life. There was love in this book that no matter how much time passes, when it’s real , it can bring you back together! There were choices made a little too late or a little too soon that made you feel annoyed but you had to see it through. I think a few times I asked the characters “Why?”or asked “Are you for real?”. I was a little sad it ended because I could’ve read 100 more pages. Lol! I love how Mrs. Huf navigated back and forth chapter to chapter, with different characters, and being able to go back and pick up where she left off with their story. I also love how Mrs. Huf researched and used actual facts to create this story; also that it was told using some of her family history! Thank you Net Galley and Blackstone publishing for sending me this ARC to review! I look forward to reading more from Tammye Huf! If you love historical fiction or new to historical fiction, definitely add this on your TBR! #NetGalley #Inharmonious
January 22, 2026
This beautiful story, inspired by the author’s late grandmother and great-uncle, completely took me by surprise. It’s a rich and deeply moving historical novel, and I didn’t expect to learn as much as I did about World War II, especially about what Black people, and Black soldiers in particular, endured during the war and after returning home.
The way these men were treated after fighting for their country made me emotional, angry, and honestly disgusted at times. To see them denied basic rights after such sacrifice was heartbreaking. I became invested in every character, and by the end of the story, I already missed them and enjoyed each POV. It truly felt like I was right there alongside them.
The love story was well done and was a great bonus to the story although I found myself more drawn to the historical and legal elements. Still, I was happy with where each character ended up. This book is especially great for readers who don’t usually enjoy history or historical novels that feel like history textbooks. I really enjoyed it and highly recommend it. If you pick up this book, please read the Historical Note at the end to learn more about events, people, places, etc. that are mentioned in this book.
Huge thank you to BlackStone, Netgalley, and Tammye Huf for the ARC.
The way these men were treated after fighting for their country made me emotional, angry, and honestly disgusted at times. To see them denied basic rights after such sacrifice was heartbreaking. I became invested in every character, and by the end of the story, I already missed them and enjoyed each POV. It truly felt like I was right there alongside them.
The love story was well done and was a great bonus to the story although I found myself more drawn to the historical and legal elements. Still, I was happy with where each character ended up. This book is especially great for readers who don’t usually enjoy history or historical novels that feel like history textbooks. I really enjoyed it and highly recommend it. If you pick up this book, please read the Historical Note at the end to learn more about events, people, places, etc. that are mentioned in this book.
Huge thank you to BlackStone, Netgalley, and Tammye Huf for the ARC.
January 2, 2026
Right, wrong or just indifferent! The 5 characters are all connected through their youth with a bond so tight but then the war had made them so different. Bennys true identity was stripped from him when he enlisted as a negro but to the eye he was a white man, he continued that lie primarily out of survival and never let it go. He was a good son, brother and friend but he chose himself over his family. We learn through their story the struggles black people endured just because of who they were. Roscoe was a perfect example of the Negro man trying his best but getting knocked down at every opportunity he tried to take. Becoming angry, abuse and just misunderstood he looked like the villain in this story but he was simply a product of his circumstances and the mental strain he dealt with post war as a black man in the south. Jasper was the glue to the friendships but he like so many lost their life at war, the friends often reflected on their memory of him. Cora and Lee, teenage love but forbidden love. Lee wanted to prove himself but Cora was to afraid to disappoint her family, so enlisting was his solution. Their story of love will give anyone hope and desire to follow their hearts.
February 3, 2026
LOVED LOVED LOVED!!
This story takes us through the complexities of five lives during segregation in Florida and after World War II. Four friends Benny, Lee, Roscoe decides to enlist (voluntarily) and Jasper is drafted.
Their story shows the complexities of joining at the time of segregation, from the Pearl Harbor Attack to post war-era. They also take us through the complexities of navigating as a black soldier, the ability to "pass" while in War and also in Florida, past and present relationships back home. The hardship of coming back home and trying to be recognized for the heroes you are and reap the benefits of whats owed to you was a hard take.
A great story on the resilience that Black Americans had to go through and still do. This story deals with military, racism, resiliance and perseverance. A story of friendship, sibling love, family, first love and second chance romance.
Benny- uggh when he came back home his decision tore me to pieces.
Roscoe-man
Jasper-tears
Cora-My Girl
Lee- love love love
Thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing
This story takes us through the complexities of five lives during segregation in Florida and after World War II. Four friends Benny, Lee, Roscoe decides to enlist (voluntarily) and Jasper is drafted.
Their story shows the complexities of joining at the time of segregation, from the Pearl Harbor Attack to post war-era. They also take us through the complexities of navigating as a black soldier, the ability to "pass" while in War and also in Florida, past and present relationships back home. The hardship of coming back home and trying to be recognized for the heroes you are and reap the benefits of whats owed to you was a hard take.
A great story on the resilience that Black Americans had to go through and still do. This story deals with military, racism, resiliance and perseverance. A story of friendship, sibling love, family, first love and second chance romance.
Benny- uggh when he came back home his decision tore me to pieces.
Roscoe-man
Jasper-tears
Cora-My Girl
Lee- love love love
Thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing
January 30, 2026
📚Historical fiction review
This, my friends, was my first experience with a true historical fiction novel that is set in the segregated South during and after World War II.
Perfect for fans of Kristin Hannah.
My heart is swollen from all the things I learned about what it was like to be black in America in the 40’s. America would let a black man die for his country, but not have a care in the world elsewhere. This book had me in tears Y’ALL! I started this book last night at 11:30 and just now finished.
Inharmonious is an important story that was inspired by the author’s late grandmother, her brother, and her great uncle. Tammye Huf, I am so grateful to have had your novel as my first true experience with historical fiction set during the war.
All of you historical fiction lovers MUST READ THIS BOOK. It’s gut-wrenching, heartbreaking, informative, and all of the things. This is nothing less than a beautiful
5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Pub date - 2/3/26
This, my friends, was my first experience with a true historical fiction novel that is set in the segregated South during and after World War II.
Perfect for fans of Kristin Hannah.
My heart is swollen from all the things I learned about what it was like to be black in America in the 40’s. America would let a black man die for his country, but not have a care in the world elsewhere. This book had me in tears Y’ALL! I started this book last night at 11:30 and just now finished.
Inharmonious is an important story that was inspired by the author’s late grandmother, her brother, and her great uncle. Tammye Huf, I am so grateful to have had your novel as my first true experience with historical fiction set during the war.
All of you historical fiction lovers MUST READ THIS BOOK. It’s gut-wrenching, heartbreaking, informative, and all of the things. This is nothing less than a beautiful
5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Pub date - 2/3/26
January 23, 2026
A beautiful historical fiction love story. It takes place in the South at the height of WW2. It was such a different story from "typical" WW2 historical fiction in that it focused on segregation in the military and the challenges the soldiers faced, and the home-front dynamics of the family members left behind while their men (and some women) went off to train or to war.
I thought Cora was an incredibly strong character and appreciated the emotional breadth and depth of this story!
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for access to this eARC.
I thought Cora was an incredibly strong character and appreciated the emotional breadth and depth of this story!
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for access to this eARC.
February 2, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!
I don't usually reach for a ton of historical fiction, but I notice that I've been reading a lot of historical fiction ARCs that have been really good - including this one! I saw that another reviewer compared Tammye Huf's style of writing and characters to Kristin Hannah and I would have to agree. This book is a lot different from your typical WW2 story in that it discusses themes around marriage of convenience, passing, and what it was like for Black soldiers after coming home from WW2. Really, really good read!
I don't usually reach for a ton of historical fiction, but I notice that I've been reading a lot of historical fiction ARCs that have been really good - including this one! I saw that another reviewer compared Tammye Huf's style of writing and characters to Kristin Hannah and I would have to agree. This book is a lot different from your typical WW2 story in that it discusses themes around marriage of convenience, passing, and what it was like for Black soldiers after coming home from WW2. Really, really good read!
September 21, 2025
Inharmonious by Tammye Huf is such a powerful read. Following Benny, Cora, Roscoe, and Lee through WWII in segregated Florida was both heartbreaking and hopeful. The characters felt so real, and I loved seeing how they grew throughout the story.
Five stars from me. Thank you NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Five stars from me. Thank you NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
November 16, 2025
She's done it again!
Tammye's ability to create vibrant characters leading lives that we can relate to today, yet set in rigorously researched and lovingly brought to life historical settings is clearly her strength and gift.
A fitting follow up to her debut novel A More Perfect Union and a read worth sharing with everyone.
More please, Tammye!
Tammye's ability to create vibrant characters leading lives that we can relate to today, yet set in rigorously researched and lovingly brought to life historical settings is clearly her strength and gift.
A fitting follow up to her debut novel A More Perfect Union and a read worth sharing with everyone.
More please, Tammye!
November 27, 2025
Compelling tale about living in segregated Southern America during WWII. The characters were well drawn and I enjoyed spending time with them. The war tales weren't as interesting to me as those of the ones left behind.
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
November 16, 2025
Can’t wait to read Tammye’s latest book- 🫶🏽Her books are a real inspiration!!
November 16, 2025
Brilliant read. Absolutely loved it!
November 16, 2025
Such a beautiful story! Couldn’t put it down
November 16, 2025
Amazing novel, Sometimes I feel like we’re moving backwards in race relations. The WW2 part is absolutely riveting!!
November 17, 2025
A fantastic read and beautifully written!
November 18, 2025
‘Inharmonious’ is completely captivating from start to finish. Such a brilliantly vibrant story, I couldn’t put it down!
January 24, 2026
compelling and powerful book with some impressive plotting and absolutely gripping story. would recommend. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
It's 1941 in Mangrove Bay, Florida. Life in the segregated south for Black Americans is severely restricted and has impacted the lives of a group of close friends: Benny, Roscoe, and Lee. When the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor, they all want to serve their country and enlist. Benny's sister, Cora, is fearful for her brother and heartbroken at the thought of being separated from Lee, the man she loves but has kept their relationship secret. They discover that segregation was also present in the Army, with Black troops seldom reaching the battlefields. But with his light skin and eyes, Benny is mistakenly classified as white and assigned to a unit where he has to hide his true identity. After the war, the men return home to face new forms of inequality and discrimination.
Author Tammye Huf drew inspiration for Inharmonious from her grandmother and great uncle. This is a profoundly moving story that will also infuriate. The racial injustices depicted are presented with intense realism and pain. Yet Huf's richly developed characters find inner strength to persevere. Similar to other challenging aspects of modern history, these stories need to be told and discussed. This well-researched, powerful book is highly recommended.
Many thanks to Blackstone Publishing for the advance.
4.5 stars.
Review posted on MicheleReader.com.
Author Tammye Huf drew inspiration for Inharmonious from her grandmother and great uncle. This is a profoundly moving story that will also infuriate. The racial injustices depicted are presented with intense realism and pain. Yet Huf's richly developed characters find inner strength to persevere. Similar to other challenging aspects of modern history, these stories need to be told and discussed. This well-researched, powerful book is highly recommended.
Many thanks to Blackstone Publishing for the advance.
4.5 stars.
Review posted on MicheleReader.com.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews