With Love from Harlem

I love books that shine a light on historical figures, perhaps especially so when it’s someone I know little about. This led me to ReShonda Tate‘s new novel, With Love from Harlem, about the jazz and classical pianist, Hazel Scott. Between 1943 and 1960, we get to see the ups and downs in Hazel’s music and acting career, marriage to an outspoken politician, and personal political activism for equal racial rights.

What I Liked:

• Getting to know a musician I wasn’t familiar with. I’ll admit, I didn’t really know anything about Hazel Scott, but I loved learning about her in With Love from Harlem. What a talented and inspiring woman she was! This novel shows her career successes and struggles, but despite each hurdle, she always comes back stronger. I enjoyed seeing how Hazel used her platform for good, particularly for racial rights.
• Political activism. Hazel is not a woman who’s afraid to speak her mind or stand up to injustice. From stalling film production until Black actors are given accurate costumes, to walking out on a segregated concert, to advocating for Harlem’s safety, she used her power to lift up Black people in a racist society. Hazel also has a (misguided) relationship with a local politician… and while he may have been important as a Congressman, he was a walking red flag in romance! He made me so angry, honestly. Hazel’s marriage to him wasn’t so fun to read about, but I did like seeing her political activism, with or without him.
• Seeing other famous figures: Billie Holiday, James Baldwin, Langston Hughes, Nina Simone, and Quincey Jones all make an appearance here, especially Lady Day. Hazel Scott was influential in the 1940s and 1950s, but it was also exciting to see how her life intersected with other famous (or soon-to-be famous!) musicians and writers.

Audiobook:

Lynnette R. Freeman does a fabulous job of narrating With Love from Harlem. She gives characters subtly different talking styles, making each distinct and vivid throughout the book. I enjoyed this novel so much more in this audio format.

Final Thoughts

With Love from Harlem is such a powerful novel! It’s inspiring and eye-opening, but it can also be heartbreaking at times, too. I enjoyed getting to know Hazel Scott and seeing her place in history. I look forward to reading more from ReShonda Tate, as well as more books about historical figures in music.

Special thanks to William Morrow, HarperAudio Adult, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book!

Get the Book

You can buy With Love from Harlem here – it’s available as a paperback, ebook, and audiobook.

With Love from Harlem by ReShonda Tate
Audiobook Narrator	Lynnette R. Freeman
Audience	Adult
Genre	Historical Fiction; Women’s Fiction
Setting	New York; Trinidad & Tobago; France
Number of Pages	416
Format I Read	Audiobook & Ebook (NetGalley ARCs)
Original Publication Date	January 27, 2026
Publisher	William Morrow Paperbacks

Official Summary

“Tate blends fact and fiction with elegance…A captivating, emotionally resonant portrait of a singular woman who refused to be diminished.” — LIBRARY JOURNAL

“Tate has a rare gift for storytelling that strikes straight to the heart.” — SADEQA JOHNSON, New York Times bestselling author of Keeper of Lost Children

From The Queen of Sugar Hill author ReShonda Tate—a new novel inspired by beloved Harlem jazz performer Hazel Scott and the equal parts exhilarating and tumultuous relationship that changed the course of her life.

Harlem, 1943. At just twenty-three, Hazel Scott is a woman on fire. A jazz prodigy, a glamorous film star, and a fierce advocate for civil rights, she’s breaking barriers and refusing to play by the rules. Then Adam Clayton Powell Jr. walks into her life. Harlem’s most electrifying preacher-turned-politician, Adam is as bold and unyielding as Hazel—charismatic, powerful…and married.
This kicks off a decades-long relationship that propels them into the center of a political and cultural revolution. As Hazel’s star rises, Adam takes the national stage in Congress and the couple becomes the toast of the country. But when their affair turns into a marriage, behind the glamorous façade is a battlefield of ego, ambition, and sacrifice. Forced to choose between her music and her family, Hazel must decide what she’s willing to lose—and what she refuses to give up.
Set against the pulsing backdrop of twentieth-century Harlem and featuring icons like Billie Holiday, Langston Hughes, and James Baldwin, With Love from Harlem is a sweeping, emotionally charged romantic drama, rich with historical detail. ReShonda Tate delivers a powerful portrait of love, art, and the price of being unforgettable.

“[A] vivid and compelling picture of the life of this singular woman.” — MARIE BENEDICT, New York Times bestselling author of The Queens of Crime