I thought at first this would be a cute exploration of identity, but there was a lot going on, and it was a lot more emotional than I originally expected.

I think the representation is done very well, but the plot just didn't vibe with me. I didn't really understand what was going on, and while I liked the main characters, I didn't really care much about the other characters, and the general population of the town.

Personally, I didn't enjoy this book all that much because of the plot, but it was a good pastime!

To quote Maddy Perez from Euphoria… “Wait. Is this f***ing play about us?”

Town & Country weaved so many gay tropes and characteristics into one seamless novel that you weren’t sure where it was headed but it felt comfortable and I loved it. I felt represented and saw so many of my friends in the story that it felt like snippets were pulled directly from reality.

It was a reminder, during a time of significant strife, that you should never judge a book by its cover. You never know who will save your life, be your caterer, or be in your corner when you need them most. It was a big gay hug.

Overall a good book, though a bit slow. Hard to get into, it didn’t really grip me as there’s so much clutter in the beginning and it took a bit to sort out who was who and what was going on.

I received an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) of this novel via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review on Goodreads. The book is set for release in November 2025, and I’m beyond thrilled to have had the opportunity to read this debut work from an exciting new author.

Set over the course of six months, this novel centers around a congressional election in a small, rural town. The two candidates are polar opposites in their worldviews, yet both (along with the richly developed other characters) are desperately seeking acceptance within their community. This dynamic creates a compelling narrative that is as deeply personal as it is politically charged.

Every so often, you come across a book that is not only bold and thought-provoking but also impossible to stop thinking about. This is one of those books. The months leading up to its November release will feel like an eternity as I eagerly anticipate seeing it in the hands of other readers and discussing it further. In the meantime, I’ll be recommending it to book clubs and can’t wait to hear others' thoughts on the novel’s powerful themes.

This book is one that will linger in your mind long after the final page is turned. A brilliant debut that deserves attention.

Honestly, I don't know how I feel about this book. It is filled with likable characters, all of them with serious character flaws. It is has a background story of a political campaign that threads through the book, but not the main idea. It is a story of gentrification, except not between black and white people. And at times the plot moves slowly that I wanted to fast forward if I could, at other times I felt I could have used more information about an incident or what a character is thinking. And I was just at the point that I was accepting how everything was coming together at the end of the story--and then it ended and I wanted to scream!! However, I do think it was a foray into the gay community and definitely did have a point about what they went through during the AIDS crisis, but I'm not sure that is the reason that this story occurs. I think I was expecting something different from this book and maybe that is why I am so torn about it.

A congressional race in a rural district pits the local Rileys against the new-to-town Bankses. As the summer ramps up with campaigning, the small town of Griffin must confront their loyalties to themselves, their families, and their neighbors.

Despite the description, I expected this book to be a rather light-hearted summer read with some hard insights around sexuality and drug use thrown in for spice. Instead, this book was almost the opposite, and it was all the better for it. Town & Country delves unflinchingly and unabashedly into the difficult conversations. Characters are forced to confront their prejudices and asked to examine what matters most to them.

Brian Schaefer does an excellent job in creating and developing characters that are both deeply flawed but sympathetic. As someone who lives in a small town as identifies on the LGBT spectrum, I expected to be turned off by the Rileys and their platform, and while they make so many mistakes, Schaefer created real, tangible characters. They’re exactly like the people I pass in the grocery store or at the farmer’s market or the local restaurant. They’re people with staunch opinions that are also trying to be more open-minded even if they don’t always go about it the right way. My ability to both dislike them but also see them in my own neighbors just means that Schaefer brought to life incredibly real people on the page. They’re not caricatures, and each of them is just trying to do the best for themselves.

This book contains a vast array of characters from all corners of the town, and while I found the quick switching between them confusing in the beginning, once they become more their own people, it was much easier to keep them straight. I would almost say there are too many perspective switches but each of their stories are important to the overall narrative and message of Town & Country.

And this book has so many messages. While clashes over local vs outsider and heterosexuality vs homosexuality are two of the major players in this book, there’s also deep conversation surrounding loneliness, grief, and drug use as well. Neighbors are asked to confront their prejudices and grapple with how to be true to both themselves, their beliefs, and one another.

This book has so many dynamic messaging, and Schaefer does a fantastic job juggling all the conversations, intertwining them to create the fabric that makes up the social patchwork of Griffin. In particular, giving different voices and opinions to each of the issues makes the book come to life in a way that is real and tangible.

Colum McCann called Town & Country a “powerful and extremely well-written book,” and I couldn’t agree with him more.

Town & Country is a sharply observed, emotionally layered debut that captures the messy, beautiful tensions of a town caught between old roots and new ambitions. Brian Schaefer’s portrait of Griffin—a rural community disrupted by a high-stakes congressional race—feels both timely and timeless, with its cast of flawed, deeply human characters navigating grief, identity, class, and belonging. Told through multiple points of view, the novel gracefully balances politics with personal stakes. Chip and Diane Riley’s unraveling family life contrasts poignantly with Paul and Stan Banks’s high-gloss campaign and strained marriage, while a circle of gay second homeowners adds texture and wit to the narrative. Schaefer has a gift for writing people as they are—contradictory, vulnerable, and trying their best in a world that keeps shifting. It’s a novel about how place shapes people, and how people, in turn, try to shape place—often imperfectly. Moving, honest, and full of quiet revelations,

Town & Country was a topical, deeply personal dive into the humanity behind the conflict of politics, community, and identity. With its wide cast of complex characters, this painted a very realistic, complex portrait of what real communities face every day.

The small town of Griffin is coming upon an election, a contested congressional race is a notoriously purple district. On one side, Chip Riley is running. Married to his high school sweetheart and with his two boys, and owner of the local pub he's the face of Griffin. But he's not a shoe-in by any means. With his rocky political decisions, one of his sons being gay and the other struggling with addiction, his own house is in all sorts of disarray. Not to mention his god fearing wife is a popular real estate agent who is personally driving gentrification in the area, essentially funding her husband's opponent's movement. Paul is a young, handsome rising star in the political space. Having recently bought his second home in Griffin with his (much) older husband Stan, he is excited to drive the change in this district. With lofty dreams and a deep, deep belief in fostering community, he cares about this town-- and bringing his own community to help him. Surrounding each of these candidates is a cast of characters who fall on one side or the other. Will is Chip's gay son, struggling with his devotion to his own family who is so quick to cast him aside and with Paul and his dazzling group of gay friends who have recently bought second homes in town, and are eager to draw Will into their friend group. Diane, chip's wife, struggles with the dissonance between selling to men.. like that.. and her husband's fight against rising house prices. Stan needs Paul to get his head into the election and out of the next scantily clad pool party they're going to be hosting. But he can't help holding onto animosity for how people just like the ones in this small town cast his community to the side during the AIDS crisis. Eric, friend of Paul's and transplant to Griffin finds an embrace in the local community and begins to find his friend group exhausting. Leon, an aged gay man, ejected from his former social group, struggles to find a new community with a younger gay community who is hesitant to receive him. Joe is struggling with his addiction, his alienation from his campaigning family, and the death of his best friend. All of these stories weave together into a rich tapestry of community plagued with partisan politics, and as the election draws closer, who knows who will win, and what relationships will survive.

So what I thought this would be walking into is was a story that was deeply political, and some grand commentary about politics in the modern day. And while that's not necessarily NOT what this book is about, it makes sure to focus on community. Not even just community based politics, but rather this is a story ABOUT a community that happens to be set during a local election, and I think that's what really made it hit home for me. Each person, whether we followed them or they were a side character, was so flawed and complicated and integrated into the story, it was really well done.

Will's manager at the catering job is also his brother's friend and shit talks about Will to his brother. The bartender at the local bar also comes over for family dinner with the Riley's, and Diane has to secure temporary housing for her because rent prices are driving her out. Eric's husband is also a decorator for Paul and Stan, and manages their campaign events. It just felt like a living, breathing community.

Now even though I'm praising this for having complex characters, I can see other's criticizing the character work for being a bit too... hot and cold. Every character isn't so much as "gray" as they are "black and white". They do decidedly good things or they do decidedly bad things, and it varies from chapter to chapter, perspective to perspective. But I appreciated it, I thought it did a good job at making me feel REALLY complicated towards everyone in the book.

I also really like how we don't really get any perspective from Chip or Paul, our two candidates. We only get the thoughts, feelings, and actions of the people directly surrounding them, which is really how politics works.

Despite a slow start, this really ended up being a fantastic story. Despite it being very much "of the moment," I think there are some lasting lessons to be taken from this.

Town & Country is a layered and thoughtful debut that captures the unease of shifting identities—personal, political, and geographic. While its cast of characters sometimes outpaces its emotional depth, there’s enough intrigue and atmosphere to keep it moving.

In the rural town of Griffin, a congressional race stirs tensions between long-time residents and newcomers, as political loyalties and personal struggles come to the forefront. As families grapple with loss, identity, and changing allegiances, *Town & Country* offers a poignant exploration of community, belonging, and the complexities of home.

I loved the writing style and cadence of this book. I really enjoyed the relationships and the characters themselves. I could picture everyone and the scenery of the town as well. I would have loved to have read more about Eric and Dalton's relationship specifically, as they were my favorite characters and their love story was unique. My only criticism was that I didn't have closure at the end. I wanted to know who won the election, I wanted to know what happened with the relationships. I also wanted to know who stayed in Griffin and who didn't. This is like the ending of the Sopranos for me, lol, I need more!

I’m a bit disappointed because I genuinely wanted to enjoy this novel. The premise was intriguing, and I thought it would be a nice escape to learn the perspectives of these captivating characters.

However, the issue arises from the sheer number of characters, which made it difficult to become fully invested in any of them. The constant switching between characters became confusing and distracting, hindering my engagement with the plot. While there were a few storylines that I found enjoyable (particularly Dalton’s), I believe that this book could have been more enjoyable if it had focused on a few strong characters rather than attempting to follow all of the storylines simultaneously.

This book was just okay for me. I probably wouldn’t recommend it to a friend. It seemed to drag on. Maybe it was just too far out of my usual reading preferences.

Town & Country took me a little while to get into—the writing jumps between a lot of characters early on, and it was a bit hard to follow at first. But once I got the hang of it, I really enjoyed it. The small-town setting felt so real, and the story showed both the tension and connection between longtime locals and new arrivals. I especially loved the storyline between Eric and Dalton—it was quiet but really moving. This book stuck with me, and I think anyone from a small town or interested in local politics would get a lot out of it.

The town of Griffin, in upstate New York, is an increasingly popular destination for vacation homes. This has been a boon for Griffin’s economy, but it has also created resentment among the town’s long-time residents. The tension is most clearly manifested in the upcoming congressional race, which pits town supervisor Chip Riley, a longtime business owner and familiar figure around town, against Paul Banks, a new arrival whose campaign is being bankrolled by his wealthy husband.

As campaign seasons wears on, from Memorial Day through November, it turns out that Chip and Paul have more connections to each other than first appeared. And they, their families, and their friends are each struggling with their pasts and the challenges of their current circumstances.

This is an insightful and well-written story about what makes a home and what we owe our families. It thoughtfully explores identity from many angles, from the town of Griffin to those of all ages figuring how where and how they fit in.

Highly recommended!

“Town & Country” tells the story of an election taking place in Griffin - a quaint, small town which has recently become popular with a group of men the locals refer to as "the duffels" - men who have come from the city to purchase vacation homes. The candidates are a local business man and one of the newcomers. The story follows not only the candidates, but many of their friends and family members. Tension between the locals and the duffels makes for interesting political and social commentary. The combination of humor, drama, and coming-of-age made this a book I really enjoyed reading.

This book follows a group of characters in Griffin, a town in upstate New York. Some of the group are recent transplants from the city who use the area as an escape from city life and the others are life long full-time residents.

A lot of important topics are touch on throughout the story- opioid epidemic, overdoses, LGBTQ+ rights, religion, etc.

The plot of this was interesting and it unfolding around a political race that highlighted each group was unique but there were so many characters introduced that it became hard to distinguish amongst them quickly and I found myself mixing up a few.

I ultimately enjoyed the author’s writing, the plot, and characters but the ending fell flat- I felt the death of Gerry was not only unexpected but particularly unnecessary. It also was unsatisfying to never learn the outcome of the congressional race.

Think Jane Austen with a dash of *Queer as Folk* and a whole lot of side-eye. The townsfolk are a delightful (and occasionally terrifying) bunch, each with their own carefully constructed facades and hidden desires. The internal monologues alone are worth the price of admission – a constant stream of witty observations and relatable anxieties.

The romantic possibilities are as tangled as a poorly pruned rose bush, with enough yearning glances and accidental hand-holding to make even the most cynical heart flutter (a little). Shaffer has a knack for creating characters you simultaneously want to hug and interrogate over a strong cocktail. The small-town setting, while picturesque, feels like a pressure cooker of unspoken feelings and simmering resentments.

While the pace occasionally ambles like a Sunday afternoon stroll (perhaps a *tad* too leisurely at times), the payoff is a satisfyingly nuanced exploration of community, connection, and the universal human experience of figuring out who you are and who you want to hold hands with.

**Huge thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. This book was the perfect witty companion for my own, thankfully less dramatic, weekend.** If you enjoy your small-town stories with a generous helping of queer charm and a side of sharp wit, then pack your bags and head to *Town & Country*. Just be prepared for a few unexpected detours on the road to happily ever after.

The publisher compares Brian Schaeffer to Fredrik Backman, and I can see why. Both writers introduce a large number of main characters at a rapid pace, making the first 20–30% of the story hard to follow. Add in the head-jumping, which I’m usually not a fan of but feels natural with both authors, along with a small village setting where tensions run high between people, and it’s easy to draw the comparison, especially to Backman’s Beartown series.

I struggled through the first quarter, but once I got up to speed, I began to appreciate the contrasts between all the characters. The story paints such a clear picture of a small town in a swing state, highlighting the minor differences that ultimately shape people's political choices.

Town & Country introduces a large cast of characters, from the mostly white, cheating, rich gay men buying the biggest houses as summer retreats and hosting pool parties in their tiny bathing suits, to Griffin’s mostly white original residents: Diana, a real estate agent raised by progressive parents who turned to the church as an adult; her husband, who owns the local pub and is now running for Congress; and their children, one a drug addict, the other recently out as gay.

I was most drawn to the storyline between Eric and Dalton. Eric is part of the gay clique but starts to like the quietness of the village, while Dalton is a young gay farmer living with his dad, and they’re barely getting by.

While reading, the current situation in the US was constantly in the back of my mind. Something just gnaws at me each time I see that man on television or online, and I hate the polarization. This book shows the struggles of real people, and I admire the way Brian Schaeffer depicts flawed characters. Eric and Dalton both picture the differences between the two groups so clearly and also show that those differences might not be that big after all.

Actual rating 4.5 stars

This was a 3.5 or so for me, rounded up to a 4.

The book was definitely slow to start, as it introduced several characters. It was also a bit too keep up but after a bit of getting into the story, I was able to start piecing the network of characters and how they all relate to one another. I encourage you to keep reading as you start getting into the stories and even this fictional campaign.

I enjoyed how the author brought up several social issues and interwove it within an election (gay identity, overdose/drugs, rural issues, gentrification, suicide, etc). You see characters who are caught up between party lines and between themselves as they are figuring out their identity and place in the community.

I felt some characters and stories/issues were introduced but ended up not being fleshed out. And, we never know who wins the election. The ending was intended to be heartwarming, but also leaves many questions for several characters in mind.

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.