WHAT HAPPENED TO THE McCRAYS?
by TRACEY LANGE

This is appoint story about the resilience of family, the importance of community and the magic of middle school hockey .

This novel takes an intimate look at both sides of the failed marriage, and two people who must finally confront the awful pain of their past or risk being consumed by it .

These characters are so believable as the story deals with heartbreak and loss. It is very sad in parts.

I love her writing, and this is the second book by this author I have read .

She will probably be an autobuy author for me in the future .

This was published January 13, 2025, so it is available now .

Wow. What an incredible story Tracey Lange has written about the power of grief and community. This is a must read. I laughed and cried my way through this book. I definitely couldn’t read it in one sitting as I needed to take time to let the emotions really sink in. It was quite a journey reading this book. The characters were so real and full of raw emotion, believable enough that you could walk into the book yourself. Finishing this book today, I reflected on how thankful I am for my own support network and community.

The healing process through grief looks different for everyone and this book really delved into how it can look for these great characters. Some people need their community to support them, but also to support their community as a way to cope. Some people retreat while others throw themselves into staying as busy as possible. I loved the journeys each character took to heal and come out on the other side, recognizing it’s a process. Tracey Lange is masterful at her character development in this way.

Tracey Lange delivers another emotionally gripping tale with What Happened to the McCrays, a sweeping story of forgiveness, family bonds, and the hidden scars of the past. Known for her knack for richly drawn characters and small-town dynamics, Lange once again immerses readers in a world where the setting itself feels alive—both comforting and unforgiving.

Set in a tight-knit community where secrets are currency, the novel follows the McCray family as they grapple with a tragedy that shattered their lives decades earlier. When an unexpected event brings old wounds to the surface, the family must confront the ghosts of their past and decide whether they can rebuild what was lost.

Lange’s ability to craft complex characters shines in this poignant narrative. Each member of the McCray family is vividly drawn, their struggles raw and relatable. The small-town setting becomes a character of its own, amplifying the tension with its unyielding judgment while offering moments of solace and redemption.

This is a story about the weight of family legacies, the long road to forgiveness, and the resilience of the human spirit. Fans of The Connellys of County Down will find much to love here, as Lange continues to prove her mastery of heartfelt, nuanced storytelling. What Happened to the McCrays will leave readers both heartbroken and hopeful—a testament to the power of healing and second chances.

I think this may be Tracey’s best story yet. Emotional and intense, it follows her prior novels of intense family dramas. The grief in this one was palpable as we learn Kyle & Casey’s story.. what brought them together and tore them apart. I enjoyed the dual POV, as well as “then” and “now”. I loved Wyatt, the loyalty of their dog, and the additional characters (Dad, Mateo, to name a few). I loved the meaning of Kyle’s tattoos, and the focus on mental health and navigating the bad times just as much as good. Will’s role in this book was heartwarming and such a special touch.

Side note, Coach reminded me so much of Whitey from One Tree Hill.. just with hockey instead of basketball.

Can’t wait for the next one by this author.

I really liked this book. It’s the second one of the authors of read and I’m definitely going back and reading the one i missed. Even though this was a bit more of a romance than I care for it was done in well. I liked the family drama that was there. I predicted the ending a quarter of the way through, but that’s okay. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for a honest opinion.4⭐️

I absolutely loved Tracy Lange’s first two books but this one did not resonate with me in the same way. It was difficult to get in to and very scattered.

4.5 Stars

Family dramas (when it isn't my own family) are my favourite stories and this one packs a punch. After more than two years Kyle McCray goes home because he has to help his dad recover from a stroke. Across the road lives his ex-wife Casey and her brother Wyatt. We are then taken on a journey from Kyle's teenage years to the present and in between we find out why he and Casey divorced and what actually happened to the McCrays.

This was my first book by the author and I can understand why this and her previous novels have done so well. This book is about a marriage, a family and a community and Lange wrote about all three perfectly. Having been born and raised in Toronto, Canada I played hockey throughout my childhood and her depiction of the game was spot on. The answer to the question, what happened to the McCray's was figured out by me pretty early on but when I got to the reveal it still hit me hard. I love it when an author can do that. This is a very emotional story and I felt what all the characters were going through in their different ways in my heart and in my soul.

Poignant, heartbreaking, and hopeful, What Happened to the McCrays is a story of loss and acceptance of that loss while trying to heal from the inside out. It is also a story I will be thinking about for a long time. Although I loved the story and the writing, the ending was a little too perfect for me, so four and a half stars rounded down.

This book was genuinely brilliant. Tracey Lange's characters are so beautifully and masterfully crafted, that each of her stories is genuinely immersive. I love the dual timeline and the dual perspectives, I felt that it deepened the plot significantly and made me truly invested in Casey & Kyle; individually and their relationship. This is a beautiful story about family, grief, trying again, and obviously, hockey.

Thank you so much to the publisher and to netgalley. Tracey Lange has done it again, a moving story about a family. Here we follow Kyle who is returning to his small town after receiving a call about his father. When he returns, he realizes all he left behind including his ex-wife Casey. I liked the dual timeline of showing Kyle and Casey’s history and what made them eventually break up through the shared experiences. Learning about what happened in their relationship was sad but eventually helps them find themselves.

Who could not root for Casey and Kyle in this book? It has some hard subject matters to deal with but it’s beautifully written and a page turner until the end. One of my favorites so far for 2025. Thanks to NetGalley for this advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Another great book written by Tracey Lange. I have read all of her books love them all. She is a master at story telling. I like the dual timeline: Then and Now. She is great at writing stories about broken people. She slowly reveals what broken the characters. Her novels have me on the edge of my seat, and I can't put them down. I keep reading to find out what happened and how the story is going to end. When I finish reading her books, I feel like I have new friends. Her characters are fully developed and are likeable. I love Lange's writing style.

Also, in What Happened to the McCrays, she alludes to characters her first novel. Danny McCray knows the Brennans, characters in We Are the Brennans. I highly recommend this and all of her novels.

Thank you NetGalley and Celadon Books for a chance to review this book.

Tracey Lange's new novel is a fictional family drama set in the real small, college town of Potsdam in upstate New York, where hockey is revered as are small town values.

You have timelines from 20 years ago, 16 years ago, two and a half years ago, and present day. The story is presented to us through a few different characters' POVs.

The story begins as main character Kyle is returning home after a two and a half year absence. He has been alerted that his Dad has suffered a stroke and will need his help. Kyle doesn't feel welcomed back to his hometown after leaving not only abruptly but also mysteriously, two and a half years ago.

Kyle's ex-wife, Casey, is still a very much beloved part of the close-knit, hockey loving community, serving as an adored middle school teacher and an esteemed hockey manager/overseer extraordinaire.

Slowly, the mystery of Kyle's abrupt departure unravels and as readers, we are entrusted with puzzle pieces containing grief, love, a failed marriage, misunderstanding, and self-inflicted blame.

If you enjoy peering into a family saga as they try to solve and reconcile past traumas, look for What Happened to the McCrays. It hit shelves January 14,. Thank you, NetGalley and Celadon Books, for this view into this family's saga.

What Happened to the McCrays is a beautifully written story about life, family, and mostly about grief - how it can tear us apart, but also bring it back together; about how grief never goes away, but we can learn to live with it.

Poignant but full of hope, this book tells a story of second chances and finding your way home. The characters are well defined in their brokenness, making it feel very relatable.

TW: death, self harm

**Thank you NetGalley and Celadon Books for sending this book for review. All opinions are my own.**

Let’s begin by lauding the author for a great choice of title. What did happen to Kyle and Casey McCray? Tracey Lange uses secrets, suspense, and a skillful use of time jumps to invest us in this emotional, slow-burn family drama.

Kyle McCray returns to Potsdam, NY to care for his father who’d just suffered a stroke. He’s on edge about it all, because it means seeing his ex-wife Casey and all his former friends again after his sudden departure two and a half years ago. Casey has carried on as a teacher and manager of a youth hockey team, but something’s not right with her. For her and their friends, it’s not just awkward, it’s painful. But Kyle’s going to be there a while, so they all have to just deal with it.

I have a hard time summarizing the plot more than that, because it’s predicated on many critical happenings from the “Then” time frame. As we wallow in the “Now,” we’re wondering why there’s such sadness, even animosity, between Kyle and Casey. There must have been some kind of tragedy, or accident, or crucial misunderstanding…right? But I can’t tell you what happens and why I think it’s great, because it’ll give away way too many spoilers! The reader unfamiliar with this style may get frustrated, but the last third makes it very worthwhile.

Let me put it this way: love was there, love went away, and now there’s a glimmer of hope love can return. And because this isn’t structured or styled like your garden-variety romance, the issue of the textbook happy ending is in doubt. The text is a little heavy on third-person introspection, but the desire to know what happened, along with the emotional “will-they-won’t-they,” is more than enough to hold the reader’s interest.

Just like in her previous works, Lange demonstrates her skill in character development. Anne Lamott says to spend time with one’s characters, so Lange must’ve locked herself in a bunker with them. Or she must have based them on real people. (Though I doubt it.) Either way, all characters are multi-faceted, complex, and interesting, right down to the friends and the youth hockey players. She has a way of writing from the middle-class, every-person perspective, giving everyone relatable problems like fixing the car or taking out loans. That has a way of driving home the emotional issues they face with a refreshing realism.

I can’t remember if I’ve been to Potsdam, but her portrayal of the remoteness and hardscrabble setting of upstate New York is right up there with Richard Russo. There was a little struggle between spreading one’s wings into the bigger world or sticking close to home. Lange delivers this subplot with plenty of detail and feeling.

No, it’s not a thriller, so there’s no scene with the McCrays dangling from that…that part of the helicopter? You know? The bottom? But What Happened to the McCrays excels in its ability to slowly, carefully, suspensefully reveal the deep cracks in a powerful love. It does even better to give us a satisfying ending, one that…well. Can’t tell you.

If literature is supposed to help us connect with new perspectives and explore both exciting and heartbreaking emotions, this book will open you to a section of the heart rarely seen.

I fell in love with Tracey Lange’s writing style when I read her first two books, but this one was by far my favorite. I was hooked within the first couple of chapters and really couldn’t wait to see how things would play out. Excellent book!

I read Tracey Lange’s books every time I see a new novel is published. What Happened to the McCrays? was everything I thought it would be. Her books have been 3 for 3 for me.

This novel is very character driven and explores then and now timelines to figure out what happened to the McCrays. I flew through the book wanting to know how they ended up so fractured when everyone seemed like a good person. This book goes through the good and the bad in this family drama.

Thank you to Celadon Books, Tracey Lange, and NetGalley for allowing me to read this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, Tracey Lange has quickly become one of my favorite authors. What Happened to the McCrays? is a beautifully written story of love, family, grief, and renewal. Despite how heartbreaking the story was, it was also filled with hope, and I felt all the emotions as I read/listened to this story. I enjoyed the ‘then & now’ format as well as the shifting POV between Casey and Kyle. I also received an ALC and thought the narration was fantastic.

Tracey Lange crafts a powerful and emotionally rich story of family, grief, and hope. Her vivid writing and expertly developed characters pull you in, making every twist in the McCray family's history feel authentic and impactful. While the story starts slowly, it unfolds beautifully, balancing heartbreak and hope in a way that’s both deeply moving and unforgettable. Be prepared for all the emotions—and check trigger warnings—but this is a book you won’t want to put down.

Tracey Lange is back this week with another wonderful character-driven novel. If you enjoyed her previous novels, this one will not disappoint.

Kyle McCray abruptly left his hometown in Potsdam, NY and hasn’t been back in 2 years. But when his father suffers a stroke, he returns home and is forced to reckon with his past, and a community that hasn’t forgiven or forgotten how he left.

And there’s Casey, the woman he was married to for 16 years who is clear she is not happy to have Kyle back. Kyle decides he will leave as soon as his father is well but as time passes, he realizes just how much heartache he left behind. As he attempts to redeem himself, he hopes that maybe he and Casey can make peace with their past as well.

This novel explores the complexities of how a marriage starts and how it can fall apart despite the love that might still be smoldering under the ruins. I was glued to this novel as I switched back and girth from the digital and audio versions. The narration was SO good!

Thank you to @netgalley @celadonbooks @macmillan.audio for early digital and audio versions of this novel

🏒This book had me hooked from the very first chapter! When Kyle steps in to protect a teen girl from drunk customers, I knew I was in for a treat. A hockey player with tattoos, a protective streak, and a kind heart? Say no more—I was fully invested from page one.
💞As the story unfolds, we are introduced to Casey, Kyle’s ex-wife and a beloved teacher in their tight-knit town. Casey’s warmth and resilience make her an unforgettable character. The supporting cast—Wyatt, Danny, the middle school hockey team, and Matteo—added so much richness to the story. Each character was multi-dimensional, with their own fears, desires, and growth. Tracey Lange has a gift for capturing the complexities of human relationships and emotions and bringing them to life in each scene.
💔The dual timeline structure kept me turning pages, revealing the beautiful yet heartbreaking story of Kyle and Casey’s relationship and the tragedy that tore them apart. This emotional journey is one you won’t soon forget—so be ready to feel all the emotions.
If you love small-town romance, second-chance love stories, and authentic, relatable characters, this book should be on your TBR. It’s definitely worth all the hype.