Tracey Lange’s third novel, “What Happened to the McCray’s?” continues in her genre of writing wonderful novels about families navigating the travails of life. (Her previous books, “We Are The Brennans” and “The Connellys of County Down” are both excellent.)

Kyle McCray is living a spartan existence in Spokane after leaving his wife and hometown of Postdam, New York suddenly two and half years ago. He gets a call that his father Danny has had a stroke, and Kyle’s former youth hockey coach and his dad’s best friend tells him that he needs to come home to care for his father.

When Kyle returns home, he finds his former wife Casey has been taking care of his Dad in his absence. Things are tense between Kyle and Casey, but the reader is not privy to why Kyle up and left his wife and his auto repair business suddenly.

Casey is a middle school social studies teacher and manages the junior hockey squad. Her brother Wyatt uses a wheelchair and lives with Casey. Wyatt is not happy to see Kyle back in town.

We know that Kyle is not a bad guy, we saw him help a young sandwich shop worker when a group of young men came into her store and harassed her. We get Kyle’s and Casey’s backstory, both children of single parents who helped each other’s families out. They had been high school sweethearts, loving and caring with each other.

Soon the reader discovers the sad reason that led to Kyle leaving his wife and the hometown he loves.

Lange puts the reader right inside this snowy, cold town of Potsdam, where everyone lives for hockey. Kyle was a hockey superstar in his younger days, beloved by all. She gets the small town, college town vibe just right.

I love all of Tracey Lange’s books, and “What Happened to the McCray’s” is her best yet. Her characters feel real, as does the way they face the challenges that life throws at them, and the relationships among the characters.

Kyle McCray returns to his hometown after receiving news that his father has suffered a stroke. His estranged wife and friends aren’t happy about his return, still angry with him for leaving town a few years ago. When a an opportunity opens up as the hockey coach at the local middle school, Kyle decides to take it, determined to make amends with those he left behind.

This is a very quiet read, with themes of love, loss, forgiveness and second chances, perfect to settle in with on a cold winter’s day. From the moment I started it, I was completely immersed in the lives of the McCrays, hardships and all.

These characters will break your heart; their pain will be your pain. They are multi-faceted, flawed characters, each dealing with their own life struggles, and it’s hard not to feel incredibly connected to them by the final page. I desperately rooted for Kyle and Casey to find their way back to one another even when it didn’t seem possible. If you are looking for a book that will break your heart and then put it back together, it’s this one.

🎧 This slow burn story is absolutely fantastic on audio. Stephanie Nemeth-Parker and William DeMeritt are pitch perfect and only help to enhance the already gorgeous prose.

Read if you like:
▪️literary fiction
▪️family dramas
▪️second chances
▪️character driven stories
▪️small town life
▪️Adirondacks

Thank you Celadon Books and Macmillan Audio for the advanced copies.

I know it’s early in the year but this is going to be one of my top books this year! I loved every moment with these characters and with the community in Potsdam, NY. I am a sucker for small town communities and I really connected with this story.

I have read all of Tracey Lange’s novels and I loved all 3 of them but this one hit me hard in the feels and made me cry more than I was prepared to - and I loved it! This story was my favorite of all 3 novels….and that is saying a lot!

I really loved reading this book! Tracey Lange writes stories about family dramas that are so real and heartfelt and this one really got to my emotions. I don’t believe I’ve ever cried this much while reading a book! What Happened to the McCrays is the third book I’ve read by this author, the first being We Are The Brennans and the second one being The Connellys of County Down, and I can honestly say that this one is my favorite. I think it’s her best work yet. I liked that it takes place in Potsdam, New York which isn’t all that far from where I live. It was also nice that it mentioned Watertown and Syracuse which are the 2 cities that I live in between. I find it nice to read about areas that you are familiar with. But it was the basis of the story, the love between a young couple and the struggles and the heartaches that they face from living life and experiencing loss that really captured my attention. They suffered with guilt and there was grief but in the end it was their love that gets them through. This story really touched my heart and it’s one I’ll never forget. I’d like to thank Celadon Books for accepting my request to read an early copy and NetGalley for the arc. It’s a book I’ll be recommending to all of my reading friends and I’ll be adding a physical copy to my home library of favorites. I’m giving it a well deserved 5 star rating and I hope to be reading more by Tracey Lange in the very near future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for the eARC.

Tracey Lange writes the best family drama books. This one pulled at my heart and I loved how the book shifted my perspective and feelings on each of our main characters. Some of the plot pieces felt a bit monotonous, but, I will reach for Lange's work over and over. 4.5/5 stars.

Tracey Lange's ability to write emotionally complex characters and capture the intricacies of family dynamics is absolutely incredible. Where the slow unfolding of a story can at times feel forced, Lange's never does. Every new reveal of the McCray's history was unexpected without being shocking; heart wrenching without feeling artificial; and truly made this a book I could not put down.

Although a slow start, I became invested in these characters who had suffered a loss that would be hard to navigate. I felt their pain and loss and felt like the characters were expertly developed.

I have LOVED everything Tracey Lange has written yet, and this was no exception-- I already can't wait for her next novel (I hope there is one). Nobody writes family drama like she does. This was a tough read and very sad at times. I didn't initially love the title (and I guess I still don't), but it is 100% appropriate for the context of this novel-- the reader is quickly confused with the, "wait, what is happening? Why did they end up like this?"

I didn't want to put this one down AND I didn't want this book to end- that is one of the highest levels of praise for me. It's January 17, and I already know that this book is going on my "favorites of 2025" list,

I actually had this book in both formats- print and audio-- Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC AND the audio ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. (The narrators were great and completely fit the story that was being told).

This book. Wow. I cried. A lot. (Reader, know thyself and double check trigger warnings). But for as emotional and hard this book was, it was also beautiful and hopeful. Lange’s writing is vivid and pulls you in right from the very start. Such a powerful story of family, grief, and change.

This is my favorite book by Tracey Lange yet! I have enjoyed each of her books but I couldn't get enough of this one. I loved how this novel unearthed another piece of the plot, slowly. The fact that Kyle and Casey had been married, and for how long they had been together, why and how they split up, the tragedy that they both experienced and how they both experienced it so differently. It was heartwrenching and hopeful all at once.

I loved this book! There are so many emotions swirling around, such as grief, guilt, anger, and loneliness. But ultimately there is complete honesty and the healing process begins. I really liked the entire cast of characters, everyone had a place in my heart, and I thought there was great character development over the course of time. The story felt very true to life in that way that life has ups and downs, and sometimes you are your best self, and sometimes you’re not. I think there is a part where it comes dangerously close to the “I can never tell how I really feel” trope, but it made sense within the context of grieving. It also wasn’t the only conflict propelling the action. Big thanks to NetGalley and Celadon Books for the DRC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Tracey Lange is now an autobuy author for me! I absolutely loved this one! This is a story about love, grief, forgiveness, and family. The story is split into two timelines and two perspectives which adds depth and complexity to the story. Casey and Kyle were both relatable and well developed characters and I felt like I really knew and understood them. This book simultaneously broke my heart and filled me with hope. I highly recommend this for anyone looking for a complex family drama that leaves you with all the feels

This is mg new fave Tracey Lange book!

I love a redemption arc and this one has several of them and they all lifted me up and left me emotional.

Not without trigger warnings but I felt like all the subject matter was handled so eloquently and with care.

In Lange’s authors note she mentions the power of community and this book really highlights that and made me think of my own small town and how we show up for one another.

Loved it, I can see this one being very popular.

Tracey Lange is incredibly gifted at writing intimate family dramas. I absolutely loved her first two books and when I heard there was a third in the works I just knew it was going to be a good one. So I was expecting greatness. But I wasn’t expecting this.

To be clear, this book is a tough read. There is a lot to unpack in terms of trigger warnings. I won’t go into them and trust that readers will do their own research to decide whether this book is right for them. But if they do decide to read it, wow.

Then: Kyle and Casey met in high school and were a forever kind of deal. They got married, stayed in the same small New York town they grew up in, and knew they’d be happy as long as they were together. But something devastating happens that makes them question how solid their marital foundation truly is. Kyle abruptly leaves.

Now: Kyle receives a phone call that his father has had a stroke. He heads home, despite getting the feeling that Casey won’t be too happy to see him back in town. Kyle’s plan is to stick around to help his dad recover, and then leave again. But he ends up being asked to help coach the town’s middle school hockey team, comprised of a real motley crew (but who totally win Kyle over). Kyle and Casey are thrown together and have to decide first whether their marriage is worth saving, and second if they even have the capacity to fight for it.

This was an absolutely brilliant book. The characters were each flawed in their own way but at the same time, they were polished with empathy. I really enjoyed the manner in which Tracey Lange unfurled the tapestry of this story: the then/now was constructed in such a way that the reader gets just a hint of what’s to come before the timeline changes. It was never frustrating, and always compelling. Just one more chapter…

The topics that may be triggering do involve some spoilers, so I won’t go into them. But they were handled delicately and respectfully, and that’s all you can ask for. Tracey Lange is clearly a conscientious author who does her research and cares about authenticity.

A little bit of Beartown vibes here, with some deeply emotional relationship drama. One of those books you close the cover on and go, “wow.”

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Get your tissues ready! I am a big fan of Tracey Lange, and this book did not disappoint. Kyle and Tracey were high school sweethearts, but split up for reasons unknown at the start of the book. When Kyle has to come back to town to take care of his father, they are forced to confront their past. Told in alternating perspectives and timelines, we learn about Kyle’s and Tracey’s story. This book is full of heartbreak, redemption and most of all, hope.

This book crawled into my bones, seeped into my blood stream, and refused to leave. A true testament to the power of community, family, and unwavering love. I laughed, I cried, I shook with sobs. I have read other books by Lange, and I didn't totally know what to expect diving into this one. It is like a Hallmark movie, back when they were unpredictable and guaranteed to make you choke up. You cannot help but feel all the feelings for Kyle, Casey, Wyatt, Danny, and even Star, the dog. Of course there were frustrated moments where I was openly yelling at the characters, Whhhhhyyyyyy!!! Noooo, stop it!! But alas, in the end, grief and tragedy are frustrating, nonlinear, and at times make little sense.
Beautiful story, highly recommend. Thank you #NetGalley and #CeladonBooks for the ARC.

Happy Pub Week to ‘What Happened to the McCrays?’ !
I am a big fan of Tracey Lange’s books. Her beautiful storytelling and family saga books are always an enjoyable read. This newly released book was no different. It was a beautiful read, VERY emotional. I was invested in the story of Casey and Kyle from the beginning to the end. I’m in awe how Lange has the ability to make the story flow so perfectly. This book has a lot of hope, love, family connections, strong small town community and many more. Highly recommended to read! Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Casey and Kyle were and still appear to be soulmates to everyone around them even though they are not married anymore. The hockey playing Kyle and the braniac Casey grow up living across the street from one another. Family friends as well as high school sweethearts, they share grief in the loss of parents, dreams, careers and each other. When Kyle's Dad has a stroke, it forces him to come back to the hometown that he fled when it all came crashing down and face the memories and lessons learned. Tear Jerker Alert! I loved every minute with them, their story of how it all fell apart, and sharing their pain as they try to find a new way forward as they wonder if it can ever include each other. It is a deeply emotional and the characters are so relatable they seem real and made me keep turning the pages even when I had other things I needed to be doing because I just had to know!

Thank you to Celadon Books and NetGalley for the ARC! #netgalley #whathappenedtothemccrays

I loved this book so much. Emotional, heartbreaking, yet beautiful. I lost track of the amount of times I had to reach for the tissues. Tracey Lange is such a good storyteller, and has a knack for capturing big emotions in her family dramas. The past and present timelines, and dual POVs were very well done. The characters, relationships, the ending - I loved it all and can't recommend enough.

This novel is told from the perspective of two characters, Kyle and Casey, both in the present day and flashbacks. The book opens with Kyle getting a call that his father has had a stroke, and somewhat reluctantly returning to his hometown in upstate New York that he abruptly fled several years before. Casey, meanwhile, has never left their hometown and is not too thrilled to hear Kyle is back. And that’s all the book tells you to start so that’s all I’m going to tell you too, as part of the beauty of the book is through both present and past storylines, slowly learning what the answer is to the title question.

In some books, withholding information from the reader feels manipulative, but not in this one. Rather, each slowly unfolding revelation of what happened is layered so beautifully upon one another that it just increases the emotional impact of this often sad book, multiple times causing me to gasp or cry. Tracey Lange really is a master of the family drama novel - don’t ask me to pick a favorite of her books, because I really don’t know if I can! And since o always say it take three books before I can declare an author not just an author I love but a favorite author, with this third excellent book, Tracey is firmly on mg list!

4.5 stars