What a fantastic book! The first one I have read by this author but definitely can't wait to read more! The characters stay with you long after you finish the book. Highly recommend!

Thank you @netgalley and @celadonbooks for my copy!!

This book is GOOD! Like the kind you never want to end because you want to hang out with the characters forever. I knew from the beginning this would be one of my favorites of the year but oh my heart!!

Read this if you love
- AMAZING characters
- books FULL of heart
- raw and real relationships
- stories of grief and hope

Tracy Lange has made a name for herself writing smart well-drawn family dramas, when they're in flux or in crisis mode. It is currently March 2025 and my world here in the USA is filled with chaos, so it was a relief to turn to this novel, filled with old fashioned problems and nary a political division in sight in the small town where the characters lived.

Kyle McCray returns to his hometown after several years away when he learns his father has suffered a stroke and needs help. His ex-wife Casey has been helping his Dad before his return. Casey and Kyle both seems like nice, well-meaning people who still care about each other, but the story slowly reveals the giant wedge that drove them apart.

This is a slow burn but with enough interest that I was always ready to go back to the book. Special mention to the middle school hockey story line which added to the story. Also the character of Wyatt, Casey's brother in a wheelchair, who is presented as a functional person in his own right, and not as a sad aside. Even nice people make mistakes, and it was fulfilling to see the characters grow and develop to their fuller potential as the story progressed.

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

When Kyle McCray gets word his father has suffered a stroke, he returns to his hometown of Potsdam, New York, where he doesn’t expect a warm welcome. Kyle left suddenly two and a half years ago, abandoning people who depended on him: his father, his employees, his friends—not to mention Casey, his wife of sixteen years and a beloved teacher in town. He plans to lie low and help his dad recuperate until he can leave again, especially after Casey makes it clear she wants him gone.The longer he’s home, the more Kyle understands the impact his departure has had on the people he left behind. 

I have read every one of Tracey Lange’s books and she has such a knack for writing a dynamic, heart-warming family drama. Her writing style is beautiful and she immediately pulls her readers in by writing complex, flawed characters that make you feel as if you know them. What Happened to the McCrays is a layered, multi dimensional book that deals with family drama at the root - but also goes into a bit of second-chance romance and mystery as well. Kyle and Casey are such wonderful characters and their growth within the book was so fun to read. They both are dealing with loss and grief (trigger warnings),yet found ways to push through, find happiness, and forgive themselves for the situation that occurred long ago. At the core this book is all about the resilience of a person and the power of love. I did a mix of reading and listening to this book and both formats were beautiful. Stephanie Memeth-Parker and William DeMeritt did a phenomenal job at creating a captivating story.

I really enjoyed Tracey Lange's previous books, so I was excited for the opportunity to listen to "What Happened to the McCrays?". This story kept me interested and was an enjoyable read. Reflecting back on small town living and family dynamics I couldn't put it down.

My honest review in exchange for an advanced copy of this e-book. This was my third read by this author and it was, unfortunately, a major letdown for me, though I know it'll work for some. Personally, between the unending hockey, the middle schoolers, and the frustrating romance, I could find very little to enjoy. This is the type of book where you have to like, or at least accept, the huge amount of hockey talk, because its underlying themes of grief and forgiveness were not strong enough to make it "not be a hockey book." If you can handle that, this book may be a good fit for you. Otherwise, it's a skip.

I had high expectations for What Happened to the McCrays?and as usual, @traceylangfe did not disappoint. This beautifully written story follows Kyle McCray as he returns to his small hometown to care for his ailing father, forcing him to face a complicated past and the relationships he walked away from.

This story has some very difficult topics, but @traceylang does a wonderful job of creating a hopeful, uplifting story about facing your past and offering forgiveness to those we love most. I found every single character in this novel compelling, and I felt like the setting of a small upstate New York town was almost its own character, which I loved. If you enjoy character-driven stories about family, love, loss, and hope, I highly recommend What Happened to the Mcrays.

I absolutely loved this book! I read it almost two months ago and am still thinking about it. Such a great, complex story that kept me invested the entire time. Perfection!

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

Tracey Lange’s *What Happened to the McCrays?* dives into the deep waters of family secrets, love, loyalty, and the complexity of relationships. Its intricate narrative weaves together past and present, slowly unearthing the untold truths that hold the McCray family in its grip.

The novel revolves around the seemingly idyllic McCray family, whose veneer of perfection begins to crack after an unexpected tragedy. Lange captures the fragility and strength of family bonds through a dual timeline structure—one that explores the McCrays' lives before the incident and their struggle to rebuild after. The tension between these two timelines keeps readers on edge, eagerly piecing together clues to unravel the titular question.

What sets this novel apart is Lange’s ability to delve deeply into her characters’ psyches. Each McCray family member is richly developed, with their flaws, hopes, and fears laid bare. Readers will likely find themselves oscillating between frustration and empathy for the characters, particularly as the story examines how each copes with guilt and grief in their own unique way.

Thematically, *What Happened to the McCrays?* is a poignant exploration of resilience, the impact of secrets, and the redemptive power of love. Lange’s prose is at once tender and incisive, inviting readers to reflect on their own relationships and the unspoken truths that can shape them.

Lange excels with her evocative writing and the raw emotional resonance of the story. The book’s conclusion is satisfying and thought-provoking, leaving readers with plenty to ponder after turning the final page.

Ultimately, this novel isn’t just about what happened to the McCrays—it’s about what happens to all of us when we confront the messy truths of our lives. It’s a compelling read that will linger in your mind long after you’ve finished it, making it a worthy addition to Tracey Lange’s growing body of work.

**Many thanks to NetGalley, @CeladonBooks, and Tracey Lange for an ARC of this book!**

"Home isn't where you're from, it's where you find light when all grows dark." - Pierce Brown

Kyle McCray had his reasons for leaving the small town and close knit community of Potsdam, NY, his family, and his wife, a woman who has he loved for SIXTEEN years, Casey. But Kyle didn't exactly warn his friends, family, and wife that he would be leaving...and despite trying to bury his pain, for the last two and a half years, he's been dreading the day where he has to face the music and return to town. Unfortunately for Kyle, that day has arrived: he receives word that his father has suffered a stroke, and Kyle can't imagine not being by his side...so he sets off to return to Potsdam and all of the the messy situations he tried to leave behind, bracing himself for the vitriol he feels he's sure to receive.

When he arrives and begins to fall back into the familiar patterns of his old life, however, a flurry of complicated emotions run through him...and he starts to see that perhaps he was more needed and valuable to those around him than he ever knew. Although Casey is a successful and beloved middle school teacher in town, she's had a Herculean task thrown at her: SHE has been attempting to lead and coach the middle school hockey team, who needs a lot of help, to say the least. Not only that, but Kyle's father Danny is still very close to Casey...and her brother Wyatt has connections to Kyle that he can no longer ignore either. So when Kyle gets offered the opportunity to put his career as an auto mechanic aside and help lead the hockey team to glory, he hesitantly agrees. After all, he and Casey made a good team for so many years...there had to be a REASON for that, right?

But as their feelings become more muddled, vacillating between the pain of their estrangement and the enduring quality of their love, and Kyle is forced to finally deal with the grief he tried so hard to leave behind, will he discover that everything he has been desperately searching for was right at home, waiting for him to step up and shape up? Or will he choose to flee once AGAIN when the pain seems too deep, too enduring, and too large a burden for anyone to bear...even with the possibility of reconciliation, redemption, and forgiveness FINALLY within reach?

Tracey Lange has found her lane, and hasn't strayed...and I am SO grateful for it. As much as I love flexibility and authors testing the boundaries of what they 'can' and cannot effectively write, there are instances where an author has such a defined groove and niche that I can hardly imagine them writing another KIND of book...and Lange is one of those authors. Her stories always center around family: intricate, complicated, grounded, and REAL...with flaws aplenty. Her protagonists tend to be aching for redemption and forgiveness from one another...but more importantly, from THEMSELVES, and this is what makes her stories so impactful, emotional, and relatable. All of them deal with some sort of homecoming, a revisiting of what it means to be yourself after tragedy strikes and the struggle to FIND that person amidst guilt, grief, and a tangle of complicated emotions...and What Happened to the McCrays? is no exception. With a book that effectively has TWO protagonists in Kyle and Casey, you as the reader aren't supposed to choose who was 'right' in this situation...because you'll come to see how both Kyle and Casey share the blame for what happened to their marriage, and how grief, frustration, and miscommunications got each of them there.

Lange has said she was inspired to write a book about divorce this time around, and despite the natural angst and bitter pain that often accompanies this concept in our minds, WHTTM manages to be both a story of love lost AND found throughout. Weaving back and forth effortlessly between past and present, Lange explores the nuance of a relationship born so early in life and how these roots could remain both steadfast and shaken, leaving this couple in a sort of extended limbo, with both life and livelihoods hanging in the balance by journey's end. At times, I found myself begging Casey to leave the past in the past...and others, I was heartsick hoping for reunion. THIS juxtaposition, along with the added pressures of small town living, complicated dynamics between Casey's family and Kyle, and the added pressure of wrangling a group of middle school kids to small-town glory all combine for a whirlwind of emotion and drama...but NEVER veers into melodrama.

And THIS is exactly HOW Lange shines, and why her books have such an effortless feel. The echoes of pain that reverberate throughout the pages here are familiar to every reader, whether or not you personally have dealt with divorce, the declining health of a parent, or the tragedy that befell this couple years prior. You don't need to have lived the specific experiences to have lived the depth of the pain...and the moments of joy, love, and light feel even more triumphant and earned by the time you have traveled from A to Z. Each one of Lange's books is a fully formed journey...and even if this particularly journey seems as though it HAS to be circuitous, I can promise you: it is anything BUT predictable.

We think of home as a place, a building with an address, set in a town or city, in a state, or perhaps grounded in a country and all that comes with it. But oftentimes we can return to a place that USED to be home and find that it no longer even feels familiar. Has the place actually changed...or are we trying to tread a path that only exists in memory? Although I won't reveal whether Kyle and Casey have a happy ending or go their separate ways, when it comes to Tracey Lange's success with her third novel, all hockey fans know that scoring that third triumphant goal can only mean one thing:

It's officially a HAT TRICK!

4.5 stars

A heartwarming, small-town story with plenty of heartbreak to go around, this book has all the charm of a community coming together again and again for each other. On the critical side, I felt like there were too many tragedies in the main character’s life - it became difficult to believe it all as the story went on. I loved Kyle’s character, and Wyatt too. I do think the message in the book was a beautiful one and certainly struck a chord with me!

I’m very appreciative to NetGalley and Celadon Books for an early release e-book copy!

I loved this one! Lange beautifully weaves a story about brokenness and healing together. Kyle McCray returns to the town - and the wife - he left two years ago to care for his father. He’s forced to face with what he left behind, and Casey must confront their shared past.

This book is slow, but nicely so. I appreciate Lange’s patience in telling their story and developing their backstory and characters, and I loved every minute of it. Despite their mistakes, Kyle and Casey are easy to root for and it’s not hard to understand their struggles. These are definitely my favorite stories to read - raw but real, sad but hopeful.

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books.

I could not wait to read this book, and it was worth the hype! This book solidifies my love of all things that Tracey Lange writes. This is her third book, and the third by her that I've read. She is the master of complicated family dramas that feel so incredibly real, that it seems like you could go to the town she talks about, find these characters and the places they frequent. This book was emotional, but also heartwarming, with a bit of mystery, and I enjoyed the ending. 

Overall, I really liked this book, and will read anything Lange ever writes. If you are looking for your next contemporary fictional novel, that is also a bit of a romance, this is the book for you!

I already know I will be putting this book in my books for 2025!! Yes you read that correctly! This book was perfection!

Kyle and Casey McCray have been estranged, after their divorce Kyle left their small hometown of Potsdam and Casey stayed behind picking up the fractured pieces of their once perfect life. But when his father has a stroke Kyle must make his way back home, since there is no one else who can stay with him while he recuperates. Kyle isn’t expecting a warm welcome. He is shocked at the amount of understanding, compassion and even forgiveness that the town feels towards him. In Potsdam you begin to see that “hockey is life” , the high school team is in dire trouble. They have lost their coach and Kyle finds himself recruited to help the team . Kyle was once a high school player who had led the team to many victories during his time playing and finds himself quickly invested in this young group of players.
Across the street we meet Casey McCray, who is Kyle’s ex-wife and high school sweetheart, she has lived in the home they had shared for over sixteen years. Her brother Wyatt, is confined to a wheelchair whose own history is riddled with loss but has built his own business with his hands building beautiful furniture.
The story unfolds slowly. The reason, at first, why Kyle and Casey separated is unclear, but while it is apparent there is deep pain, it feels like love still hides below the surface. We begin to see the heartbreak and loss and the story goes from past to present and I cried so many times while reading. There is a lot of pain in their past, also learning to forgive and accept their regrets and even confront their future . The story reveals the resilience of family and the importance of a community accepting who and why they are, accepting the past and hoping for a future. Love, loss and second chances.
Please be aware trigger warnings, parent stroke, child death, and suicide attempt.

They say you can’t go home again, and Kyle McCray feels this with much trepidation when he hears his father has suffered a stroke and heads home to help him.

There is a freeze in the air in hockey-centric Potsdam and it’s not just the weather. Kyle left town for reasons not yet revealed, which adds to the intrigue, his relationship with his dad is rocky at best. Their close neighbor Casey watches over his father as her childhood past with Kyle slowly unfolds to reveal tragedy, estrangement, sorrow. There are heavy subjects to uncover and with her usual deft touch, Lange brings readers into the fold of a family drama with compassion, as she eases us into it.

A story about community, family, hope, forgiveness.

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books.

I am a big fan of Tracy Lange’s work, and this one was no different – I enjoyed it thoroughly, although I will note that this one touches on some heavier subject matter, including the devastating loss of a child. This one is a story of small-town life, hockey, our dreams and desires and the realities of life and circumstances that get in our way of achieving them, love, loss, grief, and the struggles of marriage and inter-family relationships.

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Kyle is forced to suddenly leave the Pacific Northwest, where he has been residing as of late, and return to the small, upper New York community of Potsdam following a recent stroke suffered by his father. Potsdam contains the entirety of Kyle’s life and memories: it is where he was born, grew up, and spent the entirety of his life until roughly two years ago, when he got into his vehicle, put it in drive, and never looked back.

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Painful memories and regret are not the only thing Kyle left behind, though – as he returns to take care of his struggling father, he is confronted with the people in his life whom he abandoned for his cross-country travels – including the woman he has loved for the vast majority of his life. A woman who seemingly, as Kyle believes, will never forgive him for the havoc his decisions have wreaked on their life, love, family, and careers.

I enjoyed this family drama and felt like it flowed nicely from start to finish! This book does deal with some trigger-worthy warnings including: child loss and suicide. The story highlights the importance of family, opens old wounds, and shows us what really happened behind closed doors. It was an enjoyable, albeit emotional read.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this copy in exchange for my honest review.

Ah! I couldn’t put this one down! The hype around this one is real. It’s deep and moody. Emotional and intriguing.
If you like books with deep roots and flowing emotions, this is a GOOD book to pick up!

In What Happened to the McCrays?, Kyle McCray learns that his father suffered a debilitating stroke and must return home to Potsdam, New York. But, his return is an emotionally-charged event for him and everyone around him. That’s because when he left suddenly two and a half years ago he abandoned everyone who loved and depended on him, including his wife, Casey. Can Kyle and Casey stand to be in the same town again? What happened nearly three years ago?

The novel is a family drama presented mostly in the present, but told in “Then” and “Now” chapters. As Kyle slowly discovers the impact his departure from New York had on everyone in his life, the reader slowly learns the events leading up to it.

I’ve read all of Tracey Lange’s books so far, and I tend to enjoy her overall writing style. I think her skills shine in creating tension in her scenes and evoking emotion from the reader. I like how she builds suspense as the narratives unravel. However, in my opinion, she tends to rely on tropes/clichés a little too heavily, both in terms of characterization and sometimes in plot. I also know that she likes to write about flawed characters, but sometimes she seems to be flirting with romanticizing toxic behaviors and it weirds me out a little. We see that here with some of Kyle’s behaviors in particular.

I also just had a harder time staying engaged this go around. I didn’t have that issue with her past works, and I think it might be because I was more interested in the relationship at the center of the narrative than the other elements (the hockey team, the side characters), and also because I wasn’t as connected to Kyle and Casey as I was with the Brennans or Connellys.

Even though this wasn’t for me, readers of family dramas and relationship dramas (especially those with small town vibes) might enjoy this one. And it’s especially worth checking out if you are a fan of Tracey Lange’s previous works!

*Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon for providing a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!*

I was not expecting to feel so much, but at the same time, I loved how Lange focused on the healing process after loss and showed readers how two people can blame and grieve so differently. I love Tracey Lange's work!