⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ (3.5/5)

Thanks to Celadon for my early copy of WHAT HAPPENED TO THE MCCRAY’S. It’s always fun to get a little sneak peek for upcoming releases.

This particular author’s books seem to be more character focused than plot driven. I’m more of a plot girl. That being said my heart ached for the loss that the 2 main characters went through. However, I loved that the community really rallied around them to work out their issues and get them back together. Hockey was a strong focal point in this book along with the loss of a young boy, resulting in serious marital issues.

All in all this was a decent read although I may not be the best target audience for this one. It takes a lot for me to get super hyped when it comes to character driven novels unless there’s a lot of drama & scandal involved…this was just mostly sad. It does have a nice ending though.

Kyle and Casey McCray were high school sweethearts with a solid marriage in the small, hockey-focused town of Potsdam in upstate New York. But when the novel opens, Kyle lives across the country and is called back to Potsdam to care for his father, who suffered from a stroke. Much of the novel works towards illuminating how such a strong marriage fell apart, with the storyline jumping between the past and the present.

Maudlin and predictable, I struggled to get through this one. I had high hopes after seeing a number of 5 star reviews, but it was just not my cup of tea. I could see this being a great movie, but as a novel it didn’t have enough realistic dialogue or character development to hold my attention. On a positive note, the pages turned quickly due to easy-to-read prose plus the end was heartwarming.

This is the third book I’ve read by Tracey Lange, and she’s officially become an auto-buy author for me. This novel is every bit as compelling, if not more so, than her previous works. True to her style, the story dives deep into complex family dynamics and tackles challenging subject matter with care.

Kyle returns to Potsdam after a two-year absence to care for his ailing father. However, not everyone is thrilled to see him again—especially his ex-wife, Casey, who makes it abundantly clear there’s no love lost between them.

To rebuild the bridges he burned when he left town without explanation, Kyle must earn the forgiveness of friends and family. His chance comes when the local school hockey team finds itself desperately in need of a coach.

This is a poignant and thought-provoking exploration of grief, friendship, forgiveness, and the importance of community. And yes, there’s even a bit of hockey. The writing is incredibly immersive, pulling me right into the heart of the story and making me feel like I was experiencing Potsdam and it’s people all alongside the characters.

This book comes out in January and is a must read in my opinion.

Thank you NetGalley and Celadon Books for the ARC.

What a well done family drama. I was sucked into this book from the part and could not put it down. It was slow at times, but I was 100% invested in the characters lives. They were well done, real, flawed and well developed. Their relationships were troubled but fascinating and I loved rooting for their happy ending. This story follows a couple who were madly in love and ended up divorced. When forced in close proximity, they must face some of their demons. A story about love, hope, grief and the power of family and friends. An emotional rollercoaster that will have you reaching for the tissues time after time.

Thank you NetGalley for my advanced reader copy

I have read and loved Tracey Lange's books but this one is definitely my favorite by far. If you are looking for a family drama that is sure to break your heart and put it back together again, this is the read for you.

What Happened to the McCrays is a heartfelt story about the power of love and community, the real effects of loss and grief, and the way that real people imperfectly grapple with both. Set in a backdrop of small town USA Potsdam, the characters are so raw and relatable. They are far from perfect, are always doing the best that they can at the time. Through a dual timeline, we learn bits and pieces about their present, while filling in the gaps that brought them to where they are today. The decisions they have made are sometimes difficult and painful, but so real.

The book touches on so many themes - Family, Hockey, Parenthood, Guilt, Community, Grief, Mental Health, and Love and does it in such a poignant way. This book made me cry my eyes out and still left me at the end with a hopeful feeling. Beautiful read.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the eARC.

Wow, the emotional punches in this novel touched my heart. Kyle returns home after two and a half years when his father suffers a stroke. Home is Potsdam, where we find out he was married to Casey, owned a garage, was a local high school hockey star, and was suffering the loss of his marriage. Not to add spoilers, the path to understanding what happened to Casey and Kyle’s relationship was emotional, told in alternating chapters of the burgeoning of their relationship, and the current time when Kyle returns home. I highly recommend this well written, beautiful story of a tight knit community pulling together for these two people. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Another great book by the author! I loved the theme of community throughout! The strong feelings of love, friendship and support was written all over the pages. It was a fun story to follow along and I really liked all the characters. I will be recommending this book to others.

Compelling family drama that deals with an incredible amount of loss between two families joined by marriage. And yet, it's full of hope and love. Bonus points for an Upstate New York location that feels honest, and showcasing how our small communities pull together when facing hardships. My first read by this author and I can see why they have a strong following. Recommended for fans of Picoult an Backman (especially Beartown).

What Happened to the McCrays? is the newest family drama novel out by Tracey Lange, author of We Are the Brennans and The Connellys of County Down (which I enjoyed last year).

I'm going to start with trigger warnings for grief and loss of a child. Please look online to see a full list, as I don't want to spoil any plot points. I will say that the dog doesn't die. Okay, now on to the review.

Two and half years ago, Kyle McCray unexpectedly left his family and his job with no warning. He's moved around a lot in that time, never truly settling down. When he gets the call that his father, Danny McCray, has had a stroke and will need help during his rehabilitation, he heads home, not knowing what kind of reception he'll get.

During those two and a half years, Kyle's ex-wife Casey has gone through a lot that he doesn't know about, and she's not happy that he'll be home for a while. When Kyle fills in as the middle school hockey coach, the two of them are forced to work together because she's an assistant and the kids' teacher.

Told in alternating chapters of Now and Then, we see how Kyle and Casey fell in love, and how they got to where they are now. Not every scene is a happy one, though. The two of them have been through many ups and downs, but they had always come back to each other. There's no coming back from Kyle's leaving, though.

All in all, this was a good read. I don't read a lot of literary fiction, but I did enjoy this one to an extent. Casey did kind of get on my nerves with her 'yes/no' and 'go/stay'...so much that it felt like whiplash. Just make up your mind already! That said, if you enjoy a well-written family drama of grief and second chances, then definitely give this one a try.

A couple is torn apart following a tragic accident in a small town in upstate New York. The story alternates between before the accident and the present day. It was a very readable book but the plot doesn't really challenge readers and depends on some tropes/cliches.

I don't even know how to begin this review. This was as close to perfect as I could ask for in a book. It was hard to read, but also beautiful. Absolutely ripped my heart out, put it through hell and then put it back together again...but not perfectly. Because just like the Casey and Kyle, can't ever go back to normal or perfect after what they've been through as a couple. I also want to visit Potsdam and start watching middle school hockey apparently??? Thank you for writing this, Tracey Lange.

I've now read and loved every one of Lange's books.

This is the story of Kyle McCray who has to return home to take care of his dad after he suffers from a debilitating stroke. Kyle left town over two years ago and had not been planning to come back. In fact, he's pretty sure he's not welcome back.

Alas.

This is the story of grief, loss, family, forgiveness, shame and so so much love. It's a reminder that things are rarely what they seem and a reminder of all the things we give up in the name of caring for someone else and managing to hurt them in the process. It's a reminder that suffering in silence is never better than suffering together and healing together. Some losses are too big but even those, especially those, need the company of grace and love.

Lange's stories have so many of life's emotions at their center. And they always remind you what it means to be family.

with gratitude to netgalley and Celadon Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

My book besties both recommended this as one of their favorite books in 2024. So clearly I had to read it. It broke my heart and put it back together over and over. I wanted to dislike characters, but loved every single one. I wanted to be mad at different people at different times but found myself feeling deeply for each of them. I could not put it down.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC!
 
I really enjoyed the author’s previous novels and I can say the same for this one. She’s quickly becoming a top tier author for me because she writes heartwarming family stories where the characters really grow. This town feels real and the people feel real.
 
This book had a lot of what I love about her novels. I loved that there’s a German shepherd (who does not die in this book fyi) and I especially liked Wyatt as a side character. I loved Kyle and Casey’s journey back to one another. The subplot about the hockey team was a nice addition and didn’t overpower the main story which I liked (because honestly, I couldn’t give less of a sh*t about hockey).
 
I have two gripes with this novel—it felt like a slog at points and Casey was really, really frustrating as a character. It felt overly long and some flashbacks weren’t needed, in my opinion. As for Casey, gosh I found her selfish. Intellectually, I know she went through a lot, but I needed to see more of her interiority to give her some slack. Her decisions to remove herself from situations seemed hare-brained and half-baked.
 
However, overall, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it.

This wasn’t my favorite. It felt very long for not very much happening. The mystery of what happened kept me going but this took me longer than it should to get through.

This book broke my heart into a million pieces, and I loved it so much that it's a contender for my favorite book of the year.

What Happened To The McCrays is a beautiful, tender and emotional story of a marriage torn apart by pain and grief. When Kyle gets word that his dad has suffered a stroke, he must go home to upstate New York and face his ex-wife Casey and the town he abandoned 2.5 years ago. Kyle and Casey, broken and troubled, leapt off the page and into my heart. I could feel their pain, and I cried multiple times while reading. But underneath it all I felt hope. These characters needed healing and closure, and I so desperately wanted them to be ok.

The best way to go into this book is not knowing much about it. The story unfolds slowly, and you get the sense that there's so much you don't know. But as more and more information comes to light, your understanding of the characters grows, and things start to make a lot more sense.

This book was a very heavy read, and I found myself having to take breaks when the emotions got to be too much. But I wouldn't change a thing about it. It was a story of love, of shattered dreams, hope, resiliency, community and family. I highly, highly recommend this book.

When Kyle McCray receives word that his father has suffered a debilitating stroke, he returns to his hometown of Potsdam in upstate New York with no expectation of a warm welcome. Two and a half years earlier, Kyle burned a lot of bridges when he abruptly left town abandoning his dad, his friends, the employees at the garage he owned and Casey, his wife of sixteen years.

Apologies are made, responsibility is taken and before long Kyle is given an opportunity to redeem himself by taking on coaching the struggling middle school hockey team. He starts to think about moving back to Potsdam but knows that it's only possible if Casey doesn't object to his staying.

A "then" and "now" dual timeline story from both Kyle and Casey's points-of-view shows the start of their relationship as highschool sweethearts and continues up until the point that Kyle left town slowly revealing what happened to the McCrays at the same time as they confront the pain of their broken marriage and try to make peace with the past in the current timeline.

What Happened to the McCrays is an emotional family drama - both heartbreaking and hopeful. I was fully invested in this poignant story of family and community, love and loss, regret, forgiveness and redemption. The characters are sympathetic and you can't help but root for them, the small town experience is authentic, and I loved the middle school hockey players and the adorable dog. This is the first book that I have read by this author and it was quite an enjoyable read - I'll definitely pick up the author's previous two books now!

Thanks to NetGalley and Celadon Books for sending a digital ARC of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

I loved Tracey Lange's last book and was so excited to receive a new copy of this one -- one of my most anticipated books of 2025! This one did not disappoint, I loved it so much and it's a hard one to review because I felt so invested! This was easily one of my favorite reads of the year.

I love how Tracey Lange writes complicated family dynamics and very emotional situations -- she handles very hard subjects in a graceful way. This book deals with many very sad things, but I couldn't put it down and loved it so much.

I felt for both Kyle and Casey and could see both of their points of view. I loved both characters and badly wanted things to work out for each of them.

I recommend this one to anyone who loves books that get under your skin and really make you feel, and who can handle being sad while reading. I am so excited to read whatever Tracey Lange reads in the future!

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book!

All the stars and then some!🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Looking for a family drama to lose yourself in this weekend? This is THAT book!

For the past two years Kyle and Casey McCray have been estranged, with Kyle moving across the country. But when his father falls ill, Kyle must make his way back home. And face the demons that have been haunting him.

There is so much love and history between this couple. I adored their stories and felt the profound pain they carried.

Can they heal themselves and make their way back to each other? Or are they destined once again to live separate lives.

This was such a beautifully crafted and emotional read. It’s been a long, long time since a book has brought me to tears. This one managed to on several occasions.

This book will definitely be making its way onto my favorites shelf! Highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books.

When his father suffers a stroke, Kyle McCray find himself reluctantly back in his small hometown of Potsdam, New York. Kyle hasn't seen his father, his friends, or his ex-wife, Casey, since he left. He wants more than anything to get his father back on his feet quickly and leave again as quickly as possible. But when his father's recovery ends up being much more serious than previously expected, Kyle will be forced to face the people he left behind and come to terms with the events that caused him to leave.

What Happened to the McCrays is a story about redemption, grief, and moving on. Lange's books are brilliant, character driven stories that truly resonate with readers. Filled with complex family drama (the good kind), second chances, and small-town hockey - this story will invoke all the emotions.

Tracey Lange is officially an auto read author for me and each of her books just gets better and better. I ended up primarily listening to this on audio, and 10/10 recommend the audiobook narrated by Stephanie Memeth-Parker and William DeMerit.

TW: Child Death

What Happened to the McCrays? comes out January 14, 2025. Thank you to Celadon Books and Macmillan Audio for my advanced copy in exchange for my review. If you liked this review, please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting:
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