Kyle left his hometown abruptly. When he returns to town after his father has a stroke, he must confront the aftermath of his decision, as well as the circumstances that caused him to leave. The book explores how a devastating event can affect a marriage.

Tracey Lange’s What Happened to the McCrays? is a heartfelt story about family, forgiveness, and finding second chances. When Kyle McCray returns to his hometown after his father’s stroke, he’s forced to face the pain he caused by leaving suddenly two years earlier. His strained relationship with his wife (or is it ex-wife?!), Casey, is especially moving, as they both struggle to heal from their past that the reader learns about little by little as the book continues.

Becoming the coach of a struggling middle school hockey team gives Kyle a chance to reconnect with the community and rediscover his purpose. The team adds warmth and hope to the story, showing how people can grow when they come together. This book is emotional and heavy at times, but it’s also full of love and healing. It’s a powerful reminder of how hard—but important—it is to face the past and make amends. If you enjoy stories about family and redemption, this one is a great pick.

I LOVE this book!!

The publisher's description tells you what you need to know about the plot, but it doesn't address Tracey Lange's tremendous skill in creating complex, realistic, and flawed characters, and the believable situations they find themselves in. She makes you feel all the emotions the characters feel, and the sense of community and support in Potsdam just might make you envious.

This is a poignant, heart-breaking, uplifting story that I won't soon forget! This is the second book I've read by this author, and I rated each of them 5 stars. It's official - I'll read anything this author publishes!!

My thanks to Celadon Books for permitting me to access a DRC via NetGalley. Publication is 1/14/25. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own and are freely given.

What Happened to the McCrays is the third book I’ve read by Tracey Lange and by far my favorite. It is a masterclass in portraying the fragility of the human experience and the weight of grief. The story beautifully illustrates how, despite the tragedies and pain we endure, life keeps moving forward, compelling us to gather the pieces and carry on.

The small-town setting in this book reminded me so much of the one I grew up in. In places like these, everyone knows everyone—and all their business, too. The shared history among the townspeople allows them to show up for each other without needing to ask or explain; they simply know what we need, often before we do.

The book captures how people respond to grief in their own unique ways, emphasizing that there’s no right or wrong way to navigate loss. The characters felt incredibly real and vivid, spanning from their high school years to adulthood. Their depth and relatability made me feel like I truly knew them.

This is a stunning, heartfelt story that lingers long after the final page.

What Happened to the McCrays follows a divorced couple in both past and present POVs. I am amazed by Tracey Lange's talent to make me care so deeply about these characters. They felt so real, and I devoured this book in one sitting.

I received an ARC and ALC from Celadon Books and Macmillan Audio via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I have loved Tracey Lange’s first two novels and receiving early access to this next read was so exciting! I loved Kyle and Casey’s journey, but have the tissues ready!

Having enjoyed the author's previous books, I was bummed that this one didn't work for me. The story is about a divorced couple. The husband leaves town after they separate and finds his way back to town to help a family member. The plot, character-development, and style of writing felt too in-your-face and obvious. The story dragged and the plot was both too sad and too forced. It reminded me of a dark Hallmark movie. Do those exist? I think I'm in the minority as this was a miss for me but has high ratings from so many. Grateful to the publisher for the advanced copy.

Thank you Net Galley. I've read Brennan's other two novels, and love how she writes about family drama. While set on the East Coast, each of her novels have a unique setting which provides its own ambiance. I appreciate how she manages to slip in a link to her other novels, but quietly so that each story is its own. This particular novel speaks to loss and how it impacts each family member differently, and how love can still remain. A really good family relationship read.

What Happened to the McCrays? by Tracey Lange
.
Kyle McCray is across the country when he learns that his father is in the hospital after a stroke. He returns home to help care for him. He hasn’t been home since he left suddenly over two years ago. Now he is back he will need to answer for why he left.
.
What I liked:
-Tracey writes the best emotional stories that just rip my heart out, toss it around a bit, then gently put it back, and stitch everything back together.
-Seriously, I cried so much reading this book. Bring tissues.
-There is just the perfect amount of gradual reveals to the story telling.
-There is just ending made my poor battered heart so happy.
-Also there’s a dog.
.
4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I loved Kyle and Casey’s story.

When his father has a stroke, Kyle McCray reluctantly returns to his hometown to care for him. Two and half years ago, Kyle abruptly left town abandoning his father, his friends, his employees, and Casey, his wife of sixteen years. When asked to coach the struggling middle school hockey team, Kyle finds an chance for redemption. But to stay in town permanently, he must make peace with Casey as the book slowly reveals what caused a love-filled relationship to collapse so suddenly.

Tearjerker alert. I cried several times while reading Lange's latest novel which, I should add, I devoured in one day. Tracey Lange knows how to tear my heart and then put it back together in just the right ways and I am loving her family dramas. The complicated intertwining of grief and guilt that destroyed their marriage is painfully realistic and hits you like a truck but the hopeful ending provides the catharsis you need to warm your heart back up.

4.5
This is a serious family drama that deals with the loss of a young child and a fractured marriage. I was sucked into the lives of Kyle and Casey and the community of Potsdam. Lange writes an interesting story with compassion and the right amount of pacing and intrigue. My only critique is that the ending seemed to drag out and I thought the last conflict could have been omitted. Still, a great story that handles some difficult material. Lange does a great job writing about emotions and relationships.

Oh dear. I really don't enjoy writing a negative review. I'm sure this book will appeal to some readers, but it is far from what I would call literary fiction. It is not well-crafted. The mystery is why Kyle left his hometown of Potsdam several years ago with deep feelings of shame. A third of the way through the book, the author is still teasing that question while portraying Kyle as an admirable man. Are we going to discover that he is actually a villain? The story drags on and on with ultimately irrelevant details about a high school hockey team as well as a depiction of some of the serious psychological problems that Kyle's ex-wife suffers after the sad event that prompted Kyle's feelings of guilt and shame.
I really wanted to like this book. I wanted to experience what life is like in the town of Potsdam, NY for a teacher, a hockey team, a coach, a young couple, etc. There were such moments (waiting at the railroad tracks in your car for a train to pass while trying to avoid a conversation with your ex who is in the passenger seat) but the sense of place was pretty thin.
Fans of Lifetime movies will be more appreciative of the drama the author creates here.

A beautifully written family drama, What Happened to the McCrays will pull on your heartstrings. I highly recommend this newest title from the author of We Are the Brennans and The Connellys of County Down.

Kyle returns to his hometown in a small working class community in upstate New York after his father suffers a stroke. Reluctant to return home after his sudden departure two years ago, he’s forced to confront the impact his absence had on his family and coworkers. Casey, his exwife and highschool sweetheart has mixed emotions about his return.

Dual timelines gradually reveal Kyle and Casey’s perspectives on their marriage, the tragedy and the guilt they each carry. Full of well developed characters and complex in-depth relationships, Lange’s newest title tells a heartfelt story about a community and the lasting impact of tragedy. This poignant and hopeful story will stay with you long after the final page.

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for the advanced reader’s copy.

Many thanks to Netgalley and publishers for providing my review copy. This will break your heart and put it back together again. In my opinion, Tracey Lange is just getting better and better. I've enjoyed all of her work but this one takes the cake!! Grab the tissues and settle in.

I still have a book hangover from this emotionally gripping story. This was my first book by Tracey Lange, and I wasn’t prepared to cry while listening to the audiobook. The story is beautifully written and explores a failed marriage, highlighting how grief and guilt can affect people differently. Both narrators, Stephanie Németh-Parker and William DeMeritt, did an excellent job portraying Kyle and Casey, capturing all the emotions perfectly. Despite the heavy themes, I loved how their community rallied around them. There’s nothing more special than the support of one’s hometown. The hockey component was enjoyable, providing a necessary balance to the heartbreaking moments in the story. This story is intense and sometimes heartbreaking, but it's worth reading!

Thank you to NetGallery, Macmillan Audio and Celadon Books for giving me a copy

This book was very good and easy to read but the story was so sad! It was hard for me to understand why I kept reading after each character such hardship. I am glad I read til the end and recommend that you do too. Recommend.

I loved both of Tracey Lange’s previous books, and was so honored to be approved for this one! Lange is one of the most talented of storytellers bringing to life, not only the characters but the whole community in this book.
When Kyle McCray is called home, he knows he won’t receive a warm welcome after leaving abruptly over two years ago. He hopes to lie low and avoid the friends he abandoned, especially his wife of sixteen years, Casey. Focused on his own overwhelming loss, he didn’t realize the impact that his leaving had on the loved ones he left behind.
In a dual timeline scenario, Lange slowly unravels the story of the love story between Kyle and Casey and the tragedy that pulled them apart. It takes us into the home and hearts of this family.
This book is deeply emotional exploring devastating grief of one of the worst kinds which Lange handles compassionately, albeit with raw and deep emotion. It’s of hurt, guilt, anger and disappointment. But it also is a community that will hold one of their own, and of love, friendship, hope and forgiveness.

I have yet to read a Tracey Lange book I haven't loved but I think this is her best yet.

𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗛𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗘𝗡𝗘𝗗 𝗧𝗢 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗠𝗖𝗖𝗥𝗔𝗬𝗦 made me feel all the things. The story of love, loss and forgiveness reminded me a lot of 𝘉𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘯 which is one of my all-time favorite books and praise I don't dole out lightly. It's not only that they both feature small-town hockey teams - they have similarly memorable characters and quietly captivating stories about regular people trying to do their best they in difficult situations.

Lange's writing is poignant but subtle - she doesn't hit you over the head with drama but lets the secrets slowly unfold - and the relationships and situations all feel realistic. I got so emotionally invested in the McCrays and their community, I still think about them weeks later.

Don't miss this when it comes out in January - it's one of the best books I've read this year and I have no doubt it will be a top book club pick for 2025.

Thanks to Celadon Books and Macmillan Audio for the copies to review.

I had a connection to this book even before I opened up to the first chapter. A novel that takes place in a village of a town, a small corner of upstate NY, that holds a lot of my own memories.

Potsdam, NY. A town that explodes when Universities are in session and breathes again when they all leave. A community that rallies around each other and finds a simplicity to life that sinks in, in the way that the long winter nights hit there.

My husband was on a D1 scholarship to Clarkson. The school that holds my 19-22yr old memories. The friendships of the locals. The Inn at the end of the street that family stayed in. And the toilet seat yard that had us all laughing whenever we drove past. Oh, and still my favourite place to get a bagel sandwich at the Bagelry. (Not sure if it still exists though).

But instead of me reminiscing about the hard winters traveling there to see hockey; or trying to occupy myself with a good friend in a town with 1 Main Street…. I found myself completely immersed in Tracey’s characters.

It’s a story about love, friendship, grief and community. But even deeper to that, it’s about home. My husband and I have always said to each other that home is where our “home team” is together, and that sentiment runs deeply in this novel.

The characters are deeply emotional. Their marriage has war wounds of grief. But the community around them gives the book the beating heart.

I have loved Ms Lange’s other two books. But this is head and shoulders better. The writing just dug that much deeper emotively.

I mentioned in my previous post spotlighting this one that I would compare it to Beartown by Backman. Yes both have hockey. Yes both have small towns but also, it’s not about either of those things. Beartown felt different in that you had 3 novels to let the characters dig into you. This one just scratches the surface of life within a village. And hope after Grief.

This author is one of my very favorites. I've read both of her previous books and they were fantastic. This one is even better. The tear factor is 100%. It gives you a chuckle or three an you will fall in love with the main male character Kyle.

The main characters in this book are: Kyle, Wyatt, Casey, Danny and of course Star. Star is the German Shepherd you will love.

After a devastating loss Kyle leaves Potsdam, NY. He leaves without saying goodbye and the people who love him are upset with him. He could have said goodbye after all.

When Kyle finally checks his texts and sees he has quite a few he knows something is up. He has to go home because his dad has had a stroke and he needs to take care of him. Danny was a fireman. He was also a single parent to Kyle. Kyle had married the love of his life Casey. Casey's brother Wyatt has always lived with her. Since their mother died at a young age. Wyatt was in a terrible accident as a very young child and is in a wheelchair. He also has a thriving woodworking business in a shed behind their home. Star is the beloved family pet.

You learn about how Kyle and Casey came to become a couple. The love they shared and what happened to make them split. How they are both so messed up apart. Casey is a teacher and is filling in somewhat as a coach for the middle school hockey team. Kids that you will adore. When Kyle comes back he takes over being the coach and the kids thrive. They start playing so well and even place in the finals. What they do then will bring you to your knees. What they do for Kyle and Casey. It is a very emotional scene.

The love between these two main characters is one you can feel. While at the same time feeling the deep pain they each bear. This is a beautifully written love story and tragedy. It's a tearjerker but as with all of this author's books so far, it has a happy ending.

I adored this book. It gave me a few feels but the story is so overwhelming told that you will have the ugly cries. Have lots of kleenex handy. When you find out exactly what did Happen to the McCrays you get a big understanding of what pure pain and grief is. The author made this book real.

I also listened to the audio and it was done perfectly. The two narrators portrayed the characters exactly right. They made the emotions all the more realistic. From start to finish this book is great.

Thank you #NetGalley, #CeladonBooks, #MacmillanAudio, for this ARC. This is my thoughts about this book.

Five big stars and worth even more.