💭 ⓂⓎ ⓉⒽⓄⓊⒼⒽⓉⓈ
For all my fellow emotional damage book lovers, this one is 100% for us. I went in completely blind and was caught off guard by the emotional impact this book had on me. The trigger warnings are pretty severe, but if you’re in the right headspace, this is a must-read. The story is beautifully heartbreaking yet hopeful, and all the characters are so well written that I don’t think I can pick a favorite. It tackles grief and forgiveness in a way that will stay with me forever. I loved absolutely everything about this book. It gave me all the atmospheric and hockey vibes of “Beartown” while making me sob and feel as connected to the characters as in “Brightside.”

Tracey Lange is truly amazing. I enjoyed We Are the Brennans, I loved The Connellys of County Down, and I’m absolutely obsessed with What Happened to the McCrays. This book is definitely making my top 5 of the year.

📚 𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚒𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎:
💕Second chances
😢Emotional reads
💔Heartbreaking yet hopeful
🎭Family drama
📈Character driven
❤️‍🩹Dealing with grief
🏡Small town vibes
🏒Hockey
🔁Dual timelines

⚠️ 𝙏𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙜𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨: I think listing them will spoil the book. DM me for more info.

❤️‍🩹𝕄𝕐 ℝ𝔸𝕋𝕀ℕ𝔾❤️‍🩹
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

💕Q U O T E: “𝒫𝒶𝒾𝓃 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒽𝒶𝓅𝓅𝒾𝓃𝑒𝓈𝓈 𝓌𝑒𝓇𝑒𝓃'𝓉 𝓂𝓊𝓉𝓊𝒶𝓁𝓁𝓎 𝑒𝓍𝒸𝓁𝓊𝓈𝒾𝓋𝑒, 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓎 𝒸𝑜𝓊𝓁𝒹 𝒸𝑜𝑒𝓍𝒾𝓈𝓉 𝒾𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓈𝒶𝓂𝑒 𝓂𝑜𝓂𝑒𝓃𝓉, 𝒾𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓈𝒶𝓂𝑒 𝓂𝑒𝓂𝑜𝓇𝓎.”

🙏 Thank you NetGalley, Celadon Books, and Tracey Lange for this ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts. 💕

This book will for sure be in my favorite books of the year- I wish there was a special 6 star rating for books like these.

What Happened to the McCrays is a book that will make you feel all the feels the entire time. I felt so incredibly invested in the story and didn’t want to put it down. I love a well done family drama and this one was written so well. I felt like I really knew the characters.

I’m not a crier but this book made me cry several times. It really was heart breaking and heart warming all at once.

I cannot recommend this book enough! If you like character rich novels or love stories that aren’t romances or family dramas- get this book!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

oh my gosh, LOVED THIS BOOK. Not a lot of books make me cry for the characters and this one felt so real and so raw that the day I finished I just wanted to give Kyle and Casey the biggest hugs. This book does family strife incredibly well - and showcases how one (or two) tragedies can tear us apart. My heart broke and was repaired all over again. Oh man. The perfect winter read.

5+ my heart in pieces, but I loved it stars

This one broke my heart and then put it back together. My favorite read of the year.

Heartbreaking. Family. Hockey. Parenthood. Guilt. Hopeful. Grief. Mental Health. Love. Small Towns. Somehow, these elements combine to create a book that feels like my favorite of the year. I have given two earlier books by this author 5 stars, but this is my favorite of hers.

As the title implies, this book is about the McCray family and much more. It opens with a scene of Kyle McCray on his way home to Potsdam to care for his father after a stroke. We learn what kind of man he is by how he treats a situation with a waitress in a diner: calmly diffusing things but showing he could use force if necessary.

Kyle and Casey found each other in high school. Many in town think too young. Casey was all set to head to college when a family tragedy strikes. She gives up her dream of college for a while. And Kyle moves in to take care of her and her brother Wyatt. Casey eventually becomes a middle school teacher and her kids adore her.

Kyle is a stand-up man. He was a star hockey player who went on to coach. He trained to become a mechanic and took over the local repair shop. He’s beloved in his community. He’s always anxious about money, though.

We don’t know why Kyle abandoned his family, friends, work, and community and suddenly left town over two years ago. He knows that he will get an unfriendly welcome from many in town. It’s clear that he needs to help his Dad rehabilitate.

The rest of the book is a masterful storytelling model. It shows us pieces of the past, including how Kyle and Casey fell in love, married, and built a life in town. We learn how Kyle takes care of the people he loves, and Casey internalizes her feelings. We learned what tore Kyle and Casey apart, and I hoped they might make their way back together.

Kyle is talked into coaching the middle school hockey team, and at first, they are truly awful. This is one of my favorite parts of the book, showing how sports and time can transform players' lives and those around them.

Sadly, Casey keeps pushing Kyle away and we only learn late in the book about her painful journey that broke my heart. I think I cried about four times in this book, so I recommend keeping the tissues handy. I was completely invested in this story, these characters, and they are memorable. This author write about family and relationships in an authentic and compelling way. Can you tell I loved this book?

An emotionally gripping story, highlighting the debilitating trail cut by grief, loss, fear and self-shaming. Narrated in turn by Kyle McCray, a fortyish mechanic, now living in Spokane, Washington and his ex-wife, Casey, who remained behind two-and-a-half years ago in their home and hometown of Potsdam NY, Kyle’s losses include both his wife and his community - a homebase brimming with small-town charm, ice-hockey mania, neighbors, and deep-rooted relationships.

When a family emergency sees Kyle unexpectedly forced back to Potsdam, Kyle and Casey’s difficult (and tragic) decisions, along with their repercussions, must finally be dealt with.

Told in alternate timelines of “then” and “now”, the story gradually unfurls to reveal exactly what did happen to the McCrays - an intimate tale that comes to be seen as both heartbreaking and poignant.

As both Kyle and Casey confront their pasts, re-visiting the lives they are attempting to build (individually) it is not at all clear if they will find their way to share a future, or if their secrets, and shame will continue to overwhelm them.

An interesting tale with more than one well-crafted emotional tug, this is a sweet and tender story with plenty of twists and turns (and a whole lot of heart) along the way.

A great big thank you to the Netgalley, the author and the publisher for an ARC of this story. All thoughts presented are my own.

I have enjoyed Tracey Lange's previous two novels but this one was her best yet. It was a little darker, I full on cried at times, and smiled as well. I love her books and will always read her. The character development of the main characters was wonderful.

What Happened to the McCray’s by Tracey Lange is good! The characters are well defined and really make you feel.
Kyle McCray finds out his father has had a stroke, and he needs to go back home. There is a lot of heartache there and he is reluctant to go home.
When he does, he is confronted with all the angst from his past. All his friends and especially his wife Casey.

I loved the writing and how the story showed all the flaws and how everything worked out with forgiveness,

As always, Tracy Lange delivers on the beautiful, gut -wrenching family drama. The main characters are so well drawn, I felt I knew them, not to mention the lovely people in the community that I adopted as my own neighbors. There is a lot of hockey involved in the book, but it does not take away from the plot line. I love how the author adds little things like toilet planters, to give the story even more charm. Thank you to Celadon Books and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

NOBODY writes about broken people and estrangement better than Tracey Lange.

See that yellow house with the black shutters? (Gorgeous book cover) That is where high school sweethearts Kyle and Casey McCray lived before he suddenly left, two and a half years ago.

But what happened to the McCrays that could possibly make him leave the wife he had adored for 16 years?

And, how will he face her, and everyone else who he abandoned in his small town now that he must return to help his Dad recuperate after suffering a debilitating Stroke?

Potsdam may not offer a lot in the way of opportunities, but it does have a community of caring people who rally together after tragedy just as vehemently as they cheer on the local middle school hockey team!

And, as Kyle learns some truths about what happened THEN, and SINCE THEN, while helping his Dad, the hockey team that needs a temporary Coach, and even his ex wife-he will realize that he doesn’t want to leave again-

But to STAY he will need to make peace with the PAST, and especially with Casey.

And, I was rooting DESPERATELY for him to be able to do so!

Tracey Lange has once again created relatable characters who don’t always make the best choices, but who are always doing the best that they can at the time. And, somehow, despite some mistakes, we are able to remain open to both sides-as we learn what has caused their pain and the decisions they made-despite the heartbreaking consequences that these same decisions may have caused.

Poignant, heart rending, and HOPEFUL, take time to SAVOR this wonderful story and have tissues ready!

I can’t wait for the author’s next book! I always move them straight to the top of my TBR list as she has quickly become one of my FAVORITE authors with all three of her novels have earning a well deserved FIVE STARS from me!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Bonus: A wonderful dog named Star! 🐶

AVAILABLE January 14, 2025

Thank You to Celadon Books for the gifted ARC provided through NetGalley. As always these are my candid thoughts!

Tracey Lange does it again 👏🏼

This one gave me Kristin Hannah meets Beartown kind of vibes - characters that you love mixed with loss and tragedy. I really enjoyed the pace of this one and how she sprinkled in bits and pieces before the final ‘reveal’ of the big tragedy. I love a good dual timeline and getting to see Kyle and Casey’s past.

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for this eARC!

What Happened to the McCrays? by Tracey Lange

Tracey Lange is three for three with me. We Are the Brennans, The Connellys of County Down, and now, What Happened to the McCrays? have all been five star reads. Tracy writes love, happiness, heartbreak, and grief in ways that are so real. Even when I don't understand why one of her characters do something, even when I wish they would act differently, I always seem to be able to understand what they are going through, even if it's just a little bit, even if I'd feel something other than they felt.

Starting the story with Kyle McCray was a great way to get this story going. For two and a half years he's been making his home here or there, moving as he worked, knowing he left things unfinished but also knowing he might never go back to finish them. How could he when he just up and left. Surely everyone hates him, he has nothing to go back to, and now the hospital has contacted him because his estranged dad has had a stroke.

So Kyle goes back and finds out how much he has been missed, how much everyone worried about him, and how happy they are to have him back. He fits in like a very special and well loved glove and there is so much for him to do now that he is home. Kyle has always been a doer, a fixer, always trying to make things right. But some things can't be made right and the biggest thing is his relationship with his ex wife.

Middle school teacher, Casey, still lives in her lifelong house, the house where Kyle spent so many years living with Casey. Now he's across the street from her in his dad's house and they both try to avoid each other. The town needs them, they actually need each other, but until each is right in their hearts and heads maybe it's best they avoid each other all together.

I loved this story, it hit so many fantastic notes for me, the entire range, and I'd be happy to go back to this town and spend more time there. Lange's worlds are connected, even if in very small ways, and her worlds feel so real. I read this story but someday I want to go back and listen to the audiobook just to spend time with the McCrays again. It was a delight to buddy read this story with Jayme and DeAnn and I will be discussing it for some time to come since I keep thinking of things I want to say.

Thank you to Celadon Books and NetGalley for this ARC.

I received a free e-arc of this book through Netgalley.
The timeline goes back and forth between then and now as a family emergency brings a divorced couple back together. The reader is slowly shown why the couple got divorced. This was an emotional read for me at times (TW: child death). The will they/won't they is assumed of course, but the emotional crumbling of the walls around them as they navigate back together is painful at times. It's not all sunshine and roses in a relationship and we have to be willing to let people in to see the real us.

Thank you for this ARC! Tracy Lange is an auto-buy for me, I have loved all her books. I have personal ties to Potsdam, NY, which made this story extra special. I love the characters she develops and the redemption stories she crafts. I was rooting for the main characters the whole way through. If you enjoy family drama fiction, this one will not disappoint.

Tracey Lange has established herself as a master of stories about family dynamics, but she outdoes herself with her latest, What Happened to the McCrays? The book starts with Kyle McCray returning home to Potsdam, New York after he finds out that his father Danny has had a stroke. The reader is then introduced to Casey, who turns out, is Kyle's ex-wife, and a big reason why he left town and hasn't been back since. The book alternates not only between Kyle and Casey, but also between the life the pair had leading up to Kyle's departure, and the current time, where the two are trying to find a way to share the same space. Their romance is one that screams it should be happily ever after, childhood sweethearts that balance each other out and help each other get through hard times. But it turns out there's one hardest time that led to their rupture, and their reunion is not only forcing them back together but forcing them to confront a tragic event that they both thought they were to blame for. This could be written in a way that's melodramatic and over-the-top, but Lange beautifully walks the tightrope of making the reader aware of just how much what happened affected the pair while keeping it from consuming the book. Instead, the reader gets to see the pair finally confront their past, while connecting to the community and see how no matter what happened they're better off as a pair, not just for each other but everyone else around them. Despite their own physical limitations, Danny and Casey's brother Wyatt are straight shooters that show that they don't really need coddling, they just need to know the people they care most about will be okay. Rounding out the crew are a group of thirteen year old boys and their classmate and assistant team manager Rosie that are determined to turn their hockey team around if Kyle's willing to stick around and be their coach - and Casey's willing to be his manager. The book is full of sad moments, one in particular that the reader will know is coming, and feel the same sense of helplessness that Kyle and Casey do. But it is also full of love and triumph. That balance makes this book special. A complimentary copy was provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was a good love story.

The characters were well developed and I could picture them in my mind

My only criticism would be the title sounded more like it would be a mystery and it was definitely not that. I kept waiting for a twist that never happened. Family dysfunction and pain were the themes.

"'I guess he's afraid of the bad memories.' 'Actually,' Wyatt said, 'I think he's afraid of the good ones.'"

I loved #whathappenedtothemccrays?"! These characters are people you know, people you fell in love with, people you went to school with, etc. As Casey and Kyle navigate their present day lives, we are taken back to how they began and the experiences they shared along the way. You know something went horribly wrong, but you're not sure what. At times, I became very frustrated with Casey's stubbornness, but I guess that's part and parcel of being human. We all deal in different ways, and there's no right or wrong. Life is hard. Love is harder.

P.S. Thanks to #netgalley for the ARC.

Some novels don’t need explosive storylines and exciting locations to be great reads. Tracey Lange imbues the joy of small town communities looking out for each other and treating everyone like family. At the heart of her story is Casey and Kyle, whose love has shattered through tragedy. But a small glimmer of that love still remains, they just need their brains to stop trying to destroy it.
Lange doesn’t create a Hallmark perfect world, with references to the inequality of residents and wealthy students, and to the hardship of living on lower incomes. She does write about small acts of kindness and responsibility to others, to the joys of being happy without ambition when you have people you love in your life. I was routing for Casey and Kyle all the way through.
Thanks Netgalley for the ARC.

Wow. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read, “What Happened to the McCray’s?”. I have loved each of Tracey’s books so much and cannot wait to read what is next. This was so emotional, so raw and so good. I quite literally would only let myself read 10-15% each day just so I could savor every single chapter and moment. Once I approached 85% I was an emotional wreck and was not ready for it to end. Marvelous job, Tracey! I love your work so much. Huge fan. The way you write your characters is truly a gift.

What Happened to the McCrays? Tracey Lange's latest novel tells a story of love, redemption, and a devastating loss. Lange writes about the delicate issues facing marriages today in another small-town scenario she captures so well.

Kyle Mccray discovers his father had a stroke, having been estranged from his family for over two years. He travels from Washington back to New York to return to his ex-wife, family, friends, and hometown community to care for his father. He must face the scrutiny of everyone, after leaving behind a business, reputation, and broken family relationships. As the novel unravels, the reader discovers the complex reasons behind this decision. The novel explores the issues of death, attempted suicide, and a community coming together in support of its members.

I’m a big fan of Lange. I've read her three novels, each one focusing on the importance of family and small-town community dynamics. Her characters are complicated, well-developed, and relatable. Thanks to NetGalley and Celadon Books for allowing me to read and review What Happened to the McCrays? #NetGalley #women’sfiction #WhatHappenedtotheMccrays?

I really really enjoy Tracey Lange's writing. I always find her books compelling and so readable. The relationship between the characters and the overall dynamics of families I believe she handles very well also. Every now and again in books with romantic relationships involved, I get annoyed with the push-pull and the emotional manipulation that can be involved, but this one felt like it had reason for it, which I appreciated.

What Happened to the McCrays explores the process of loss and grief, and how it can tear relationships apart. This is explored over time and with empathy and care.

4.5 stars, rounded up to 5.

Thank you for Netgalley and Celadon books for an ARC of #WhathappenedtotheMcCrays in exchange for an honest review. It was a pleasure!