This novel tells the story of Kyle and Casey McCray and their intertwined families. Once high school sweethearts and now a divorced couple that hardly communicate and live on opposite sides of the country, until Kyle’s dad suffers a stroke that brings him back to his hometown (and Casey). The writing is full of emotion and I loved the way the “then” chapters slowly revealed how Kyle and Casey came together and then fell apart. The novel deals with heavy themes of loss, grief, and mental health struggles. For me personally, I don’t think it was the right time in my life to read a book like this, and the momentum was a bit slow in the middle, but by the final chapters I loved it. I loved Wyatt, Casey’s brother, but I also wanted a little bit more development for some of the other side characters. I have read all three books by Tracey Lange, and she’s an auto-buy author for me because of how expertly she writes family dramas. For fans of the small-town-underdog-hockey team vibe of Beartown, here’s another book that is so much more than it seems!

Thank you to Celadon Books for a review copy of this beautiful book.

I’ve adored Tracey Lange’s two previous books and have come to know her as an author of the BEST family dramas. So I was expecting more of the same, but Lange blew my mind with this emotional romance instead!

Short Synopsis:
Kyle McCray returns home to his small town when his father suffers a stroke, after being away for two years. But all Kyle wants to do is reconnect with his ex-wife, who does everything to keep her distance from him.

My Thoughts:
Oh my heart. I was NOT expecting this book to be so heavy, but sad romances are my favorite so naturally I’m obsessed with it.
Kyle and Casey. I just loved them both. The town was precious. And all the side characters were fantastic. I loved the focus of the middle school hockey team and just how kind hearted this group of boys were. I don’t want to say too much so you can experience this one, but grab some tissues.

What You’ll Find:
💕Second chance romance
😭Tears
🏘️Small town
🏒Middle school hockey team
😢Grief
💁‍♀️Character driven
2️⃣Dual timelines

Trigger warnings are heavy in this one. So please check them out and take care of yourself first.

Tracey always does an amazing job of crafting stories about complex families. It makes her characters real, relatable, yet flawed, and elicits empathy and compassion.

Told in dual timelines, this tells the story of Kyle and Casey, their lives together, their estrangement, and ultimately their healing. This touched on many heavy themes, but was heartwarming and had many wonderful lessons.

I loved the small town vibes and sense of community. I also appreciated the many different representations throughout (which I won’t detail so as not to spoil some things). The hockey team and that amazing group of kids were fun to read about as well.

Shoutout to Wyatt and Star, my two favorite characters.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Pub Date: 1/14/25

*There are two huge TWs not mentioned in the synopsis, and that would technically be “spoilers”; DM me if you want more info.*

Thank you Celadon for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

First thank you to the publisher for the e-arc. I purchased the physical copy because Tracey Lange has become a fav!
I’m not sure I have the right words to express what this book made me feel.
I shed a quite a few tears. I really connected with all the characters. The unimaginable grief and guilt was heart wrenching. But wow what a roller coaster of emotions this book brought me.
Grab the tissues for this one

This review has been posted to Goodreads and Storygraph on January 14th, 2025. Links provided.

Set against the backdrop of a small-town community, What Happened to the McCrays? explores the power of resilience, family bonds, and second chances. When Kyle McCray returns to his hometown after his father’s stroke, he’s met with resentment and lingering hurt from those he abandoned several years ago, including his estranged wife, Casey. Determined to stay only long enough to help his father recover, Kyle instead finds himself drawn back into the town’s life when he is asked to coach the struggling middle school hockey team. As he reconnects with the community and confronts the pain of his past, Kyle is forced to reckon with the choices that tore his marriage apart and determine if healing and redemption are still within reach. Full of heart and raw emotion, this story captures the complexity of broken relationships and the enduring hope for forgiveness and redemption.

I absolutely devoured this story. Told from alternating perspectives of Kyle and Casey in both the present day as well as the past, What Happened to the McCrays was an incredible book for so many different reasons. It pulled me into its raw, emotional depths from the very first page. The struggles Kyle and Casey faced in forgiving themselves for the choices they each made were so heart-wrenching and felt so real. Their pain could be felt through the pages and reminded me how difficult it can be to confront the worst parts of our past. The way the story captured the fragile, yet powerful, bonds of family and the strength that comes from a supportive community left a lasting impression on me. I was especially moved by the depiction of loss - the debilitating pain of watching a loved one suffer, and the quiet resilience needed to move forward. It’s a story about second chances and the heavy cost of redemption and how healing requires both courage and vulnerability. While there were instances that I found myself frustrated by choices that Casey made, I cannot fault her for her decisions knowing what she was going through by the end of the book. This is my first book by Tracey Lange but it will most definitely not be my last. I highly recommend this book if you are looking for a moving story about love, loss, and forgiveness.

Content warnings: Loss of a child, suicide attempt, loss of a parent, depression, infertility, self harm

Thank you to Celadon Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read to an ARC of What Happened to the McCrays in return for my honest review.

Tracey Lange is a masterful writer of family dramas, a genre I absolutely adore. In this story, high school sweethearts Casey and Kyle McCray find themselves divorced after 16 years of marriage, with Kyle relocating across the country. The reasons for their separation remain a mystery, even to them. When Kyle's father suffers a stroke, he returns to his hometown, where Casey still resides—right across the street. Inevitably, their paths cross, setting the stage for a heartfelt tale of love, hope, and forgiveness.

Tracey Lange wrote another enjoyable book. This is my favorite of hers. Kyle McCray returns home to Potsdam after his dad has a stroke to help him out. He has been gone for two and a half years. So much is packed into this story about Kyle and Casey who were childhood sweethearts that married and divorced.so what happened to the McCrays? They seem like the perfect couple.
A wonderful emotional read about family drama, tragedy, grief and love all mixed together. Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon books for the copy.

Get your tissues ready because this book is going to have you in tears for days while reading and even after!

I fell in love with the McCrays and could feel the love they had for each other and the heartbreak and ache that was between them. It was so beautiful to read a story that had such a supportive community that surrounded this couple but even more beautiful were the children who could see an undeniable love that was between two people.

This is a story that had love, friendship, tragedy, mental health and parenting all wrapped into one beautiful book.

Lange had me googling Potsdam, NY after reading this book and wanting to see for myself what such a tight knit community looked like.

If I gave this book a star for every time it made me tear up, I would give it 800 stars. I was so moved by the story of love, loss and community.

I actually went into this completely blind, just knowing how much I enjoyed Tracey Lange’s storytelling. Now that I’ve read her third book, I can confidently say that no one writes a messed up, complicated family dynamic like Lange and that is exactly what you get with the McCrays. Kyle comes back to the small town he abandoned after his father’s stroke and in time, so many things are revealed. I was pretty immediately hooked at the first character connection revelation and could not put the book down.

This is heavy in parts but heartwarming as well. You really get to know the characters over the thirty chapters you spend in Potsdam, and some flashbacks provide insight into the events that shaped this family. They’re weaved in so the reader gets an inclining of what heartbreak will follow but it’s paced masterfully that you don’t really understand each character’s perspective until the very end. I just really loved it.

Read this. Have tissues handy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for the opportunity to read a copy of this. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I honestly love this author’s writing. It’s beautiful and atmospheric, and the way she tells a story is just nothing short of captivating. I didn’t want to stop!

Kyle & Casey
Charlie
Community

Such a good story about redemption. It was heartwarming. Forgiveness.

I loved the gradual way the story place all the pieces together about two broken people that still needed each other. Every layer that was revealed just added to the emotions of this story.

I’ve quite enjoyed every book by Tracey Lange. As well I’d recommend this book.

Thank NetGalley & Celadon Books for the advanced copy opportunity.

What Happened to the McCrays by Tracey Lange ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

As someone who doesn’t give 5 stars easily, I’ve now given two in January. This book made me feel so many feelings, and that’s what earned it 5 stars for me.

This book was about grief, forgiveness, community, and second chances. It was about holding on and letting go. It was real and raw. It was complicated and simple. It was beautiful.

Lange has an incredible voice, and she knocked it out of the park with this one. Readers looking for realistic, multilayered characters, family drama, and small town settings will love this one.

Thank you NetGalley & Celadon Books for granting me the opportunity to read "What Happened to the McCrays?" This is a book that will stay with me for a lifetime. It was raw, emotional, deep, and realistic. Life is not always easy. Grief can be all consuming. I will think about Casey and Kyle forever. This story follows the relationship of Casey and Kyle McCray throughout their life. The good, the bad, and the debilitating. They say a 5-stay read is a feeling and this delivered that and more. I never wanted to put this book down, and I did not want it to ever end. This is a book I am going to wish I could re-read again for the first time. I am jealous of everyone who has not read this one yet, but I highly recommend you add this to your TBR immediately.

On the outside looking in, Kyle and Casey McCray have it all. A beautiful love that has flourished since they were high school sweethearts. Now 16 years later, Kyle had left. He left his job, wife and family in his small hometown.

Kyle is called back home after being gone for two years now. He returned to help his father who has suffered a major stroke and needs help regaining his strength, walking, and getting to physical therapy sessions. Though Kyle isn’t ready to face the past, he knows he can’t turn his back on his father.

When Kyle sees Casey again, all his feelings for her resurface, stronger than ever. He also discovers that the town doesn’t resent him as he feared; most people are understanding and forgiving. When the chance to coach the local teenage hockey team comes up, Kyle jumps at it. Hockey is his passion, and mentoring these kids becomes a path to healing. Not just for them, but for himself as well.

The author has an incredible ability to deliver the weight of everything left unsaid. The regret, hope, and unspoken love hang in the air making it easy for you to slip into their shoes and live their pain. You can feel the years of tension between Kyle and Casey, the heartbreak simmering just beneath the surface. Can they heal themselves and make their way back to each other? Or are they destined once again to live separate lives.

This is the third book by Tracey Lange. She is a phenomenal writer and can really pull you into a story and feel the pain and anguish of the characters. I highly recommend this one and the others she has written.

Synopsis: Kyle McCray returns home to Potsdam, NY to assist his father who has suffered a stroke. He hasn’t been home since he left his wife, Casey, two and a half years ago. In the interim, Casey, filed and received a divorce from Kyle. As the story unfolds, the reader learns that something traumatic occurred that caused Kyle to leave and the marriage to fail.

My thoughts: I liked how the author slowly revealed the facts of what happened to this couple and I think she did a great job with giving the reader very enjoyable secondary characters such as Kyle’s father and Casey’s brother. Even though I am not a hockey fan, I also really enjoyed the scenes with Kyle coaching the middle-school hockey team and I think the author accurately captured the personalities of middle-school aged boys.

I gave this book 4.25/5 stars and have now read every book written by this author. She has definitely become an automatic buy author for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and Celadon Books for a review copy.

What Happened to the McCrays is another fantastic novel by Tracey Lange. I thoroughly enjoyed her previous novel The Connellys of County Down. I was super excited to read her latest effort. What happened to the McCrays is a beautifully written, highly compelling story. I loved every page of this book from start to finish. A huge thank you to Celadon Books, the author, and Netgalley for the advanced digital copy of the book.

A moving second chance story about family, community, and a magical middle school hockey team. The author effortlessly intertwines the present day, along with the past to show the full journey of a couple who are on the cusp of rediscovering their love for each other once again. Kyle and Casey McCray were high school sweetheart. Kyle was totally devoted to Casey, but one day after 16 years together he suddenly leaves. He’s been gone for a little over two years now. What happened to this couple to make Kyle walk away from his family and hometown?

When his Dad has a debilitating stroke Kyle must return to his small hometown, to the community, and family he left so long ago. How will he be able to face everyone he walked away from, including Casey the woman he loved? Can he ever make peace with the past to start anew? As Kyle helps his Dad recuperate, and with coaching the school hockey team he will come to terms with some profound truths and realizations.

Tracey Lange is an incredible storyteller. Her ability to create such pertinent, sympathizable characters is mastery. What Happened to the McCrays is an immersive, emotionally charged book to get completely lost in. A story that deals with tragedy, grief, healing, forgiveness, but ultimately offers hope, love and redemption. A poignant, memorable, and engaging novel that is a testament to the power of the human spirit. An amazing novel that’s definitely not to be missed out on.

I've been eagerly anticipating the new Tracey Lange and this one proved to be worth the wait. Here she portrays what broke a once rock-solid marriage, sharing each partner's point of view on what went wrong. As readers of Lange's previous works may suspect: it was gut-wrenching and you really feel for what they've both been through. As a Southern-dweller who doesn't experience much cold and snow, the strong hockey component in this book was an unexpected delight.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Celadon Books for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest book by one of my favorite authors, Tracey Lange. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 5 stars!

Kyle and Casey McCray split over 2 years ago and Kyle hasn't been back to Potsdam NY since. Living a somewhat nomadic lifestyle, he's somewhat settled in Spokane WA when he gets word that his father has suffered a debilitating stroke. Returning to NY is tough, because Kyle has to face the people he abandoned years ago. The longer he stays home helping his dad, the more he realizes just how his departure affected the people he left behind. He begins to find hope again when asked to coach the middle school hockey team, and even begins thinking he might be able to stay.

No one writes family drama and real characters like Tracey Lange. I have loved each of her books and while it's hard to pick a favorite, this might just be it. I loved the Upstate NY setting and how pulled I felt into these characters' lives and the community surrounding them. Small towns have their own unique feel, where everyone knows your story, good or bad, and it's tough to rewrite it. Just what happened to the McCrays and can Kyle and Casey make their way back together? Lange is wonderful at showing both sides of the story and how decisions and lack of communication can have lasting and haunting consequences. Plus, I loved the story of the middle schoolers and their hockey team. This is a beautifully-written story that will have you feeling all the emotions. As with her other books, this would be a great book club pick. Highly recommended!

Tracey Lange’s third novel features various trigger warnings and is filled with sadness and grief, but also touches on themes of hope, forgiveness, and the importance of community. When Kyle McCray returns to his hometown to care for his ill father, he must come to terms with why he left two years ago. He finds solace in coaching a middle school hockey team while facing his past and the ex-wife he left behind. Like Lange's other two novels, WHAT HAPPENED TO THE MCCRAYS? features complex characters and realistic family dynamics.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher Celadon Books for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

What Happened to the McCrays is a rare gem that brought me to tears—a feat few stories achieve. The characters are so richly developed that their emotions practically leap off the pages. The love, pain, and heartache are written with such depth and authenticity that you can't help but feel and relate to their journey. Despite the emotional rollercoaster, the author masterfully weaves in moments of humor and lightheartedness, making it a well-rounded and compelling read. Highly recommended.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.