If you loved her other books, We Are the Brennans and The Connelly’s of County Down, you’ll love this one just as much! I blew through it in a couple days, completely consumed from the first page. Highly recommend! Thank you to @celadon and @netgalley for my copy!

Tracey Lange is fast becoming one of my must read authors. Her ability to immerse her readers in the lives of everyday people and problems in a realistic way makes for enjoyable literary fiction. Her characters are engaging and easy to care for.

Kyle McCray - left the family home over two years previously - feeling everyone would be better off without him. He was misguided, as he left a huge hole in the hearts and minds of his family, co-workers, and friends. Now, Kyle received word that his father has had a stroke. He drops everything and returns to his hometown of Potsdam, in upstate New York where he once owned a garage. Kyle is a talented mechanic. Kyle's new role as 'carer' for his Dad is a challenging one as he and his father have a fractious relationship. They have never really gotten along since Kyle's Mom walked out on the family when his was in eighth grade.

Casey McCray - now divorced from her husband Kyle, has never been the same since the death of her young son. She works as a teacher and volunteers as manager of the school's hockey team. She lives with her disabled brother, Wyatt, who has a successful woodworking business.

"Losing Charlie had created a chasm between them, and it was so dark and so wide and so bottomless they just couldn't reach each other again."

Kyle's father and Casey live across the street from one another. It is a given that once Kyle returns to help his Dad, that he will also run into Casey at one time or another. Their reunion is fraught with nerves and unspoken compassion. It was a uncomfortable experience.

As they gradually become a distant part of each other's lives, the once loving couple have to face some distressful home truths. Both parents blame themselves for what happened to their young son, Charlie. Both live with self-flagellation, grief, and sorrow. Gradually their innermost feelings and secrets are divulged. Their complex and complicated relationship is examined.

Kyle begins to re-connect to his former life in the town by filling in as coach for the middle school's hockey team. He is a natural who played hockey for several years. These young hockey players fill a void in Kyle's life and work as a bridge back to normality.

This well crafted story was told with compassion and empathy. It covers themes of parental grief, community, redemption, and forgiveness.

If you admire character-driven literary fiction with an engaging plot and characters, then you should definitely read Tracey Lange's work.

4.5 stars rounded up

This book resonated with me, not just for its gripping mystery, but for its powerful exploration of grief and the vital role of community in healing. The McCray family's tragedy is heartbreaking, and Lange skillfully peels back the layers of their pain, revealing the isolation and fractured connections that can follow such a devastating loss. What struck me most was how the story highlighted the importance of human connection in navigating grief. It's not just about individual healing, but about the shared experience and the strength found in supporting one another. The characters' journeys, their struggles to rebuild, and their eventual reliance on each other (and even unexpected members of their community) felt incredibly real and moving. Lange's writing is both sensitive and compelling, making this a truly unforgettable read. Highly recommend for anyone who appreciates a story that explores the complexities of family, loss, and the enduring power of community.

Lange writes beautifully about the hardships people face, but really outdid herself with this novel. Over the course of the story we find out what is going on with our estranged couple, Casey and Kyle. It is mysterious then heart wrenching and hopeful. You really don’t need to know anything more. The small town wintery setting of Potsdam, NY is close to home and well done. I loved the sense of community.

Tracey Lange packs an emotional punch with this complicated family story. In the opening chapters, 40-something Kyle McCray returns to his hometown when he learns that his dad has had a stroke. When he returns, he must face his ex-wife and the life he left behind 2 1/2 years ago. He and Casey had been in love since their teen years: what tore them apart? This story is heartbreaking, heartwarming, and ultimately healing. I love the way Lange writes about families.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This is the first book by Tracey Lange that I have read, and it did not disappoint! What happened to the McCray's? is about family, love, and loss, but don't think it's a depressing tear jerker. It's also about hope and redemption. Told between present and past and from the two main characters' perspectives, Kyle and Casey, we learn how they both responded and dealt with a painful failed marriage differently and the guilt that threatens to consume them as they are brought back together when Kyle returns to their small town. Thank you to NetGalley for introducing me to this author, I can't wait to read more of Tracey Lange's books.

Probably closer to 4.5 for me. I really love this author. She writes communities and families in a real way that captures struggle and longing and love. I think my favorite character in this book was Wyatt.
There’s a lot of grief in this - so people may need to be careful about when they read. But there was also healing.

This is the third book I’ve read by Tracey Lange, I loved all of them but this was my favorite. I even cried at point in the story. Kyle and Casey were characters I rooted for. It was an emotional roller coaster of a book. I can’t wait to read what the author writes next!!

What Happened to the McCrays? by Tracey Lange offers a heartfelt exploration of love, loss, and the possibility of redemption. The narrative centers on Kyle McCray’s return to his hometown of Potsdam, New York, after his father’s debilitating stroke, and his subsequent reconnection with his ex-wife, Casey. While the novel delves into the complexities of a failed marriage and the challenges of forgiveness, I found the pacing to be somewhat slow, which affected my overall engagement. Additionally, I struggled to form a deep connection with the characters, as they occasionally felt underdeveloped. The middle school hockey subplot, which had the potential to add depth to the story, seemed somewhat superficial and could have been more fully explored. Despite these critiques, the book provides a poignant look at the resilience of family and the importance of community. Readers who appreciate character-driven narratives and themes of reconciliation may find this novel resonates with them.

Tracey Lange has done it again with a beautifully crafted, emotionally rich story. Told in dual timelines, this book hooked me early on with its layered storytelling and kept me turning the pages. Kyle’s return to his hometown after his father’s stroke forces him to confront unresolved feelings for his ex-wife, Casey. As secrets from the past unravel, the emotional tension builds, leaving my heart aching for both characters.

Tracey Lange’s gift for writing complex, relatable relationships truly shines in this novel. It’s heartfelt, raw, and one of my favorite reads of 2025 so far. Highly recommended!

Tracey Lange does it again! Her talent for crafting emotionally rich, character-driven stories shines in this book. Thank you, Celadon Books, for providing me with an ARC. Before I was approved, I couldn’t wait—I broke down and ordered a copy through BOTM because I loved her last book so much. This one did not disappoint and is already one of my favorite reads of 2025.

Kyle is forced to return to his hometown of Potsdam after his father suffers a stroke. The story unfolds over two timelines—past and present. From the start, we know Kyle left town under complicated circumstances. He used to be married to Casey, and though he’s tried to leave that life behind, it’s clear his feelings for her are far from resolved.

Tracey Lange’s writing is so compelling and layered that I was hooked from the very beginning. She has a gift for building tension and weaving emotional depth into every page. I found myself desperate to uncover why Kyle left and what caused the tension between him and Casey. As the story unfolded, my heart ached for both of them. By the end, I was completely gutted in the best way—feeling deeply connected to their journey.
Lange is a master at capturing the messy, beautiful complexity of human relationships, and this story is a perfect example of that talent. I can’t wait to see what she writes next!

This book caught me entirely by surprise. I've seen this author before on social media and I'm kicking myself for not reading her work sooner. I thought this book was fantastic. It was a beautiful character study with focus on family, grief and loss and a lot of introspection into difficult topics. I laughed and cried. When a book can bring on so many emotions, it's a hit for me!

"What Happened to the McCrays?" arrived in my life at the perfect moment. As I navigate my own grief over losing a loved one, this poignant story has helped me process my emotions and find solace.
This story is a masterful blend of heart-wrenching sadness, thought-provoking introspection, and uplifting themes of love, kindness, forgiveness, and gratitude.

Kyle and Casey's love story is beautifully tragic, yet authentic and relatable. The author tackles real-life tragedy, challenges, and hardships with sensitivity and realism. While the story is undoubtedly sad at times, it's also a powerful exploration of the human experience. I’m thankful for the HEA.

This book was a 5-star read for me, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a moving and emotional story that will linger long after the final page is turned.

Tracey Lange, author most recently of the enjoyable "We Are the Brennans" delivers another family saga with "What Happened to the McCrays?" which should more than satisfy fans of her previous books. A dual timeline "now and then" story told from the alternating perspectives of divorced spouses Kyle and Casey McCray, the novel starts in the present with a precipitating family crisis--Kyle's father's stroke, which necessitates his return to the hometown he abruptly left behind two and a half years ago--and gradually uses the "then" chapters to fill in the story of how this seemingly perfect couple came to be so estranged. It would do the book a disservice to reveal anything more, but suffice it to say that "What Happened to the McCrays" packs an emotional gut punch and kept me fully engaged with both the characters and their story. Thank you to NetGalley and to Celadon Books for providing me with an ARC of this title in return for my honest review. Recommended.

** I interviewed Ms. Lange for a podcast, which will air in March, and will sound similar to what you read below. This is currently posted on my website, but will be posted on instagram the same day the podcast episode releases (I will email Ms. Lange the podcast info). Ms. Lange was incredibly gracious to speak to me and I deeply appreciate it **

Processing Emotions Rather Than Externalizing Aggression and What Happened to the McCrays by Tracey Lange

Kyle McCray had a rocky adolescence. His parents’ story began with an unlikely romance: his mom, a college student, met his dad, a local firefighter. She had never imagined staying in a small college town, but after discovering she was pregnant, she sacrificed her dreams and gave the family a chance. It didn’t stick. When Kyle was eleven, his mom left, and their relationship diminished to occasional visits.

Kyle’s dad didn’t handle the divorce well. To the community, he was a hero fireman. But, at home, he was moody and emotionally unavailable. Kyle, in exceptional pain, had no one to talk to about his feelings and lacked healthy examples for working through complex emotions.

To externalize his pain, Kyle got in fights. Luckily, a perceptive coach noticed this trend and drafted Kyle into the local Hockey team, figuring he could express his aggression on the ice. Playing hockey, Kyle found a healthy physical outlet for his anger and learned about teamwork, trust, and adaptive ways to manage emotions.

Big feelings can seem overwhelming and explosive if they aren’t addressed constructively. Lacking a safe space and method to process emotions and healthy coping skills, people sometimes resort to harmful ways of externalizing their pain.

Here are tools to find healthy outlets for healthily processing emotions and avoiding the unhealthy path of externalizing pain through aggression.

Face the Underlying Feeling: Try conversation, traditional journaling, or journaling in apps like How We Feel. Also, connect with people who make you feel safe about your feelings, their causes, and how and where you experience emotions in your body.

Give Yourself a Healthy Emotional Release: Go for a run, play hockey, punch a heavy bag or a pillow, dance it out, or have a big cry. Try layering these emotional releases together if one isn’t enough.

Parents Can Model Desired Behaviors: Parents who notice these externalizing behaviors in their kids can teach by example by verbalizing when they are feeling emotionally flooded, what is causing these feelings, and the healthy emotional release(s) they choose to try.

I found this to be heavier and slightly slower than the author's two previous novels. The writing was still strong, and the characters and their struggles were relatable and heart tugging.

I have read all of Tracey's books and this is by far my favorite. This was my last 5 star book of 2024 and had me sobbing at different parts. This is a story about love, loss, grief, second chances, and hope. This is a heavier story but it's done so well and will make you feel such a range of emotions.

Kyle and Casey are navigating an enormous loss and are now back in each other's lives. They have the opportunity to work with a small town youth hockey team (similar vibes to Beartown) and I loved this dynamic and the relationships formed from here. 
Highly recommend if you enjoy complicated family dramas.

I had to sit with this book for a while to fully process it—these characters were just that intricate. Tracey Lange has a gift for writing character-driven stories, and while I’ve enjoyed all of her novels, this one truly hit it out of the park.

The love story and history of Kyle and Casey—their heartbreak, their downfall, their selfish yet selfless love—felt so real. The characters were so well written. Not just the McCrays, but their families, their colleagues, the students and hockey team, the community of Potsdam as a whole. The layers of love written into each of these characters was so well written and evoked such strong sense of empathy and connection. I rooted for each and every one of them, even with or especially because of their flaws.

I recommend What Happened to the McCrays? to anyone who loves an insightful and empathetic novel with complex characters and their relationships. Several massive triggers are written into this book, which can be found in other reviews or content warnings.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

This was a heartbreaking and emotional story. You could really feel for MCs Casey and Kyle as you read through what happened to them and the breakdown of their relationship. I do think it was slow going at times, and I wasn’t crazy about explanation of Kyle’s departure, it just felt a little too simple to have happened that rashly, but it was still a great book overall..

I felt all of the emotions with this one. I teared up 3 different times reading this book. I also swooned and laughed.This book broke my heart and put it back together. It is such a beautiful but tragic story.The story had romance, heartache, resiliency, family drama, community, and so much love. I fell for all of these characters. I loved how Tracey Lange wrote Kyle's character. I lost myself in this book.Tracey Lange's writing is perfect for me, and she is now an auto-buy author for me. This is my favorite by her, even though I gave her other two titles, both 5 stars.This is a raw and powerful story.A story about forgiving yourself and the power of love after a life changing tragedy.