I received a complimentary copy of this book "What Happened to the McCrays?" and all opinions expressed are my own. I did like reading this book and really could not put it down. Love, loss, family, heartbreak, hope, forgiveness, regrets, very emotional story! I definitely cried during the trophy exchange. I'll check out the authors other books.

No one does emotional family drama quite like Tracey Lange! She has a way of making you care deeply about her characters and their stories - What Happened to the McCrays? does just that.

I loved the back and forth timeline as this really gave me the whole picture of who Kyle and Casey are, and an understanding of their complex relationship rooted in an overwhelming amount of love. I felt for them as they handled grief and regret - watching Kyle and Casey grow individually and together through acceptance and forgiveness made this story raw and real.

I also loved the small town and community aspect of this novel! Potsdam felt like a real place and was the perfect setting to give that close knit feel.

This is my opinion and may contain spoilers. Thank you to NetGalley for providing an advance copy.

This book will tear at your heart and, at the same time, open it up to hope. Set in a small hockey town, everyone knows the story of Kyle and Caey McCray—their high school love, their beautiful wedding, and the gut-wrenching heartbreak that followed. But what you don’t know are the deep, painful struggles that took place behind closed doors—the loss of parents, the grief of losing a child, and the profound loss of their identities.

The narrative moves between the past and present, allowing us to unravel the journey that led them to where they are today. The emotional depth of this story will stay with you long after you turn the last page.
You quickly learn that Kyle didn’t want to leave their small town, but Casey needed him to. She struggled deeply after the heartbreaking loss of their beloved child. When Kyle returns to care for his ailing father, he’s met with mixed feelings but eventually welcomed back by his community.

This book explores themes of loss, love, and how to cope with both. It will have you crying one moment and smiling the next. You'll find yourself cheering on the characters through their emotional journeys.

Thank you, NetGalley, for providing an advance copy of this book. Cheers to great reading!

I was lucky enough to snag this one off of @netgalley as an ARC, but it was also in BOTM for January… and for good reason! This is the 3rd book I’ve read by her and it’s by far her best one yet! I absolutely loved Kyle and Casey’s love story and definitely shed a tear or two during the hockey tournament scene. (IYKYK)
This story was told in a dual timeline, and kept me engaged the entire time. I enjoyed seeing how these two met and fell in love, and couldn’t wait to find out why they separated after 16 years of marriage. The character development was great; both Casey and Kyle had to learn to forgive themselves for past events in order to move forward with their lives. This one was an easy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for me!

Tracey’s books are so addicting! I have read all of them and all of them suck me in. She’s such a phenomenal storyteller. I sobbed reading this book, which never happens. Absolutely shredded my heart but put it back together, too. Amazing as always!

This is one of the most heart-wrenching and emotional stories I've read in a long time! Spanning two decades with a dual timeline, we follow the story of high school sweethearts Casey and Kyle.

In the present day, Kyle is living in PNW when he is suddenly called home to upstate NY to care for his ailing father. We learn that he left his hometown abruptly two years prior and he must face the consequences of his sudden departure upon his return. He is forced to confront Casey, whom he is now estranged from, his father, his brother-in-law Wyatt, and countless others in the community who relied on him before he up and left across the country.

When an opportunity arises to coach the local middle school hockey team, Kyle sees it as a way back into acceptance in his hometown, and possibly a way to regain closeness with Casey. But Kyle and Casey share a haunting, heartbreaking past that they will need to face before they have any chance to move forward on the other side.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

3.75 stars

This was a great literary fiction where you spend the whole time wondering what happened to the high school sweethearts, Kyle and Casey McCray. This was such a raw depiction of two people trying to deal with the worst tragedy anyone could go through. It was a little cheesy at times which took away from how serious the topic it's trying to explore is but that still didn't fully take away from my overall enjoyment.

Oh my heart! This was such an emotional and powerful story. I loved the main characters, Kyle and Casey, who have divorced after unspeakable tragedy changed both of their lives forever.

When Kyle McCray gets word his father has suffered a debilitating stroke, he returns to his hometown of Potsdam, New York after living on the west coast for two years. He plans to lie low and help his dad recuperate until he can leave again, especially after Casey makes it clear she wants him gone.

Then Kyle is presented with an opportunity for redemption as the coach of the floundering middle school hockey team. I’m a huge hockey fan - both my sons and my husband played and my older son is now a coach and referee. The kids on this team were so well drawn with all their preteen emotions on full display. And the way the community members of Potsdam show up for the McCrays in ways big and small is truly memorable and heartwarming.

The story is full of love and hope and learning not just to forgive others but to forgive yourself. The path Kyle and Casey travel isn’t easy but I was rooting for them all the way.

Though a bit different than her prior books, this is my favorite Lange book to date, and it’s fair to say I will read anything else she writes. This was my last read of 2024, but I know it will be among many readers’ top books for 2025. And be sure to bring the tissues for the last quarter of the book.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

in Potsdam, where hockey reigns supreme, Kyle's father has a stroke and Kyle is called back home. The story unfolds between then and now headed chapters. Memorable characters and palpable emotions make this a solid read. The story is somewhat predictable, but still a decent read. Family, responsibility and grief all come together as we find out what happened to the McCrays.

Copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley

What Happened To The McCrays? by Tracey Lange is a character driven novel about love, loss, grief, and regret.

Kyle is our first introduction to the McCrays, and I instantly loved him. He is a strong, resilient character who we slowly learn more and more about, discovering that he places a lot of blame on himself.

Casey is next introduced, as our journey continues with the McCrays. She is caring, devoted and over the course of the story, we learn just how much regret she has for a split-second decision; just like Kyle, Casey also places an unfathomable amount of blame on herself.

Told in two timelines, we learn how both Kyle and Casey are pulled together, drawn apart, and how they ultimately find their way back to each other again. Big character arcs, huge mental health representation, and a true-to-life relationship undoing are all present, but at times, I found that Lange's storytelling was tedious and meandering.

Overall, I think this is a case of loving the individual parts of this story, but ultimately feeling indifferent to how they were all put together.

Thank you NetGalley and Celadon Books for the complimentary copy to read and review.

This is such a beautiful story of a family that has been shattered, and the painstaking process of picking up the pieces. Lange shows the ripple effect of tragedy and the harsh reality of doing what it takes to survive. There are no happy endings here, but can they learn to be happy again going forward?

As someone who loved Lange’s first two books, I was beyond thrilled to read “What Happened to the McCrays?”. While I didn’t enjoy this story was much as her other novels, I think this book is going to be well received, leaving readers wondering “what would I do?”.

Once you uncover what happened to Kyle and Casey McCrays, I think all the sadness and brokenness in this book makes sense. However, it’s laced with miscommunication, which is hard for me to overlook, regardless of the ending Lange gifts us.

Set in a small town, this story is more community drama than family drama. The grief and trauma the McCrays face impacts more than just the folks in their household. It’s such a bittersweet story because any ounce of happiness these characters encounter is overshadowed by tragic events.

One thing I would like to highlight that brought me joy was the hockey team both Kyle and Casey coach. Middle schoolers are brutal, and this group provided some humor and light-heartedness to what is a very heavy story. There is a moment after a victory that was absolutely heart wrenching. It was the moment in the book that moved me the most.

While this one didn’t win me over, I’ve read all of Lange’s work and will continue to do so.

This is a brilliantly beautifully written emotional roller coaster ride novel. You root for and have 100% empathy with the 2 leads, Kyle and Casey, and their families and friends. Plus, for Star, Casey's dog, and of course the middle school hockey team. And I don't want to forget the community of Potsdam. Every one is real. What more can be said other than READ the novel. Hopefully, Tracey Lange will receive the best seller stardom she deserves after this novel.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. I have never read anything by Tracey Lange, but rest assured I will be checking out her previous and future books, what a blockbuster of a book. I can highly recommend this family drama, the characters may have had their flaws and faults, but the bottom line is that family prevails, Casey, Kyle, Wyatt and Danny had good hearts with good intentions and would do anything for each other, it was shown in this story. This book had me laughing, cheering, and crying. I will not forget this book for a very long time.

Add another Tracey Lange book to my faves list. What Happened to the McCrays tells the story of Kyle and Casey, once high school sweethearts turned divorcees. It’s a dual timeline story and the now is that Kyle has been summoned back to Potsdam NY to help his ailing father. The reader is left wondering what happened to the McCrays to have them end up here.

The characters Lange creates are perfect, even the furry ones. She does working class Irish Americans so well in this one! All her books just feel like home to me. You will feel such an emotional connection to each of them and their internal and external struggles. She had me on the verge of tears at multiple points throughout this book. Slowly it is revealed how and why Kyle and Casey came to this point in their marriage. The Irish guilt is strong in this one.

Pick this up for a close look at a relationship and its hurdles.

Tracey Lange is an auto-buy author for me. She writes such complex and nuanced characters, and stories full of emotions. Her writing style is compelling and readable, once I get into one of her books, I have a really hard time putting it down. Fans of emotional, family stories will definitely want to pick this one up!

took me a week or so to get through the first 25%, but then read the last 75% in one night… definitely was more emotional than i was expecting but i feel as if it showed grief in a very realistic way

A beautiful family drama. I felt like I lived in the town of Potsdam with the characters. This was a story of love, resilience and second chances. Great book to start off the new year.

This is the third book I've read from Tracey Lange and unfortunately, it was my least favorite.

Kyle returns home after his father suffers a stroke and is forced to confront his wife Casey after the two have separated. After reading the synopsis, I already knew where this story was going to end up. Unfortunately, it was duller than I anticipated. Tracey Lange does small towns and ensemble casts really well. Unfortunately, this one primarily featured Kyle and Casey who were both really dull. I didn't find their relationship convincing. I didn't even really understand what drew them together to begin with. Overall, this one just plodded along without any real stakes.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

I love a good character driven family drama, and Tracey Lange is now 3 for 3 for me delivering solid stories in this genre.

This book delves into themes of love, loss, grief, family, loyalty and reckoning with one’s past. The characters were all flawed but definitely lovable and I found myself in rooting for them all through the book, even when they were at odds with each other. This is definitely a slow burn story but I felt like it was worth it as we got to know the characters.

Of the three of Lange’s books that I’ve read (the others being The Connellys of County Down and We Are the Brennans), I would say this one was my least favorite but it’s more a testament to how much I loved the other two. I will definitely keep reading anything she writes.

If you want a good character drama to sink into this winter, definitely add this one to your list!

Thanks to NetGalley and Celadon books for a free egalley in exchange for an honest review.