Scan barcode
A review by tracyt223
What Happened to the McCrays? by Tracey Lange
4.5
This is my second book by this author, and I'm now convinced that @tracy_lange is the Queen of the family dramas! This was definitely my favorite of the two I've read.
This one takes place in Upstate New York, and offers a perfect Winter setting with a fun side of middle school hockey thrown in. I'm not a huge sports fan, and was surprised how much this added to the storyline.
When Kyle McCray receives word that his Father has had a debilitating stroke, he much return to his childhood home to take care of him. He's been gone for a couple of years after a quite sudden departure. He's not really sure what kind of reception he will get. He knows that most of all, he will have to face his ex-wife, Casey, and the past that tore apart their sixteen year marriage. Casey is a beloved teacher in town who also helps out with the struggling local kids hockey team. On many levels, Kyle gets a much warmer welcome than he was expecting as he starts to assimilate back into the community. As he gets closer to his Father and friends, he also has to navigate the situation with Casey. There are a lot of lingering feelings there, some good ones, and some not so much. This is definitely an "onion" type of story. With the timelines going back and forth from past to present, Lange slowly peels back the layers that tell the story of all that happened and why it drove a wedge between these two. This one was very emotional at times and had some really sad parts too. But overall, I felt it was a strong story of redemption and love. There is also quite an extraordinary cast of side characters, my favorite by far being Wyatt, Casey brother. He was so sarcastic and funny and stole the show at times.
The audiobook was extremely well done by Stephanie Nemeth-Parker and William DeMerritt. They really brought these characters and this town together perfectly! Once I started it was so hard to put down!
I need to read her other previous work, The Connelly's of County Down and look forward to whatever she writes next! She has become an auto-buy author for me!
This one takes place in Upstate New York, and offers a perfect Winter setting with a fun side of middle school hockey thrown in. I'm not a huge sports fan, and was surprised how much this added to the storyline.
When Kyle McCray receives word that his Father has had a debilitating stroke, he much return to his childhood home to take care of him. He's been gone for a couple of years after a quite sudden departure. He's not really sure what kind of reception he will get. He knows that most of all, he will have to face his ex-wife, Casey, and the past that tore apart their sixteen year marriage. Casey is a beloved teacher in town who also helps out with the struggling local kids hockey team. On many levels, Kyle gets a much warmer welcome than he was expecting as he starts to assimilate back into the community. As he gets closer to his Father and friends, he also has to navigate the situation with Casey. There are a lot of lingering feelings there, some good ones, and some not so much. This is definitely an "onion" type of story. With the timelines going back and forth from past to present, Lange slowly peels back the layers that tell the story of all that happened and why it drove a wedge between these two. This one was very emotional at times and had some really sad parts too. But overall, I felt it was a strong story of redemption and love. There is also quite an extraordinary cast of side characters, my favorite by far being Wyatt, Casey brother. He was so sarcastic and funny and stole the show at times.
The audiobook was extremely well done by Stephanie Nemeth-Parker and William DeMerritt. They really brought these characters and this town together perfectly! Once I started it was so hard to put down!
I need to read her other previous work, The Connelly's of County Down and look forward to whatever she writes next! She has become an auto-buy author for me!