Reviews

What Happened to the McCrays? by Tracey Lange

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day_fisher's review

emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Lange evidently has a gift for storytelling and I was so engaged with the ebb and flow of emotions throughout this book. Featuring an arguable top ten literary pup, Star you shine bright in this story, perhaps though not as strongly though as our main characters who I found real and loveable.

el_proffitt's review against another edition

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challenging emotional mysterious tense

4.5

bumblebeekip23's review against another edition

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emotional fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

My third book by this author and all three have grabbed me from page one and made me want to do nothing besides read the wonderful book in front of me! I loved the Then/Now sections because it made you even more attached to the characters and their relationship. I loved all of the characters and their part in this story of love, loss, forgiveness , and so much more!

cath63's review against another edition

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emotional fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

3.75

harby's review

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challenging dark emotional inspiring sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

4/ Well structured novel that is super-duper sad and tearjerker-y with an earned happy ending. The story takes place in the North Country of New York, which I'm familiar with; Lange captures the area and uses its characteristics to the story's advantage. Ultimately this book is about people split apart and broken by trauma and how they slowly come back together with the support of their loved ones and community. Themes of grief, trauma, self-punishment, rural life, isolation, community, forgiveness, and acceptance. Lange excels at creating nuanced and believable characters who are lovable despite their deep flaws

Content Warnings

lfinkenkeller's review

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emotional hopeful sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

The story is about Kyle McCray who comes back to his hometown of Potsdam after his father suffers a stroke. By coming home, Kyle has to confront the trauma from his past, to try to make amends with his ex-wife, Casey, and his father. Kyle is trying to find a way to move ahead with his life.
What I like about the book are the characters. You get to know each character intimately, and you root for each of them. I especially like Wyatt. He is Casey's brother who is a paraplegic, but you wouldn't know it because he lives a full life.
The story touches on the themes of grief and forgiveness, but I especially liked the theme of community in the book. The town is a hockey town, and the hockey people come together to help Kyle and Casey. This is my kind of book. Thank you, Ms Lange.