Tracey Lange, you’ve done it again. I don’t know how she manages to so perfectly capture the complexities of family, but What Happened to the McCrays? had me hooked from start to finish. This is a story about love, loss, and the way families can fall apart and come back together, with every messy, beautiful nuance in between. 

 

The McCray family felt so vivid and real, like I could drive to their house and sit down at their kitchen table for a cup of coffee. Lange has this incredible way of making you care deeply for her characters—even when they frustrate you or break your heart. Every member of the McCray family brought something unique to the story, and their individual struggles felt so raw and honest. 

 

What I loved most about this book was how Lange dives headfirst into the gray areas of relationships. There’s no black-and-white, no “good guys” or “bad guys.” It’s all about the messy middle, where love and hurt coexist, and healing takes time (and a lot of patience). 

 

The writing? Chef’s kiss. Lange’s prose is straightforward yet brimming with emotion, which makes the heavy themes of the book hit even harder. And the pacing was spot-on—I was so invested in uncovering the family’s secrets that I stayed up way too late flipping pages, just needing to know what would happen next. 

 

If you loved The Connellys of County Down or We Are the Brennans, you’ll feel right at home with this one. Lange has a gift for reminding us that family isn’t always easy, but it’s always worth fighting for.