Oh, Kate Fagan. Why did you do this to me? The Three Lives of Cate Kay is a story now near and dear to my heart, joining favorites such as, yes, Evelyn Hugo, in my personal hall of fame.

I tried to get into this but it just did not grab my attention, I thought it would be more of a thriller/action packed.

This was such a fun book to read. At first it was hard to get into because of the way the story was told, but I ended up loving how it was written. The plot is kind of far fetched, but that made it fun. I ended up crying at the end. This book is worth the read.

Thank you to the publisher for the free review copy!

Rating: 3/5 stars

Cate Kay is a world famous author, but no one knows her true identity…until now.

I think this book might be the perfect example of “right book, wrong time.” I struggled to get into it, and ultimately did not really connect with the plot or any of the characters. That said, I think the concept was great (kind of EVELYN HUGO-esque), and the full-cast audio was EXCELLENT, so I loved the listening experience even if I wasn’t overly in love with the book itself.

In terms of the plot, I sometimes felt like this was trying to do too much, and it felt like it was building to a big reveal/payoff that never quite happened. But I have seen some fantastic reviews and I know this was a BOTM pick, so if it sounds interesting to you I still recommend checking it out! You may love it way more than I did.

CW: Severe (life-changing) injury; mentions of child abuse/neglect; homophobia; toxic relationship

The three lives of cate Kay was a really interesting novel. I love the character study, and the writing was propulsive and kept me engaged.

You know how sometimes from the first page of a book, you just CLICK with it? This book was that way for me. I read it in a couple of hours and thought it was so incredibly smart, sweet, vulnerable, and fascinating in so many ways.

I know that it's a thing in publishing to compare books to other books - to get people talking and to intrigue you, but I really wish this book wasn't being compared to Evelyn Hugo. Obviously there are similar elements, but Cate Kay is so strong on its' own- it doesn't need a TJR comparison. Funnily enough, there's a hilarious book comparison in the story, but I digress.

I can't wait to read more fiction by Kate Fagan, I adored every character in this book (except for one who I loathed, haha!) and I loved seing their vulnerability and bravery and growth.

In this fascinating novel, Cate Kay is an elusive author who's written the most sought after series to date. But noone knows who she is. But as her past and her present collide in present day, Cate Kay must determine if her elusivity is worth potentially losing the love of her life and making amends with her past.

Cate Kay is an author, but who is she, actually? No one seems to really know. The main character is elusive, like quicksilver, slipping this way and that. We hear some about her relationship with her best friend, Amanda, but only very selective tidbits. I appreciated that the writing was a quick style and presented itself as a memoir.

Cate is really Annie, and honestly I thought the story desperately needed an editor. The world wants to know her story, since she’s written a best- selling trilogy under a pen name, and it’s a story within a story to take us to a conclusion.

Part of the difficulty for me as a reader is that I didn’t enjoy any of the characters, although I tried. And I’m absolutely willing to be the outlier here, because lots of folks loved it.

This one is a solid three stars for me! ⭐️⭐️⭐️

It took me awhile to get into this book, but once I did it really gripped me.

I enjoyed the chapter structure and how the story slowly unfolded across various POVs and time.

Unfortunately I was unable to download this book before the archive date, but I look forward to reading and reviewing other books by this author in the future.

Cate Kay's life is nothing like my own, but this book was entirely relatable. I usually prefer thriller/crime novels and there is a little mystery about this book in terms of the way that the narrators relate to each other, but it unfolds in perfect timing so that the reader is left interested but not frustrated. All the characters are flawed in their own way but mostly still likable. I also really appreciated that the book is set in different locations and the author was able to evoke them without becoming overly descriptive. I also really appreciated that the book is set in different locations and the author was able to evoke them without becoming overly descriptive. Kate Fagan obviously knows a lot about human nature. I think this book will stay with me for a long time.

📚 #BOOKREVIEW 📚
The Three Lives of Cate Kay by Kate Fagan
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / Pages: 304 / Genre: Fiction
Release Date: January 7, 2025

Annie/Cass/Cate are one woman with three names to go with three different parts of who she is. Annie is who she originally was up through high school until tragedy struck. Cass is who she became after that defining moment in her life. And Cate is the pen name she uses for her bestselling trilogy, which was fueled by said tragedy. Her entire life along with the people closest to her are all affected by this one moment in time and how everything eventually untangles is where the magic lies in this book. I found it so engrossing and engaging I couldn’t put it down. I can see why @ReesesBookClub chose this as its first pick of 2025.

Thank you, @KateFagan3, @AtriaBooks, and @NetGalley for my gifted copy. Although I really wish I was gifted the audiobook since I heard that it’s incredible and has a full cast of narrators, including Marin Ireland, one of my favorites!

What a ride - one of the most interesting ways to tell a story. Lots of perspectives and a story within a story to keep you guessing.

Took me a bit to get in to, but it paid off! At first I was kind of annoyed by the little asterisks of Annie’s commentary or the switching of perspective to tell you exactly what you needed to know. But ultimately it worked as a really clever way to weave the story together.

I was really excited to read this book as the cover is stunning and the blurb sounds intriguing! I liked the structure of this book it is a bit different as it is a fictional memoir with several POV throughout within the memoir. The MC and creates new names for different segments of her life which I thought was creative and cool. I overall liked the concept of this book, it was very interesting and left me wondering how it would tie up and how it would end. I was hooked and devoured this book in a few days. I overall did enjoy this book and the drama, the characters, the mystery and the different subplots but the ending let me down a bit. A lot of the ending happened off page and I would have preferred to read about them firsthand instead of being left to my imagination but that is just me personally. I still would recommend this book as it had me hooked and the characters were all very interesting.

4⭐

Thank you Netgalley & Atria books for the eARC of this book.

This was so good, I was hooked from the beginning. This definitely didn't disappoint. This is a great debut novel from the author.

Loved how we would get different POVs from different timelines. The Audio book was amazing with all the different voice actors. I wasn't exactly sure where this book was going to head especially after the "tragedy" happens but I thoroughly enjoyed. I would've given it a 5 stars but the last 10ish pages for me felt a little rushed but overall I would definitely recommend it.

I did see a lot of people comparing this to the seven husbands of Evelyn Hugo and I would have to disagree with that. So I wouldn't go into this expecting Evelyn Hugo.

The Three Lives of Cate Kay is a beautifully written story about friendship, heartache, and betrayal. It follows Cate as she navigates a world that constantly tests her resilience, exposing the ways people take advantage of those who are lost. The novel is raw and emotional, capturing the struggle of finding one’s way when everything feels broken. With lyrical prose and deeply human characters, this book is both heartbreaking and hopeful—a testament to survival, love, and the search for meaning in a chaotic world.

Loved this page-turner! Such a breezy yet compelling read that I wanted to just keep bingeing.

The multiple POVs, along with fictional excerpts of The Very Last, can get convoluted at times and none of the characters really stand out the way Taylor Jenkins Reid's do, but overall the book was very engaging and readable.

I love the relationships, the dynamics, the chemistry and the exploration of complex female friendships and all the funny feelings that come with it. The last letter made me cry! In fact it's odd how rushed and abrupt the ending was, and how glossed over a certain scene turned out to be considering how well done everything else was.

I wish marketing/publicity folks can do better though. This book being compared to The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo actually made me hesitant – not tempted – to pick it up as I was afraid it would be a bad knockoff. Thankfully, I needn't have worried because this was a unique and wonderful read in its own right.

Also, this love story is far from a mystery or thriller. What gives?

Nevertheless, I enjoyed this emotional debut very much.

"The Three Lives of Caty Kate" is a beautifully written and heartwarming tale that blends history, mystery, and a touch of magic. The storytelling is immersive, with rich character development and an intriguing plot that keeps you engaged from start to finish. Caty Kate’s journey through different lives is both thought-provoking and emotional, making this a truly memorable read. Perfect for fans of historical fiction with a unique twist!

Favorite Quotes:


Sidney is not someone I want as an enemy. Or, really, as a friend. No relationship at all was my preference.

Apparently, he’d wanted to make her an honest woman (eye roll), but then a few months after I was born decided he didn’t want honesty that bad.

“You know what I love about you?” “Do tell,” said the other, solicitously. “It’s like . . . ummm . . . how do I explain this? It’s like you hold me steady, but without holding me still.”

…our relationship always felt like such a tenuous thing. Aside from storytelling, Cass’s greatest gift seemed to be absence— that she could easily vacate her physical body. She was almost always somewhere else, and I had started to take it as a personal affront.

I’ve never let myself fully relive this memory before. It’s always been front and center but cordoned off behind yellow caution tape. No doubt my brain’s way of protecting me from feeling as I do right now, which is like a bomb of regret has exploded all over me and no amount of scrubbing could ever remove the stain

She wasn’t above such tactics— no one who succeeds in politics is. We’d both gotten our hands dirty over the years, and likely would again, but also, we donated monthly to six different nonprofits and sat on the board of three others— morality is a delicate ecosystem.


My Review:

Agnst, twists, heartbreak, clever snark, and profoundly insightful musings and observations permeated every page of this keenly and perceptively penned tome.  There was a heaping helping of angst and far more than I knew what to do with, as profound insecurity and anxiety are not my jam, but were an integral part of the main character's personal journey.  This was my first experience reading Ms. Fagan's clever arrangements of words, which alternated between squeezing my heart and putting a smirk on my face.