3.5, rounded up.

After writing this review, I needed to come back to the beginning to make it clear that while imperfect, this book is one I’d recommend. If you’re interested in knowing what I’d nitpick, read on. If not, just go read for yourself.

The first third of this book felt like something you’d read in a creative writing workshop: interesting characters, a promising plot, ambitious in structure and scope, but unpolished, likely too close to the own author’s story to be fully developed and lacking the seemingly effortless panache of professional authors. The alternating POV’s, presented as first-person diary entries from the various characters involved with “Cate” chiming in to provide commentary in the footnotes, was and interesting device, but all of the characters spoke exactly alike, all with novelistic eloquence and detail rather than with idiosyncratic colloquialisms. Thus the clever device, which could’ve lent a real authenticity to the narrative, a la Taylor Jenkins Reid’s novels, instead felt false. Ironically, as the details of Sidney’s discovery of “Cate’s” manuscript in a slush pile are recounted, it feels very much like a mirror of how The Three Lives could conceivably been found— an unrepresented manuscript in a slush pile, in need of a real editor and a few more drafts.
That being said, by the halfway point, the author had clearly hit her stride. It no longer read like thinly veiled memoir, and the characters had taken shape on the page. I think this is due in large part to sticking primarily to Ryan and Cass’s POV’s— characters who would likely share similar ways of speaking in real life, and who you can tell the author thoroughly understands.
All of this analysis could be construed as negative, but this is one of those books that frustrates me because it could’ve been truly top notch had it been revised just a bit further. I feel like it wasn’t given the attention it deserved in the developmental phases and will likely not get the attention it deserves upon its publication. Like the author is being thrown to the wind and expected to fly without having been nourished in the nest.

DNF
I couldn't, I couldn't finish it and the truth is I'm not willing to force myself to read a book that l'm not able to read. The truth is I feel sorry but l'm being 100% honest with everyone and with myself. Thank you very much for the opportunity Netgalley.
That's also why I don't give it a score because I feel like I can't rate this book. Obviously I don't feel like it's bad, rather I feel like it wasn't for me.
Again, I thank Netgalley for the opportunity to let me try to read this book, thank you very much.
Kisses

honestly i finished this book eight hours ago and haven’t been able to wrap my brain around it enough to write my review yet (in the best way), but here goes nothin!

this was so unique, so compelling, and not at all what i was expecting. as soon as i saw ‘for fans of evelyn hugo’ i knew i wanted to read it but i was worried it would be ~too similar~ and i wouldn’t enjoy it. WOW WAS I WRONG.

this was one of those books where i finished reading and immediately wanted to start it again from the beginning. the structure was a little tough to get used to in the beginning kind of getting a feel for the timeline/POVs but once i got the swing of it i literally couldn’t put it down.

i love the voices of each distinct character and how beautifully the author wove together one whole story through the lens of multiple POVs. the love, the loss, the discovery, the pain, the lies we tell ourselves, and stories we create to cope with all of the above were all so well portrayed here.

if you were a fan of evelyn hugo and/or daisy jones and the six, this is def for you. i will certainly be picking this up again soon and doing a reread. i think my only qualm is i wished it was longer!

thank you so much to netgalley and atria for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Three Lives of Cate Kay 🕶️REVIEW

📖Goodreads Rating: 4.73
📚Genre: Fiction
📄No. of Pages: 304
🗓️Publishing Date: January 7, 2025

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🌟/5

“The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo meets First Lie Wins in this eclectic, voice-driven debut novel about an elusive bestselling author who decided to finally confess her true identity after years of hiding from her past.”

Wow. I don’t know where to begin. This was such a unique, highly cinematic, and compelling read! It took me a minute to find my groove in the first few chapters as the characters were introduced and the storyline was established, but the pace picked up about 10-15% of the way through and it truly became hard to put down! I had a moment where it clicked that it reads like a documentary and then I was all in with the unique narrative structure. I LOVED all the witty commentary and the way the author weaves together multiple POVs to tell this coming of age story — definitely has Evelyn Hugo and Daisy Jones vibes! It’s mind blowing how the author created such an intricately layered story and the way she slowly unravels it through the perspectives of complex, well-developed characters. Also props to the author for essentially writing two books in one given that the reader gets to read excerpts from the MC’s novel in addition to the actual novel itself! If you enjoy multiple POVs, well-developed characters, LGBTQ+ representation, and the themes of self-discovery, the complexity of relationships, and the monumental impact of love — this is for you! I honestly could've kept reading; I highly recommend this book!

A special thank you to @NetGalley, @atriabooks, @simonandschuster, and especially to @katefagan for the honor of reading this advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest, thoughtful review.

Honestly, I’m not entirely sure if I really enjoyed this story, it was different meaning it was captivating in places but I must confess I had to keep reminding myself who I was reading about and what date it was! Maybe it’s just me. I eventually finished it.

To compare THE THREE LIVES OF CATE KAY to FIRST LIE WINS feels like a bit of a disservice to this debut novelist. Is this an interesting character study? Sure. Was it a cat-mouse thrill ride with twists at every turn? It was not. This is a fine book, I just don’t think it's the type of book that the publisher is wanting it to be. I kept waiting for the action to really take off but I don’t feel like we ever really got there for a few reasons:

The multiple POVs were too distracting. We had new POVs make their way onto the scene throughout the book and as well as right up to the end and I didn’t feel they added to the narrative.
The book within a book aspect felt underdeveloped and didn’t seem to move the story forward.
I could not understand the main character’s motivations for her decisions. As a reader I didn’t get the sense of who this person really was and why she was choosing certain paths.

I’m always rooting for debut authors and had this great premise been fleshed out a bit more I think it would have worked better for me.

RATING: 3/5
PUB DATE: January 7, 2025

Many thanks to Atria and Netgalley for an electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review.

my mind is reeling from everything this book was. right there and then from the first few pages, i knew i had to finish this in one sitting or in my case, in one lying in bed session.

the writing was so incredibly sublime, i was like so shocked at how captivating and relatable it was that i got so frustrated. IT WAS SO BEAUTIFUL. the prose was enticing, i ached for it.

the world of annie was so tragic but comforting in a way as i saw myself in her. it didn't take too much for the characters to reel me in the world of theirs—with their passion, their love, their girlhood, their inside jokes, their compassion, their bravery, and their sickness of wanting to eat the world.

i wished i could be a part of their universe.
i wished i could hug each of them.
i wished i could tell them that they are enough.

this book provided a sense of clarity in me. i hold this book dearly in my heart.

(thank you netgalley, atria books, and the author for allowing me to read this in advance in exchange for an honest review that is entirely my own)

This book is absolutely incredible and the format of it could not have been written in a better way. It follows the life of an author, who keeps her identity a secret, throughout her childhood and into adulthood. It’s written through many different povs like friends, love-interests, and agents so you as a reader can get a full explanation of events taking place from a variety of perspectives. This book could’ve gone on forever and I would have been happy. I loved the writing and how quickly the plot moved.

I really liked the full-circle nature of the book, and the characters’ development over years of time.

Overall I found this book really tough to finish. Few of the characters are actually fully fleshed out and I really could not fathom the main character's reaction to "the incident." It seemed wildly out of character and for her to just run with what Sidney (a woman who she barley knew) said without validating made absolutely no sense to me. I also felt like the chapters from the book Cate wrote were a disservice to the book, anytime an author writes about an author who wrote a book that took the world by storm, it never works out that way in writing. Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the arc!

I don’t even know where to begin with this book—it’s unbelievably beautiful. The Three Lives of Cate Kay is a coming-of-age story that dives deep into love, friendship, self-identity, and queerness, with a strong focus on lesbianism. The narrative is uniquely structured, giving you a fresh perspective that keeps you hooked. The author’s writing style is nothing short of godly which truly sets this book apart, leaving me with a flood of emotions that I can barely put into words.

(As I sit here, emotions are running wild, and I’m struggling to fully express just how much this book has moved me).

The characters are complex and relatable—you might not agree with all their decisions, but you don’t hate them either. It forces you to reflect on what you would have done in their shoes. The story picks up quickly, making it impossible to put down, and the ending is nothing short of beautiful.

The Three Lives of Cate Kay is a must-read that will stay with you long after the last page 💗
Thank you Kate for blessing us 🧚🏽‍♂️✨

I really enjoyed this read. While I knew what to expect the twists were fun and I always enjoy a sapphic read.

The Three Lives of Cate Kay has layers upon layers. Anne Marie and Amanda are childhood best friends planning their future after high school. An accident and panicked decision change their lives forever. Themes of love, friendship, honesty and finding oneself are at the heart of this novel.

This book was Gone Girl meets Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. I was absolutely hooked and loved the alternating POVs between people, places, and years. 4 stars because although I absolutely loved the story; I couldn't stand any of the characters. Every single one of them had the worst communication and wasted so much time getting upset about assumptions. For as big of a build up for the final reveal of who Cate Kay is, I found the ending unsatisfying and unrealistic by everything wrapping up nicely. The crux of this book is how messy each person is, so I wanted a messy ending! Let Annie kill Sidney!!

It's not often that I finish a book and wish it was longer. The Three Lives of Cate Kay is one of the rare occurrences where I would have happily read another 200 pages of this book. The story follows Cate from her relationship with her childhood best friend in her hometown, to becoming a best selling author under a pseudonym after leaving her life behind. Fagan weaves together multiple perspectives throughout the novel to piece together the story of Cate's past and bring us into the present. The sapphic representation was incredible & the characters felt so genuine.

I know this book is a gem because despite its imperfections, I can't help but love it. There were aspects that didn't really add up to me and the end didn't pack as big of a punch as I hoped it would. Yet, I loved reading it & something about it felt so special. It's been a long time since I felt this invested in a story.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this. This was a brilliant read, so cleverly written with the different characters viewpoints. I raced through it and found it thoroughly entertaining.

The three lives of Cate Kay are defined by who she wanted to be and who she believed she was at the time. Annie defined herself as an actress and was adamant of breaking free and becoming an actress in California but she believed herself to be a girl attached by her great love of Amanda but wondering if it was enough. Cass wanted to be an author but believed that she could be defined by her love by Sidney who due to her lies, determined her next steps in life. Cate was a great author but unlike The Very Last of which the characters remained in solitude due to the nuclear blast and even Persephone living at The Core, wanted to belong to someone and to be loved in a true relationship. Just like Ryan who as an actress made people feel something similar to an author, she wanted to feel something that could supersede any of her expectations. I found this book to be fascinating as I think all people cycle through parts of their lives as to who they are, what they dream and subsequently think they should be, and what they ultimately become. But most importantly, love is the black hole that needs to be filled.

Wow! Loved this unique, yet some how familiar story of friendship, forgiveness, and all kinds of love. With characters that make you cringe in their relatability, I mean we have all made bad decisions, right. I am a fan of Kate Fagan's non-fiction work and love how her voice shines through in this fiction tale.
One of those novels that grips you from the first page with a changing perspective from chapter to chapter that makes it easy to power through this engrossed entanglement. The story does leavesyou heavy with the underlining truths of how things not said can lead to so much unnecessary heartbreak, while at the same time uplifting you with the potential of the human spirit to change and forgive, themselves and the people they love.
I will be recommending this one to everyone.

Layers and layers, this one. A thriller centred on a rather privileged and self-involved little liar. Annie, Cass, Cate. I enjoyed this fast-paced read, wondering where it was heading. But I couldn’t get past how basic the characters were … how much rested on insta-love and being told rather than shown who these people were … and the heart of the identity split? I read that section over several times and I still don’t get why our lead ran off and assumed the worst. And was too self-absorbed to even call in an anonymous tip. Sidney, too. These woman are apparently lustful and shallow wenches. So much for this sapphic thriller.

4.75

Setting: California
Rep: multiple queer POV characters, disabled POV character

This is such a layered and nuanced story. Don't be misled by the tags - it's not a thriller at all. It's more of a slowly unravelling character study with a richly realized cast with whom I wanted to spend a lot more time. The comp to Evelyn Hugo is apt. I'll be keeping an eye out for the author's future fiction!