Cate Kay, the internationally best selling author, doesn’t exist. Or rather she does, but not with that name. And her true identity is a closely guarded secret. Cate, or Cassie, or Annie, is running from her past, but she’s not sure she wants to keep running in the shadows.
This domestic thriller in the form of a fictional memoir manages twists and reveals. Cate’s story is told from various points of view, which can get a little confusing, with footnotes added by Cate. Some of the characters were simply unlikeable, including, at times, Cate. I liked Ryan, but I wasn’t sure how her storyline was resolved at the end, which was disappointing.

Very interesting plot and engaging characters. This one tackles the subjects of friendship, childhood dreams as they morph into adulthood, bad actions, guilt, letting go and trying to move on and heal. If you like character driven stories that are just about a navigating life, then I think you will enjoy this one as much as I did.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for giving me early access to this book in exchange for feedback.

I really enjoyed my time with this book. The Three Lives of Cate Kay follows a bestselling author who suddenly decides to reintroduce herself to the world after spending years under the alias “Cate Kay”. After writing an entire book series that was even adapted into film, no one knew her true identity. Through alternating POVs, it unfolds the history of the three different names “Cate” has gone by in her life, why she kept her identity a secret, and why she finally decided to stop running from her past.

This book felt truly unique, with a creative structure that keeps the story feeling mysterious to the reader throughout. Each chapter has you collecting small bits of information in order to piece the full story together. There were a few secrets that I expected to be a bit more shocking once revealed, but that I suppose that made things feel more realistic and less like your typical twisty story. It’s more literary fiction than a true mystery, which is exactly what I like about it. You see a lot of character development- not just from our main character, but from several side characters as well.
I love that this book has a good mix of suspense, humor, emotion, and even some romance. There are some truly heartfelt moments surrounding the main character and her childhood best friend that make it feel very sincere at its core. There are so many layers and details in here that all tie together well in the end.

It’s fun, it’s different, it’s mysterious, it’s gay, and it leaves you with a satisfying ending. What more could you ask for in a book like this?

The Three Lives of Cate Kay was an interesting story that had some unexpected twists! The story follows the POV of multiple characters which can be a bit confusing at times. But once the reader is able to distinguish between the characters’ voices, it makes reading the story fly by with its quick chapters. At times, I felt like there was too much mundane detail in some areas and not enough in others. Overall, a solid story!

Cate Kay is a wildly successful author hiding her true identity from the world, but when she decides to finally reveal herself, the consequences are more shocking than anyone could have imagined. Exploring themes of love, loss, and the power of reinvention, “The Three Lives of Cate Kay” is a captivating story about the secrets we keep and the different versions of ourselves we create throughout life.

This was a fun mystery/thriller and domestic drama novel. Great writing and interesting characters keep you reading until the very end.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/214152244

This just didn't do it for me. Way too many people involved in the story which was obviously purposeful but it just felt every perspective was half-assed because of it.

This took awhile to get into; once I did, I enjoyed the pacing, but some of the devices it used did not work for me. There were far too many characters/names/POVs. The fact the central conflict that causes Annie to become “different lives” is based on a Hallmark movie level mixup really took me out of the story. It’s an insult to the reader to think someone who could write successful books never thought to google her friend (and she does at one point but doesn’t find anything?!)

The ending felt confusing as I was unsure who Annie was meant to end up with (her and Ryan felt very instalove) and why Amanda would just forgive her so easily. It was a fresh story and I liked Ryan’s character but the execution just left me feeling let down.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Three Lives of Cate Kay follows a reclusive bestselling author hiding behind a pen name, who is finally forced to confront her past. Once bound for stardom in California with her best friend, Amanda, Cate’s dreams were derailed by tragedy, leading her to a life on the run. Now, facing an unexpected revelation, she realizes that returning home is the only way to truly find herself.

This story was very entertaining! It is told from multiple POVs which I think lended to the story very well and definitely kept me locked in!

Unfortunately, this was a miss for me due to the writing style and the structure the book. The core of the story is interesting, but I think the marketing made my expectations for the genre quite different than what the story actually is. The different povs could use a bit more differentiation in terms of voice, as some felt a bit indistinguishable, and maybe then I would've felt more investment in the characters than I currently did.

Cate Kay is a best selling author but no one knows who she is and she doesn't promote her books. Told in multiple POV's we learn about her early life and why she has gone by three different names. I actually found the multiple POV's a little disconcerting in the beginning but it got easier as the book went on. Mainly, I had to not stop reading in the middle of a chapter!

Cate is a lesbian who loves her childhood best friend but knows not to tell her. Their relationship is a little strange but I suppose most teenage friendships are, they need each other and are inseparable but at the same time Cate wonders if she will go further without Amanda. The female relationships throughout the book are well done.

I was rooting for Cate and mad that she was lied to since we knew what had happened when she was 18, and just holding on waiting for her to find out.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

THE THREE LIVES OF CATE KAY ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5. Absolutely an easy book to get sucked into. Cate Kay is the most famous author in the world, her trilogy have sold millions of books, been adapted into huge box office successes. Except, no one knows who Cate Kay is. She is anonymous. Following the life of Cate Kay from childhood tragedy that kept her on the run, the her elusive famous life, this book will keep you hooked. Told from multiple POV, with short chapters, it’s easy to keep wanting more. I kept going back and forth between 4/4.5/5 stars with this, but I felt like more could of been written at the end, (even though I don’t feel that was the authors point). Thank you for the ARC NetGalley!

Overall, this book was pretty good. I was generally interested in the plot line and the characters throughout. I think my main problem is that I just generally liked it, I never loved it. It’s kind of like a fictionalized memoir, except it includes around a dozen other character’s perspectives throughout. The general concept, of an infamous writer finally revealing her identity, is pretty interesting and definitely what originally drew me to the book in the first place. The characters themselves are interesting, messy and sometimes self-centered but also deeply connected with one another. I think it’s a solidly written book, and I’m always a fan of more sapphic books and books about books, but writing this review several weeks after reading it just leaves me with the sense that it didn’t make a big emotional impact on me. I generally think it’s a genuinely good book and worth the read if you find the synopsis interesting, but the big emotions it seems to promise never translated in the ways that I had hoped.

This book is written in multiple povs, and while I loved reading Cate’s and Amanda’s povs, the other povs I really didn’t care about. It’s just they were such inconsequential characters that I didn’t connect with them. Also the switching between povs characters changing names made it a bit confusing to keep up with at times. But eventually I got the hang of it and was able to enjoy the story more.

I do think this book is a super cool and unique idea! I love how it read like a memoir. I also really enjoyed the romance and the mystery aspect of this book!

3.5 Star

Cate Kay is a bestselling author known for her groundbreaking trilogy. While her identity has remained a mystery, she is now ready to unveil her story. This book can be read like Cate Kay’s memoir.

Annie, also known as Cass and Cate, aspired to be an actress. She was prepared to travel to Los Angeles with her best friend, Amanda. However, due to a tragic accident, Annie left town alone without informing anyone.

The book is written from multiple POVs, which adds significant depth to the story and the roles these characters play in Cate Kay’s life, but at times it was a bit confusing.

This book incorporates romance without overshadowing the main plot, which I really appreciate. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the relationship between Cass and Ryan.

The book starts off slowly, but the pacing improves significantly after a few chapters.

The ending fell flat; some events unfolded off-page, leaving readers uncertain about the outcome of Cass’s reunion with Ryan.

Overall, it was an enjoyable read.

The main reason I love this book as I do is the formatting. Based on the introduction, you have an idea as to how certain storylines will end, but getting there is the mystery.

Cate Kay is an author, but behind the name is a very real, very anonymous person and she's already reinvented herself once. This tracks 'Cate' back to childhood, her relationships with her best friend, her first girlfriend, her first real love, and how and why all of those relationships broke.

Each chapter is narrated by rotating characters, giving different points of view to the events, 'Cate' providing annotations with her response to descriptions and interpretations.

I enjoyed the crap out of this book and hope you give it a shot.

Overall this wasn't a bad read but given the reviews I saw I was hoping for a little more excitiment. The switching characters combined with the different names/personas made it difficult for me, at times, to keep track of all the moving pieces. This also made it difficult for me to get into the book for a while. That said, it was still worth the effort and an enjoyable read.

Thank you Atria books and NetGalley for the ARC!

I loved this. Loved its whole deal. I'm a longtime Kate Fagan fan, so when I found out she'd be making her first foray into Fiction I couldn't be more excited. Turns out, she wrote a book the speaks specifically to my interests!! Childhood best friends, complicated and heartbreaking choices, all woven together with beautiful and complex characters... couldn't recommend this one enough!

The blurb reads

Cate Kay knows how to craft a story. As the creator of a bestselling book trilogy that struck box office gold as a film series, she’s one of the most successful authors of her generation. The thing is, Cate Kay doesn’t really exist. She’s never attended author events or granted any interviews. Her real identity had been a closely guarded secret, until now.

As a young adult, she and her best friend Amanda dreamed of escaping their difficult homes and moving to California to become movie stars. But the day before their grand adventure, a tragedy shattered their dreams and Cate has been on the run ever since, taking on different names and charting a new future. But after a shocking revelation, Cate understands that returning home is the only way she’ll be a whole person again.

Cate Kay is the author of a best-selling book that's soon to be a movie. No one knows her true identity since she's writing under a pseudonym. Her girlfriend/lawyer doesn't even know her real name. In flashbacks, we learn about her high school best friend Amanda and the tragedy that compelled her to leave her life behind. The book is told through many points of view, mostly Cate's and Amanda's but often people slightly involved in their lives for just a chapter and I found these chapters the most interesting, the woman who discovered Cate's book, the postal employee in charge of Cate's fan mail and their high school drama teacher. I had a hard time getting into the book and skimmed through most of the middle but I did like the ending and how Cate finally faces the tragedy that changed her life.