I loved this book! We are introduced to a bestselling author who is finally ready to confess her true identity. We follow her through her different “names,” which gives a glimpse into different times of her life. It is similar to “The Seven Husbands Of Evelyn Hugo,” but with a bit more of an edge. I’ll be recommending this one for my book club!

Thanks for allowing me to read in advance!

** A copy of The Three Lives of Cate Kay was provided by the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review **

The Three Lives of Cate Kay is a thought-provoking and emotional novel that explores female friendship, coming-of-age, and the legacies of secrets/trauma. Told in multiple POVs and as a story within a story, this novel keeps you reading till the last page.

i think the writing style wasn’t for me, and the concept was interesting but ended up being relatively predictable. certain moments were very captivating, but this didn’t continue consistently throughout the book. that being said, the second half of the book was far more enjoyable than the first in my opinion, and i was quite satisfied with the ending. thank you to netgalley and atria books for granting me an arc.

At first I couldn't get into this book, but once I hit around the 25% mark where a big event occurs, I was hooked. The book has different points of view that move quickly through very short chapters and that structure kept me engaged. This is the story of Cate Kay, the pseudonym for a globally famous, bestselling author who has chosen to stay anonymous. We learn about her childhood and relationship with her best friend Amanda and all the "why's" of decisions made throughout "Cate Kay's" life. There was a little bit of that annoying (to me) trope of miscommunication, but other than that, I enjoyed this and was happy to have read an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

i am now realizing that this book is very hard to review unless everyone reading the review has already read it. this was slow to start for me, with the alternate timelines and POVs but once i got in it, i couldn’t stop! when i saw this book being compared to the seven husbands of evelyn hugo, i was skeptical. but honestly…if you’re a fan of evelyn hugo or daisy jones, this may be your new favorite book. i will absolutely be buying a physical copy of this in january. thank you to netgalley and atria books for the arc!

The Three Lives of Cate Kay was a challenging read. Fagan's storytelling is visual yet chaotic. The plot organization was confusing, which made it difficult to be totally sympathetic to the characters.

1/5 ⭐️

I really, really tried to like this. I DNF’ed around the 25% mark. I literally couldn’t do another minute of this. It didn’t feel like a thriller at all, I spent more time confused instead of intrigued. I was more excited about the 90’s references than the character developments (jelly shoes and country apple body spray were my jam in the nineties.) The pacing felt weird and off. The tone and language used felt contemporary and trendy in comparison to 90’s/early 2000’s lingo. I was super excited to read this and it just fell flat for me.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I devoured this book; a bingeable snappy read. It tells the story behind the three names the titular character has used throughout their life, and that character's relationships, but with a very interesting structure: instead of just giving us her first person take it brings in a bunch of related people that tell the story differently or complement it, which adds a lot of depth because it's as much about how one person sees themselves than about how others see them and each other as well, in their own words. There's also fragments of a novel within the book, reminiscent of the parts of the graphic novel included in "Station Eleven." The book overall flows really well — readers who may initially feel on the fence by the first appearance of alternate narrators and time jumps will be glad to tag along as author Kate Fagan unfurls the tale(s) and love story(ies).
The logline mentions "Evelyn Hugo," (fitting especially in terms of characters whose circumstances mean they have to hide who the truly are attracted to/in love with at times) though because of the inclusion of more narrative voices it reminded me of "Daisy Jones" as well. I'm sure readers who liked either will enjoy this one just as much.
The only quibble if I were to have one is that some chapters have endnotes and I wish some would've been footnotes, cause when they came around it sometimes required going back to re-read which part specifically each referred to.

this book was phenomenal. the intricate ways in which the author wove all the storylines, with tidbits of information for past, present, and future recaps was stunning. i felt completely submerged in this story. i loved all of the random POVs ontop of our main characters. this really just gave the book an extra edge, especially with the footnotes of Cate’s thoughts/feelings/clarifications of events. there’s not many books that i feel like i can’t read fast enough, but this was definitely one of those books. i do wish the ending was a bit less satisfying, but only because this book as a whole was soooo heart wrenching and anger inducing, that i just feel like this would have been the type of book for a nonHEA.

THAT SAID, i still thoroughly enjoyed this book, and i am so glad to have received an advanced copy. thank you to netgalley and publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Maybe I just wasn’t in the right mood for this book but it was just ok for me. It felt a little slow at the beginning and there were so many different POV chapters that felt unnecessary. I did like the overarching storyline.

4.5 ⭐️

Thank you to the publisher, author and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Wow! This did not disappoint. My first ever ARC and I’m happy it was. A passionate, sapphic story that is heartbreaking, heartfelt and empowering all in one. It left me in my feelings, especially towards the end. I love people being messy, and certain plot points left me like this 😳 which is exactly what I want in a book. The only reason it wasn’t a full 5 stars for me is because it is told through multiple POVs and time hopping — could be a bit confusing to the point where I was dissociating at times (but that is more than likely a me problem) and I felt some POVs weren’t absolutely necessary (although they did weave together nicely in the end). I enjoyed the author’s use of footnotes at the end of chapters. It was a unique addition. Definitely would recommend!

This could be slow at times but overall it was enjoyable. I liked how the novel entwined with the character’s real life.

My goodness, y'all - This one was a ride, and that's a good thing. What I loved most about it was the way the story was built. Cate Kay is an author who is known for no one knowing who she really is. The truth is then told through a variety of humans who have interacted with Cate along the way. I loved how each person had a role in the story. I also loved how pieces of Cate's novel were included to connect her "real life" with the fictional world that brought her fame. I'm trying hard here to write just enough to tell you how much I loved the twists and storytelling of this one, but also, I want you to have the experience of going on this journey. I've read and loved Kate Fagan's sports writing, and I can now say I also love her fiction writing. Thanks to NetGalley for the early look at this January 2025 release.

I found this book a bit slow and tedious. Normally I quite like flawed characters, but I found almost all of them to be unlikeable as well as flawed which meant I struggled to engage with them and care about the outcome.

This was an incredibly beautiful story! I enjoyed the multiple Pov's a lot and i felt like the story was so unique and the writing style stands out in the best way possible! I also love how in each pov you can see the writing change a bit to mimic the different characters telling the story! However they do seem to kinda melt together towards the end and I had difficulties to connect with each pov towards the end.

I went through so many emotions while reading this book and i loved the drama haha. I also enjoyed the lgbt representation !

Thank you netgalley and the producer as well as the writer for this eARC- copy in exchange of an honest review.

The Three Lives of Cate Kay by Kate Fagan is perfect for fans of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. Cate’s life, full of reinvention, secrets, and fame, hooked me. The blend of multiple POVs and emotional depth made it a page-turner, though the resolution felt a bit too easy at times. 4.5 stars!

i am on the hunt for my five-star read of 2024, and i was hopeful that this book would be it. considering the synopsis compared it to the seven husbands of evelyn hugo, i had high expectations. while this book did not turn out to be a five-star read for me, 4.5 stars isn’t bad!

this was such an interesting concept with the “story within a story” arc. i loved being able to read glimpses of the book mentioned in the novel, and the multiple pov’s made the pacing quick. i do think that the ending felt a bit rushed, but i appreciated that the protagonist’s arc tied up in a nice bow, full of possibility.

i’ll be on the lookout for more from kate fagan, especially if it means that i’ll get authentic stories about queer love!

i received an advanced readers copy of this novel, courtesy of netgalley and atria books. all opinions expressed are my own.

I recieved an ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Two teenage girls navigating the ins and out of coming of age and all of the confusion and bliss that comes with it. This is a story of love, loss, grief, success and everything in between. This book knocked it out of the park for me. I want a sequel!!!

absolutely exceed all my expectations! this is a book where you're supposed to pace yourself...but didn't happen. there was no way i could have finished this in multiple, short sitting. the writing and plot points just had me hooked and it was done in two. so excited to see more of Kate's fiction work.

Kate Fagan’s The Three Lives of Cate Kay is a thought-provoking and emotionally resonant novel that delves into themes of identity, resilience, and self-discovery. Through the lens of Cate Kay’s multifaceted life, Fagan crafts a narrative that is both deeply personal and universally relatable.