Found it pretty confusing at first, tbh & had to go back and re read a fair amount but wound up enjoying it. That being said, it’s not the type of book you can start, put down for a week & then pick back up.

The Three Lives of Cate Kay by Kate Fagan

emotional hopeful reflective fast-paced
Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0

A slice of life novel that flickers through a lifetime
Loved 💕
💕 flawed everyday character trying to be better
💕 That the author experimented with narrative structure
💕 Themes of reinvention and reconciliation
💕 Great author representation( accurate inside information)

Not my cuppa tea ☕️
☕️ shifts can be disorientating
☕️meta part of character writing a slice of life book and your reading one
The book left me wanting more of the moments we only got a glimpse into. I personally don’t find it that similar to the ‘The Seven husbands of Evelyn Hugo’ but rather find the books more like reading a queer woody Allen movie.
Ideal reader ⭐️
⭐️ Reader looking for something hopeful
⭐️ Reader who enjoys reading books with interesting narrative structures
⭐️ A Reader looking for great LGBTQIA+ representation due to it being an own voices book

this book has been compared to the seven husbands of evelyn hugo...and i can see why. its a story about a best selling author and her true story. its faced paced and quick and you get hooked at the first few pages. i very much enjoyed this book. its the perfect read when you want something to take your mind for a spin and get a break from reality, you could say the best reality tv in your head. its drama, secrets, love and emotion packed in one big enternaining story!

I'm not sure why this is being marketed for fans of seven husbands of evelyn hugo. i loved evelyn hugo....i did not care for this. it was just ok for me. i wanted to love it. & normally everything that book of the month picks....i love. i would've been really disappointed if i spent money on this book. I have no idea what the point of this book was or what the author was trying to get to when writing this book. but i was lost the entire time.

I really enjoyed this read for the first 90% or so. I liked the book within the book and felt like I really got to care about our main character!

I was so ready to give this book a 5 stars or at least a strong 4 star until we got towards the end and I was left unsatisfied with how things were solved. I don't think I hated where we got to but it was just so abrupt and felt like we missed a lot of development of how we got there (certain characters were forgiven so easily and plot points solved immediately).

Overall I still left this book with overall positive thoughts since I enjoyed the writing and did enjoy myself for most of the book. Mostly disappointed that there was so much potential and it just didn't fully stick the landing.

There may be spoilers.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy of this title.

The Three Lives of Cate Kay started off with an intriguing premise. We follow our main character who alongside her best friend Amanda, are both aspiring actors that yearn to escape their small town.

After a tragic accident, our main character runs away and along the way assumes a new identity, setting the stage for what I was hoping to be a compelling story of self-discovery. Unfortunately, while the novel starts off strong, it soon becomes muddled by underdeveloped plot points, one-dimensional undeveloped main characters, an unnecessary amount of POVs that detract from Cate’s, Amanda’s (even Ryan’s) stories, and a novel within the storyline that felt disconnected and out of place.

I wanted to see our main character overcome her struggles and truly discover what she was running away from and who she really is, but the narrative’s lack of focus made it difficult for me to stay engaged. While the premise had potential, the execution left me confused.

I give this book 2 stars.

I really liked this. I haven't read Evelyn Hugo, so not sure how it compares -- but overall thought this was a fascinating story. I thought it was clever to set up for the reader like they are reading Cate Kay's autobiography, with multiple voices and side notes to their additions. It made the story break through that 4th wall a bit and it really helped me get invested as a reader.

The Three Lives of Cate Kay follows Annie as she runs from a tragedy that happens in her home town and builds her career once she leaves. There are deep themes of female friendship, lgbt relationships, absentee parents, and chasing dreams.

The book didn't start to make much sense until about 50% through, but I find that about most literary fiction books. And while this centers around a mystery, I do think it leans towards literary fiction. This book is an ode to female friendships and falling in love and all the crazy, stupid decisions those things can move you towards making while surviving your youth.

I enjoyed my reading experience, however I do think the ending could have been stronger. I desperately wanted there to be some resolution with Sidney regarding the part she played in the mystery. I wanted answers and I wanted to watch her squirm.

Loved this! I went into this pretty blind and was surprised by how much I liked this. Short quick chapters, quick connection to the characters, and the cast of the audiobook was fantastic. I thought the balance between the past and the present were woven perfectly -- reminded me of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. I look forward to reading more from this author.

I genuinely loved this! It was so gripping and interesting. The characters were deeply flawed, but I found most of it forgivable/understandable (with the exception of Sidney), and they all seemed very real for their flaws and regrets. I wish the conclusion had been a little more fleshed out in that I wanted more interaction between all of them at the end. I loved the letter from Amanda, and I wish there had been more stuff like that. I also thought some of the turns of phrases could have used a little more editing to be less cheesy and more concise. But I am also being a little nitpicky because I read this for a book club I am co-leading. I loved the mystery element and the romance and the growth and the female friendships. I love the depictions of loneliness and love and forgiveness. All the characters were so wholly human and complex.

While I see the comparison to Evelyn Hugo - I read this expecting so much more and to love it for that reason. I'm not sure what exactly it was but this one fell a bit flat for me. I felt like I just didn't connect with any of the characters. I thought a lot was just a bit slow or boring for me.

Although I didn't LOVE it, I can see why a lot of people do. Just because my rating is lower I think I would still recommend this book to others just because I feel like this is one that everyone should read and form their own opinion on rather than seeing some "negative" reviews and choosing to pass this one.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this one!

What I liked:
~The book focuses on female relationships
~The main character has a lot of growth and isn’t always likable
~The references to her friendship throughout her novel and finding out about them throughout the story
~the chapters from other character’s perspectives
~the main love story of the book is about a friendship rather than the romantic relationship
~The format

What I didn’t like:
~it felt like it ended too quick. There were a couple things you find out about after that I wanted to be there for.

Cate Kay is an author and an enigma, hiding behind three different names and lives. While her true identity is a mystery, she’s asked by her publisher to write a memoir detailing her past. The Three Lives of Cate Kay is a true coming-of-age journey of self-discovery. It details a heart-wrenching queer love story that’s so intriguing and courageous, it was both complex and fascinating. It’s truly an impressive multi-faceted read! If you loved The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, this is a MUST READ!

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read this digital ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

This book very pleasantly surprised me, and a large part of that was due to the wonderful full casting on the audiobook narration. I’m a little torn on my rating for this one because as a whole I absolutely loved the book. The characters were some of the most developed ones I’ve read in a while and I just adored the relationship between Annie and Amanda (and Cass and Ryan). I loved the style of the book, written in a memoir style with chapters dedicated to people throughout her life. The part that pulls me back from a full five stars is the slight suspension of belief about Annie never checking back on her home town (or her hometown not trying to find her), but I was really able to look past this for the remarkable read this was!

REVIEW: The Three Lives of Cate Kay by Kate Fagan

The Three Lives of Cate Kay is a suspenseful, quick-read read about friendships, coming of age, queer love, and self-discovery. This book does a great job of trying to find yourself even through the darkest of times. I wanted to keep reading to find out more about Cate Kay.

I wasn’t a massive fan of a few things in this book. Many of the situations could have been easily fixed or resolved with communication. The miscommunication trope has been too much for me lately. The beginning of The Three Lives of Cate was also very slow. It was hard to get into at first. Lastly, it was hard to follow due to the many time jumps and narrator switches.

Overall,I enjoyed reading The Three Lives of Cate Kay; it wasn’t my favorite.

Thank you, Atria Books, for the free advanced copy for my honest review!

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an emotional sapphic second chance love story.
well-written debut by kate fagan that has a unique form. what we have here is a book-in-a-book, which I enjoy more and more. this book is full of female friendships, falling in and out of love and dealing with guilt, but also grief.

a must for fans of "The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo" and anything else written by Taylor Jenkins Reid!

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for the complementary digital copy of The Three Lives of Cate Kay! It was excellent and I absolutely gobbled it up in nearly one sitting.
At first I was dubious, because when publishers try to compare books to other extraordinarily popular ones, I tend to be turned off. There’s no way something can be the next (in this case) The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. I will now begrudgingly concede that I did enjoy this book just as much, and it did indeed have many settings, themes and narrative similarities.
Cate Kay was so heartbreakingly easy to empathize with, and I was glued to the page with the crazy ups and downs of her life, and with the surprising twists the plot takes. I love multiple POVs and the ‘mock-umentary’ narrative device. The love story was achingly sweet and I furiously turned the pages hoping for her happy ending. The conclusion felt rushed, and I wanted more time with all the characters after things come together. (Yes, I am being vague because I don’t want to give any spoilers.) But, bottom line, I loved it and (like the novels it is being compared to) I hope it takes off in popularity.

Cate Kay is a best selling author of a dystopian trilogy called The Very Last. In fact she has taken the publishing world by storm, selling millions of her books but……no one knows who she is.
Cate is Cass, Cass is Annie. Annie was the teenager who was in love with her best friend Amanda. They were best friends that did everything together and had dreams of escaping their present lives and going to Los Angeles and becoming famous. That is until Amanda suffers a serious accident and Annie in a moment of panic leaves town. She reinvents her self as Cass and starts writing the book that would become The Very Last. The story is shaped by her teenage years with Amanda (whom she is told died in the accident). As her fame grows she finds herself more trapped. Only one person knows Cate is Cass and Cass wants to keep it that way.
The story is told in different voices at different times in their lives and the novel as a whole I think Is meant to be Cate Kay’s memoir.
I found it hard to follow at first and had to organise the characters in my head to sort out who was who and the parts they played. It could easily be a YA read even tho it is a lesbian (do we use that word anymore?)love story , as a lot of Ya novels have gay characters and some a lot more descriptive of the relationships than this.
Good read


#TheThreeLivesOfCateKay. #NetGalley

Anything sapphic has me intrigued, and this book was no exception. However, while I was initially captivated, the story ultimately fell a bit flat partly due to the sheer number of characters introduced, many of whom didn’t feel fully developed. Despite its relatively short length, the novel felt longer than it was, weighed down by passages that could have been trimmed or omitted entirely.

That said, I still believe this novel has significant potential and could resonate deeply with many readers. It absolutely deserves more than three stars, as I can understand why it could be a five-star read for others. Unfortunately, it just didn’t click for me. Nonetheless, I remain hopeful for the author’s future works and am excited to see what they create in the coming years.

Thank you to Kate Fagan, Atria Books, and NetGalley for providing the e-ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Sadly, this just wasn't it for me. The concept was strong but the bar was set very high with comparisons to TJR- for a debut author those are very big shoes to fill and I don't think that set the book up for success.