Right off the bat, this book drew me in and captured my attention. The parallels with The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid are definitely a part of the reason why (old-ish Hollywood, a memoir, an elusive writer) but definitely more so the writing. The author has an incredibly fresh and exciting voice that had me turning the pages of this book way past my bed time.

It was a beautiful and sometimes heartbreaking, depiction of sapphic love and friendship that felt so incredibly real, it was almost tangible.

Can we also take a second to talk about how cleverly the cover ties in with the title of the book and the story? The rearview mirror being broken into three, symbolising the FMC’s three identities. Fantastic!

I will admit that the time hopping and the multiple POVs left me a bit dazed and confused but I can see that it was essential to drive the central plot.

Overall a beautiful and profound story about love, friendship and the human nature.

Thank you so much to the publisher, the author and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It is difficult to describe this book using words because I felt so engaged and absorbed on so many levels that I think you would need to read it to understand this difficulty and how I feel having just finished it.

The book centers on Cate Kay but at the same time we have the perspectives of a dozen people some who are pivotal and long lasting, impacting from the first page to the last and others who are only there for a moment and are themselves more impacted by the story we are reading. There are so many levels to this story in a way that I feel can only be possible due to the nature of this being a book written and pulled together by the main character to explain their worlds and whys.

It is so cleverly written no character was too inconsequential all of them had motivations and lives that were fully constructed giving the reader a unique perspective in being able to understand exactly how the events of the book transpired whilst also being carried along with them wanting to know how this ends.

I was given an arc in exchange for an honest review by net galley however I have to say after reading it I want a hardback copy for my shelf so have just preordered now.

Cate's story hits with such raw emotion, her fame built on a lie and her real self hidden in the shadows of a painful past. The way she’s been running from everything, from her dreams and the people she loved, feels heartbreaking. But the moment she decides to face it all, there’s this deep sense of vulnerability that pulls you in. You can’t help but feel for her, torn between the life she created and the one she left behind. It’s a powerful, emotional ride that makes you feel every bit of Cate’s struggle to be whole again.

Cate Kay/Annie Marie/Cassandra...three names, three personas and what a treat it is to discover all about her. I read it all in one sitting and can't wait to see what Kate Fagan comes out with next.

Many thanks to Atria and Netgalley for the ARC.

'The Three Lives of Cate Kay' is the mock-memoir of a bestselling author, Cate Kay, whose identity remains unknown to the public. However, her memoir is not her singular story. Jumping through different perspectives and time, we are able to see just how many lives Cate Kay's actions have touched. From her childhood best friend Amanda to those who have read her book, no one is left unaffected.

I didn't expect anything profound when picking up this novel, but what an emotional, and raw exploration of the human condition. Kate Fagan weaves a story that is so incredibly real it wraps itself around you and swallows you whole. I could not get enough of the characters, even though at times I hated them very deeply. I loved the way different relationships were written here too. I thought the complexities of familial, platonic, and romantic love were portrayed really well. I don't want to spoil anything too badly, but Cate and her mother's relationship was a beautiful touch to the ending of the story.

I am also at awe over the intricate web that is Cate Kay's life. As we get to the perspective of those relevant to the time, you as the reader are shown the whole picture and are given the burden of deciding what matters to you. It was incredibly special to witness the small pieces of information we are given eventually fall into place as well.

The obvious influence that non-fiction writing has had on the novel is one thing I'd like to mention briefly. Every character feels whole, whether likeable or not, which is something I find being poorly executed with a lot of fiction books. Even the 'villains' in the novel are humanised and given meaningful traits. The memoir style is also just executed pretty perfectly considering the person does not exist.

The feeling of reading this for the first time will stick with more for a while. I do however wish the author would use the word lesbian for the characters!!!!

4.5 stars.

✨This is a multi-layered, absolutely heart wrenching book filled with themes of love, longing, tragedy and, ultimately, healing. A beautifully told story.

✨ I saw this one compared to Evelyn Hugo, and while I can see it, I think this one deserves recognition on its own merit.

✨ I was blown away by the intricate storytelling in these pages – and I can honestly say this is one of the most unique premises I’ve seen. The structure of this book is truly brilliant.

🌿Read if you like:
✨Multiple points of view and timelines
✨LGBTQ+ rep
✨Books within books
✨The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
✨Female friendships
✨Flawed, complex female characters

My thanks to @atriabooks and @netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book before its publication date.

What a fun read! Well developed characters and smart writing. Does a great job at capturing the joys of childhood friendship and later, true loves of adulthood. This was a page turner for me to discover all the lives and mystery of Cate Kay. I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 ⭐️

I loved this book! The exploration of queerness and its impact on identity throughout different periods of life was so relatable and accurate, and it frankly meant a lot to me. 

I thought the characters were so complex and interesting, and were definitely what made the book so strong. It was refreshing to see such a variety of queer characters with different coming-out experiences, different morals, different ambitions, and different attitudes towards relationships. Even the most toxic and unsympathetic characters were all so well-written and layered.

None of the POVs felt unnecessary and I enjoyed every chapter no matter who told it. This combined with the relatively short page count made this such an easy read and I never found myself getting bored or losing interest in the plot.

The themes of queerness, the price of fame, the importance of friendships, and the complexity of identity were so empowering and nuanced. The themes were all written so well and incorporated so well into the different plot arcs, helping to make the pacing feel absolutely perfect in my opinion. The story never felt like it was losing momentum and each chapter offered new insight into the events of the story. I loved the ending as well, and the way it brought all of the plot threads together in such a satisfying and enjoyable way.

However, an ironic downside of the characters being so strong was that the framing device didn't work for me and made me feel awkward, almost like I was prying into a real person's life. I couldn't believe that real people would admit such personal things, knowing that the person they were writing about would read them. I'm not sure if this would bother many people (it may well just be me being British) but it was the one thing that stopped me from fully engaging with the story. 

Despite my issues with the framing device, I would still absolutely recommend this! The story itself was so compelling and I definitely think any queer, and especially any sapphic, readers will find this very relatable and meaningful.


Thanks to NetGalley and Atria for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Three Lives of Cate Kay was not what I was expecting!

I did feel like it started off a little bit of a slow burn but it eventually got really good and was so hard to put down. I love multiple POVs and the way all the characters connected in this story was so wonderful and very well done. Very character driven! I really enjoyed the "footnotes" of the memoir. Some of the scenes in the story were so well written and were very easy to picture.

I have seen this compared to Evelyn Hugo and while I understand the comparison, I wouldn't put the two together. I do think this would be a great book club pick.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

honestly this novel is being marketed towards fans of the seven husbands of evelyn hugo, and respecfully lets put some name on miss Kate Fagan. Because we all know the problems correlating around the bisexuality of Evelyn's character. And this portrays it in such a loving caring light. i inhaled this book but also have mixed feelings i am rating it a 4/5 stars rounded 3.5 stars. because i totally see the positive light and enjoyment that can be found in this book, and believe others deserve to form their opinions on a book, without review checking. in all amazing book!

A generous 3 star on this one…because while it wasn’t for me, I could totally see why others enjoyed it. We just weren’t a book match made in heaven lol.

So I’m really behind on my ARC reading and trying to read everything in order of its pub date BUT I couldn’t resist diving into this one right away because I saw that it was likened to The Seven 𝙃𝙪𝙨𝙗𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙀𝙫𝙚𝙡𝙮𝙣 𝙃𝙪𝙜𝙤.

This one is described an “electric, voice-driven debut novel about an elusive bestselling author who decides to finally confess her true identity after years of hiding from her past.” Unfortunately, I couldn’t finish it fast enough…because I wanted to be done with it. Honestly, the MC’s PAST was the most interesting thing about her.

Here’s the thing, I didn’t really like any of the characters and struggled to care about the story. However, I will say, Annie and Amanda’s relationship and their story kept me intrigued, I liked how all of that came full circle. All of the other stuff in between just really didn’t keep my attention…except Sandi every so briefly…I got bored with her too. I just felt like it went on and on forever…but the book was under 300 pages.

Others have really loved this book so I could totally be an outlier. It just wasn’t for me, at all. Maybe I’m just too impatient of a reader or maybe that Evelyn Hugo comparison had my expectations way too high. Either way, I say check it out for yourself. It would absolutely be a fun book club read.

Read the ARC on Netgalley, thank you Atria books for the ARC!

This book is about a two girls, one of which goes on to be a bestseller novelist of a huge trilogy series but she is anonymous to the world.

This book is marketed for readers who liked Seven husbands of Evelyn Hugo (not Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle)

This is a fictional memoir of the author.

When I first read the premise I imagined time travel and everything because it said (Cate Kay doesn't exist)

The larger theme of this book is how we change as we grow up and the people we love. Overall, it's a very nice read!

A tale of friendships, relationships and growing up. I was hooked immediately and loved every minute of this book! It was a joy to read!

Oh I really, really loved this one!!! The first 10-15% was a little bit slow, but after that I truly could not put this book down. I ignored notifications on my phone, skipped watching a basketball game I wanted to watch (if you know me you know that doesn’t happen), and missed out on sleep because I had to finish this book.

I just adored these characters (except one - you know who you are! 😡) and was so invested in every storyline and how everybody was interwoven. The majority of the chapters were written from the perspective of the main character. However there were a lot of chapters from side character’s perspectives. The way this was executed by the author was nothing short of brilliant. The story was so compelling, and I think I was fully holding my breath for the last few chapters in the hopes that things ended how I wanted.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest rating and review.

This is a really entertaining, multi-faceted read that I enjoyed. This book is complex and fascinating. I loved how when you sit and think and just marinate in what you’ve read, your mind comes up with deeper meaning. I love books that do that! I’m still trying to peg the deeper meaning of this book, really narrow it down. I think that it boils down to connectiveness and accepting yourself. I struggle when books are compared to other books, especially so when I loved the book they are being compared to, Evelyn Hugo in this case. In most cases I get upset because the books are nothing alike, but that is not what happened here. This book had the same vibes as Evelyn. Yes, it’s about the vibes. Ah and the writing is just fantastic. Getting this story told via multiple points of view only added to the layered complexion that I came to adore. This book kept me guessing in so many ways and I never really felt like I had a good handle on what was happening. It was wild, and loose, but I went with it and it worked!

This one is a lot of fun. It’s predictable at times, but I was so caught up in the book that I didn’t care at all.

Thank you @netgalley and @atriabooks for allowing me to read this title early. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐊𝐚𝐲 publishes January 7th.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐊𝐚𝐲 is a very character driven story. I feel like I can’t say much because I don’t want to give too much away, but the story literally takes you through every period of Cate Kay’s life. I was just an average read for me. I enjoyed the ending - everything was tied up into a neat little bow and it definitely felt worth my time.

I’m sitting here trying to find the perfect way to describe The Three Lives of Cate Kay by Kate Fagan and I’m at a loss for words.

Though I tried to pace myself in order to completely take in every piece of this book, once I started I knew I was going to have to dedicate time to give myself over fully to the (electronic) pages. Fagan has written such a beautifully complex, yet relatable story capturing the essence of relationships and how the ripple effects of tragedy can lead you down paths you’d never knew you’d take.

The story is propulsive. I needed to know: Who is Cate Kay? How did we get here and where is this going?

The answers surprised me and left me considering my own desires for cosmic bigness. I will absolutely be rereading this and looking forward to more works of fiction from Kate Fagan.

*Thank you for my ARC, which was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*

This book was incredible. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but within the first few chapters I was hooked. This may end up being my favorite book read in 2024, and I can’t wait to see it explode come its release in january 2025.

The Three Lives of Cate Kay is a phenomenal story of finding one’s self while accepting both your past and present. It will leave you captivated with each chapter through its multiple points of view. Seeing how each character is uniquely connected to this story adds intimacy and depth. These different pov’s add a thrilling aspect to each page and will keep you craving more.

Cate Kay, I love you and all three lives you have lived! Told from multiple perspectives (but with Cate Kay’s footnotes sprinkled throughout) over the span of 20ish years we find out just way Cate Kay has had 3 lives and how sometimes we trust people too much, just to feel connected. This novel had me staying up through all hours of the night just to see what happens next! I know it’s marketed as the next Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, but I disagree, it’s so much better than that!!

Thank you Kate Fagan, Atria and NetGalley for the ARC in return for my honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

The tag line got this one exactly right - this book gives huge "Evelyn Hugo" vibes, in the best way possible. I really can't emphasize enough how much I loved this book, how quickly I devoured it, and how much I think it is going to be a smash success. This will be picked for everyone's book club next year, and it will cross genre lines and audiences. This is a queer love story (or several), a tragedy, a suspense, a bildungsroman, and a slice of life into the rich and famous all wrapped into one book. It was so quick and easy to read, it's easily a one-sitting book, especially with the short chapters and alternating viewpoints. I'm happy to say that this is one of my favorite reads of the year, and I'm immediately going to read anything by Kate Fagan I can get my hands on.