I really wanted to like this book since it was compared to the Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. It was not even close for me. I kept getting confused on who was who and who was talking. I felt like there were too many different people and you may only get a small amount about them. I couldn't connect with any of the characters. This was a good idea for a book but just not it for me. Others may love this one. Thank you the Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book.

Unfortunately I couldn't connect with this book or its characters. The cover is gorgeous, the idea seemed interesting, yet I could not suspend disbelief and get on board with how the characters acted.

I wasn't invested in the book. Point for everyone being gay I guess, that I liked :)))

I think the premise intrigued me from the start but it was much more of a slow build in the pacing of the story than I realized, making me pull from the plot a bit. I did pair the book and audio and that helped to keep me engaged a bit more though.

Part coming of age story, part mystery as Cate Kay shares dark secrets she ran from which made up the three identities she’s been using.

*many thanks to Atria, S&S audio and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

The Three Lives of Cate Kay was a compelling and emotionally rich story that kept me deeply engaged. Kate Fagan explores themes of identity, family, and personal transformation with great sensitivity and insight. The characters felt real and complex, making their journeys authentic and relatable. It was a beautifully written novel that stayed with me long after I finished.

I wanted to like this so much. It had so much promise. But I just couldn't get into it and finally DNF'd it.

i loved this book - the beauty of the queerness coupled with the beautiful balance of friendship love and romantic love. i read on my kindle and think i may have enjoyed a physical copy more, because it was hard to keep the characters straight for a while in the beginning. i would’ve benefitted from the ability to flip back and forth and compare. besides that, i loved the writing and the creative storytelling. it all came together so beautifully.

thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy.

At first, “The Three Lives of Cate Kay” started off a bit slow as it took time to build the story. But once it picked up, I was intrigued and wanted to know more about the main character. By the end, everything came together nicely, and the story tied itself up in a satisfying way.
It’s definitely a coming-of-age story. I had to keep reminding myself that the character is young—some of her decisions had me questioning, “Why would she do that?” But in the context of youth and growth, it made sense.

** Thank you NetGalley, Atria Books, and Kate Fagan for an eARC copy of “The Three Lives of Cate Kay”.

Cate Kay is a bestselling author. She also isn't real — it's a pen name, and the real person behind Cate Kay is ready to come clean about the dark secrets she ran from for decades by assuming three different identities. This story is messy, twisted, and deeply queer in a way that grabbed my attention right from the start. The shifting perspectives and asides as footnotes work really well. I want to see this adapted for the screen!!

Did I read this book with the Overbooked Randos in February? Yes but this had me h o o k e d!

Thank you @atriabooks and @simon.audio for the #gifted copies of "The Three Lives of Cate Kay"

But the ending came so abruptly & I was like a little baby grasping for a bottle saying gimme gimme more. (I also felt like things ended up like life's perfect for this story, am I wrong to think this?)

I was left with so many questions!!! Like so so so many *interal screaming of destruction*
[‼️BEWARE SPOILS AHEAD‼️]

How did those convos with Amanda and Ryan go? What about the moments with her mom? What about Sidney not writing the letter that she LIED about Amanda being dead? Hello??? I need the tea!!!!

But getting past my own internal drama that still storms my brain about the ending...I really liked the idea that this was a memoir about a famous and mysterious author. The multiple points of view helped grip me deeper into the stories plot. The second chance romance was good but kind of okay (but you don't need to hear me whine about the ending again *wheeze*)

I appreciated being a reader facing difficult topics & experiencing the tough moments LGBTQIA characters experience when they navigate through life & love in a climate that wasn't particularly accepting. But that's why we read, right? To expand our worlds. To learn. To appreciate & understand everyone around us.

I'm glad I read Cate Kay. I really enjoyed the secrets & how I needed to know what was going to happen deep in my bones. Yes, the ending (for me) was blah BUT the journey & what you learned for the story is what's the most important. And trust me, I learned a lot from Cate, Sidney, Amanda, Ryan, and Brett.

🎧 The audiobook is worth it for this one. A full cast of narrators sparkle magic into this story. The variety of voices really helps make this feel like it's a memoir about a real author.

📚 Bookish
❤️ Multiple Timelines + POVs
📚 LGBTQIA
❤️ Seven Husband's meets First Lie Wins
📚 Debut
❤️ Memoir Style
📚 Friendship

I really enjoyed everything about this other than the format. It's structured like a memoir of the main character, so many important events happen off-page, and I think the book could have benefitted from a different structure or including some of those important points. I did really love our narrator though -- she's messy, and there's a bit of a mystery that unravels throughout.

✨ The Vibes ✨
A little bit of mystery, a dash of Hollywood magic, and a whole lot of heart

📖 Read if…
✨ You like books with short chapters and lots of POVs
✨ You’re a fan of stories that use the “book within a book” structure
✨ You’re looking for a book that explores identity in a unique and powerful way

The Three Lives of Cate Kay has received a lot of coverage since it hit shelves earlier this year, billed as a mix of First Lie Wins and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. That line is what drew me in, but after finishing the book I think the story transcends those comparisons.

The Three Lives of Cate Kay is hard to explain, but at its core it's about a young woman who is forced to reinvent herself in the face of tragedy and finds herself and the true meanings of love and friendship along the way. It’s by far one of the most creative books I’ve read this year, following “Cate Kay” over her life, while also including excerpts of her bestselling book, the POV of the actress that is starring in the film adaptation of said book, and interstitials that share the perspective of various people who have encountered Cate throughout her life. Admittedly, the structure is a bit confusing, but somehow it works? I was really invested in the story and flew through it simply because I needed to know how everything was going to come together.

I think one of the biggest flaws of the book is the way it’s being marketed. Readers who pick this up expecting a crime fiction thriller like First Lie Wins or a sweeping historical fiction like Evelyn Hugo might be disappointed as Cate Kay isn’t really like either of those books once you get into the story, and I think creating those high expectations does a disservice to a truly one-of-a-kind book.

The Three Lives of Cate Kay is out now. Thanks to Atria and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Really enjoyed this one, I found the differences between Cate's "lives" very interesting to see how each developed due to one event in her lifetime where she ran instead of facing things head on.

I was looking forward to this read but was kind of disappointed. I’m surprised the main character didn’t google what happened or try to get information about her friends “funeral”. I just didn’t find the storyline to be beliveable

I have attempted to start this one multiple times and simply just couldn't get into it. Unfortunately it just didn't hold my attention and therefore this was a DNF for me. I may go back to it in the future but for now it will move to my DNF folder.

I really enjoyed this one! Was such a good read. Quick pace and I didn't want to put it down! I enjoyed the concept of the book as it was different and engaging! Would be a great book to pack in your beach bag!

The Three Lives of Cate Kay feels like finding a secret song you didn’t know you needed—but once you hear it, it runs on loop in your mind. It’s that rare blend of emotional depth, queerness, and speculative wonder you’ve been craving: a story that leaves you both shattered and luminous by the end.

Cate Kay exists in three parallel lives, each shaped by a single choice. What fascinates is how the novel unpacks that divergence—rooting it in grief, desire, identity, and the threads that bind who we are to who we could become. It never leans into sci-fi spectacle; instead, it whispers its speculative elements into the fabric of a lived, grounded character study. You feel the weight of every decision holding her in a life and the absence haunting the ones she didn’t choose.

The magic here lies in precision. Cate’s emotional truth anchors everything. You’re in her mind as she rehearses conversations, replays past mistakes, and navigates three versions of heartbreak, friendship, and family. It’s uncanny how raw it feels—like an intimate confessional, but with the added tension of knowing every life feels both possible and devastatingly finite.

Structurally, the book threads together three timelines with confident clarity. You don’t need spoilers or signposts; the emotional beat in each life guides you. And when you watch Cate’s selves brush past each other across the narrative, that tension hums—a soft reminder that all versions of her are living, breathing people.

The queerness is deeply rooted, not window dressing. Cate’s relationships—romantic, chosen family, self-love—have stakes that feel earned, and the heartbreaks sting all the sharper for it. There's gratitude here too, for the ways a life can surprise you—even when you think you know where it's headed.

I read this in one sitting, then sat with it for days afterward. It’s a story about loss, yes—but also about reclamation. About how one life’s ruin can echo into the next and how the choices we make (and don’t) shape the courage we carry forward.

The Three Lives of Cate Kay didn’t just meet the bar. It became the bar. If you’ve ever wondered who you could have been—or who you might yet become—this is the novel that tells you: all of it matters, all of it counts. A shimmering, heartache-dipped masterpiece.

The Three Lives of Cate Kay by Kate Fagan has a slow start, but it does become interesting. It's a "book about books," which is neat, and the story really plays on that miscommunication trope surrounding Cate Kay's identity. Still, parts of it felt a bit improbable, and ultimately, it just didn't quite click with me.

This book was so wonderful. I read it with my eyeballs and my ears and both experiences were wonderful. There was a lot of heart to this book. The multiple POVs meant you got a really rounded view of this story.

This was such an intriguing read. I really enjoyed the characters and their depth and felt like the plot was pretty unique.

The Three Lives of Cate Kay is a touching and imaginative exploration of what it means to truly live. The novel follows Cate Kay through three alternate versions of her life, each shaped by different choices, regrets, and relationships. It’s a clever concept that’s executed with heart and emotional depth.

Cate is a strong but vulnerable protagonist whose inner struggles feel deeply authentic. Her experiences are sometimes painful, sometimes joyful, and always thought-provoking. The book’s biggest strength lies in its central question: What if you had the chance to live again — differently?

The writing is lyrical without being overindulgent, and the transitions between lives are handled smoothly. It invites reflection and stays with you long after the last page.