Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this e-ARC. I liked the premise and cover of the book, however, I found the execution quite problematic. The main character was such a train wreck - their actions felt so bizarre and unbelievable to me. I failed to emotionally connect to any of the characters. I tried explaining the plot to a friend after finishing it and realized that it is just too ... absurd. Like... make it make sense?!

Wait I LOVE THIS!!!!! It was so engaging, so wonderful, so enjoyable. This was queer and funny and tender and just so well written. I cannot believe this is a debut and I really look forward to seeing more from her.

"The thing about writing-" I heard one guy say, and my ears perked. I paused, my fingers on a thumbtack, and turned fully into their conversation. "-is that it's unlike other creative endeavors. It's not about you, it's only about the story and the words. To be an actor or musician, you must perform - you're trading on yourself - but not the writer. Most readers don't even consider the author. I love that about writing."

Picture this: you've got two besties - Annie and Amanda - teen girls living in Bolton Landing, New York in the 1990s. They're typical teens for the most part, but they both have that "it factor" and have dreams of moving to Los Angeles to make it big post graduation. They'll make it big together, of course, because besties will have it no other way. But then a tragedy strikes that prompts one of the girls to go on the run and change her whole life. What follows is a changing POV story that tells the story of what happens to the protagonist as she meet various people, falls in and out of love, and writes a book that becomes an instant best seller under (you guessed it) the pseudonym Cate Kay - hence the book's title.

I have to be honest - I don't know that this will be a five star book for everyone. But it's a five star book for me, and I'm the one writing this review! This is exactly the type of book that I adore - there's best friendships, unrequited love, requited love, coming of age in the '90s - which is when I also came of age, secret identities, fame, fortune, and a page turning story that had me constantly on my toes wondering what would happen next. While the story certainly centralized around the protagonist, I dug how Fagan shifted the point of view with each chapter. And we even got a few snippets of Cate Kay's best selling novel in the narrative as well - so we could see how the events of her life shaped her writing. It was very meta.

I was impressed with Fagan's writing style - especially as a first time author. Not only was she able to portray these varied and realistic characters that the reader could relate to and envision, but her prose was quite stunning as well. I know, I know, this is an ARC so I'm not supposed to directly quote from it, but just keep in mind that this is an unpublished work:

"Tears were dripping, but I wouldn't say she was crying. Crying is an action. This felt passive - she was leaking."

Needless to say, if and when Fagan publishes more stuff, I'll be ready an waiting to read it!

this book felt like a journey. enough for me to feel upset being reminded that the book has ended because i didn’t want to let go of its characters. there’s something about complex characters which make me fall in love with a story and this one just had it for me. although i was feeling a bit detached and disoriented by the first half since it was moving quite slow, once everything aligned, its actually made out a heartwarmingly beautiful story.

This novel captivated me in ways I wasn’t expecting. The writing was absolutely sublime—beautifully crafted and deeply relatable. I found myself so absorbed in the prose that it became almost frustrating, simply because it was that stunning. Every sentence drew me in, leaving me aching for more.

The world of Annie felt both tragic and oddly comforting, as I saw so much of myself reflected in her. The characters quickly pulled me into their lives—their passion, love, friendship, jokes, and the bittersweet yearning to embrace all that life offers. It was their girlhood, bravery, and vulnerability that made me fall in love with them. Without a doubt, this is the most exhilarating book I've read all year.

I was so immersed that I finished it in just four sittings, which is remarkable since I’ve been in a reading slump. The story follows Cate from her childhood to adulthood, showing how her relationships, dreams, and identity evolve over time. It left such an impression that I can’t help but imagine this book as a limited series. Truly unforgettable!

Bittersweet examination of a hidden life finally opening up to the truth. But it totally could have been avoided with a few follow ups. Kate Fagan has talent. Quite enjoyable, but difficult to follow at times.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.

Flew through this book! Well written and a compelling story. I thoroughly enjoyed the story-within-a-story (and believed its impact on the world of the novel), different points of view, and meta footnotes throughout.

My only "gripe" with the logic of the book was Annie's failure to look up (or even stumble upon through mutual friends) Amanda via the local newspaper/social media. I understand her reclusive need to run and stay hidden but her obsession with archiving and re-reading Ryan-related content suggests she would have at least tried to find SOMETHING on Amanda.

4 Stars.

I ADORED this book. It’s my first by the author and all it made me want to do is pick up another one of her books. I loved the way this book is written. It is a fictional memoir written by multiple POVs over different time periods that all connect together in the end. I really felt for the main character, she went through something so horrible, and while she may not have made the best decisions afterward, it’s easy to relate to her because it really makes you think “what would I do?” It’s a wonderful story about female friendship, sexuality, and finding yourself.
My only frustration was that it felt like the ending was rushed. I wish we were given the details of how exactly they all got to that point in the end, because I loved how everyone’s stories lined up!

I really liked this book! I liked how it read like a biography and I loved getting to see these friends blossom throughout their relationship! In my opinion, the book was a slower start and took me a little bit to get into. When I did get into the book I couldn't put it down!

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!