Cate Kay is the best-selling author of the world's biggest trilogy but no one knows anything about her because there is no Cate Kay, just a woman trying her hardest to run away from her pain. Until the day she decides that facing the past is the only way to face the future, which she does with the help of those who were there to help her become who she is today.

Okay, I'll admit it, this one's worth all the hype and book club picks. There is so much to process from so many different angles that I felt an immediate need to discuss it as soon as I finished. Even with the impressive way that Fagan ties all the threads she laid down, I want to know more. There is so much pain and healing and growth that you walk away wanting to spend more time with the characters. I found myself berating characters and talking to the book whenever some of the biggest bombshells dropped, that's how invested you become in the story.

It's a story of rising despite the pain, and that's always a welcomed message.

Very happy thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the engrossing read!

I thought I would enjoy this book more than I did but unfortunately it fell flat for me.

The main character was not likable for me and the storyline drug a lot.

Wow this book was a great ride through the three lives I loved reading about Annie and Amanda their friendship was so amazing yet a little sad. Ryan was a great addition to the book. How life goes full circle sometimes is a sentiment so awesome to witness.

I really enjoyed this book. The characters were great and the settings were so well thought out. I highly recommend this book.

I want to thank NetGalley and Atria Books for this advanced reader copy. This is my honest opinion.

This book was great; deep friendships, dark secrets. I couldn't stop reading this one; I fell in love with the rollercoaster!

This was a fascinating book with a fascinating premise. I love a good con (although this wasn't exactly a con) story.

This was indeed about the three lives of Cate Kay and for most of the book I was on board.

The last quarter of the book became too confusing with the introduction of side, side, SIDE characters who did not really add much to the story.

It was hard to keep the timelines straight, but it was an interesting way to tell Cass' story.

I also didn't mesh well with Cass and her decisions (even excluding the big one) just seemed odd.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for an e-copy of THE THREE LIVES OF CATE KAY to review.

I rate THE THREE LIVES OF CATE KAY three out of five stars.

The world wants to know: who is Cate Kay?

For years, the elusive author of a bestselling trilogy turned successful movie series has never been seen in person—not by her editor, not by her publisher. That’s because Cate Kay is a pseudonym, carefully curated to conceal the true identity of the creative mind behind The Very Last trilogy.

Cass Ford was content with her simple life as a barista in New York until one day she overheard something she wasn’t meant to hear: her girlfriend hid a letter meant for Cass. One impulsive decision and cross country flight later, Cass unknowingly set off a chain of events that would ultimately lead to Cate Kay’s true identity being revealed.

Friends! Pick! This! One! Up! On! AUDIO!!! The story is written as a fictional memoir slash celebrity tell-all, and equal parts mystery, coming of age, and romance novel. The frequent shift in POVs (also narrators) and short-ish chapters lend to a propulsive read. With every chapter, a little more is revealed about the person behind Cate Kay, and the suspense made me eager to read more. The ending did not build to as big of a crescendo as I hoped, but ultimately I was satisfied with the conclusion. Bottom line: if you are fans of books with self discovery and strong female friendships, this one is for you!

Thank you Atria for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Oh, Kate Fagan. Why did you do this to me? The Three Lives of Cate Kay is a story now near and dear to my heart, joining favorites such as, yes, Evelyn Hugo, in my personal hall of fame.

I tried to get into this but it just did not grab my attention, I thought it would be more of a thriller/action packed.

This was such a fun book to read. At first it was hard to get into because of the way the story was told, but I ended up loving how it was written. The plot is kind of far fetched, but that made it fun. I ended up crying at the end. This book is worth the read.

Thank you to the publisher for the free review copy!

Rating: 3/5 stars

Cate Kay is a world famous author, but no one knows her true identity…until now.

I think this book might be the perfect example of “right book, wrong time.” I struggled to get into it, and ultimately did not really connect with the plot or any of the characters. That said, I think the concept was great (kind of EVELYN HUGO-esque), and the full-cast audio was EXCELLENT, so I loved the listening experience even if I wasn’t overly in love with the book itself.

In terms of the plot, I sometimes felt like this was trying to do too much, and it felt like it was building to a big reveal/payoff that never quite happened. But I have seen some fantastic reviews and I know this was a BOTM pick, so if it sounds interesting to you I still recommend checking it out! You may love it way more than I did.

CW: Severe (life-changing) injury; mentions of child abuse/neglect; homophobia; toxic relationship

The three lives of cate Kay was a really interesting novel. I love the character study, and the writing was propulsive and kept me engaged.

You know how sometimes from the first page of a book, you just CLICK with it? This book was that way for me. I read it in a couple of hours and thought it was so incredibly smart, sweet, vulnerable, and fascinating in so many ways.

I know that it's a thing in publishing to compare books to other books - to get people talking and to intrigue you, but I really wish this book wasn't being compared to Evelyn Hugo. Obviously there are similar elements, but Cate Kay is so strong on its' own- it doesn't need a TJR comparison. Funnily enough, there's a hilarious book comparison in the story, but I digress.

I can't wait to read more fiction by Kate Fagan, I adored every character in this book (except for one who I loathed, haha!) and I loved seing their vulnerability and bravery and growth.

In this fascinating novel, Cate Kay is an elusive author who's written the most sought after series to date. But noone knows who she is. But as her past and her present collide in present day, Cate Kay must determine if her elusivity is worth potentially losing the love of her life and making amends with her past.

Cate Kay is an author, but who is she, actually? No one seems to really know. The main character is elusive, like quicksilver, slipping this way and that. We hear some about her relationship with her best friend, Amanda, but only very selective tidbits. I appreciated that the writing was a quick style and presented itself as a memoir.

Cate is really Annie, and honestly I thought the story desperately needed an editor. The world wants to know her story, since she’s written a best- selling trilogy under a pen name, and it’s a story within a story to take us to a conclusion.

Part of the difficulty for me as a reader is that I didn’t enjoy any of the characters, although I tried. And I’m absolutely willing to be the outlier here, because lots of folks loved it.

This one is a solid three stars for me! ⭐️⭐️⭐️

It took me awhile to get into this book, but once I did it really gripped me.

I enjoyed the chapter structure and how the story slowly unfolded across various POVs and time.

Unfortunately I was unable to download this book before the archive date, but I look forward to reading and reviewing other books by this author in the future.

Cate Kay's life is nothing like my own, but this book was entirely relatable. I usually prefer thriller/crime novels and there is a little mystery about this book in terms of the way that the narrators relate to each other, but it unfolds in perfect timing so that the reader is left interested but not frustrated. All the characters are flawed in their own way but mostly still likable. I also really appreciated that the book is set in different locations and the author was able to evoke them without becoming overly descriptive. I also really appreciated that the book is set in different locations and the author was able to evoke them without becoming overly descriptive. Kate Fagan obviously knows a lot about human nature. I think this book will stay with me for a long time.

📚 #BOOKREVIEW 📚
The Three Lives of Cate Kay by Kate Fagan
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / Pages: 304 / Genre: Fiction
Release Date: January 7, 2025

Annie/Cass/Cate are one woman with three names to go with three different parts of who she is. Annie is who she originally was up through high school until tragedy struck. Cass is who she became after that defining moment in her life. And Cate is the pen name she uses for her bestselling trilogy, which was fueled by said tragedy. Her entire life along with the people closest to her are all affected by this one moment in time and how everything eventually untangles is where the magic lies in this book. I found it so engrossing and engaging I couldn’t put it down. I can see why @ReesesBookClub chose this as its first pick of 2025.

Thank you, @KateFagan3, @AtriaBooks, and @NetGalley for my gifted copy. Although I really wish I was gifted the audiobook since I heard that it’s incredible and has a full cast of narrators, including Marin Ireland, one of my favorites!

What a ride - one of the most interesting ways to tell a story. Lots of perspectives and a story within a story to keep you guessing.

Took me a bit to get in to, but it paid off! At first I was kind of annoyed by the little asterisks of Annie’s commentary or the switching of perspective to tell you exactly what you needed to know. But ultimately it worked as a really clever way to weave the story together.