I really wanted to like this book, I went in predisposed to like it, but it didn't really work for me. I wanted more depth, more involvement. I kept thinking what is the point, why am i reading this and why did the author write this, and that question was not ever satisfying answered for me. Maybe it was for a younger audience.

First of all, thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I would like to begin by saying that we need more queer and sapphic women at the forefront of popular and thrilling novels. Unfortunately, I feel that the ambition to categorize this book as a thriller might be overstated. I struggled to understand why The Very Last became such an international hit, or why it is titled Three Lives when Annie’s identity change wasn’t particularly dramatic. The explanations left me dissatisfied.

The characters felt flat, and instead of being shown the complexities behind their decision-making, we were merely told about them. I have very mixed feelings because I loved the queer relationships, the atmosphere it tried to build, and the “thriller” aspect. However, it all felt expositional and didn’t delve deeper into why these characters were brought up with the “me voy a comer el mundo” mentality that is instilled in young people. Additionally, why did Annie just take a stranger’s word for what happened to Amanda? There were many plot holes that could have been better resolved with stronger plot planning and a more coherent use of multiple points of view.

To sum it up, it was a very entertaining read but felt too superficial for what the author was trying to criticize and explore.

What a great and refreshing read! A pallet cleanser if you will. It reminded me a lot of books by Taylor Jenkins Reed and that’s not a bad thing. The interview style is something I have learned I throughly enjoy, especially when trying to break out of the routine and enjoy a different format. I also can attest that this helped me read the book in a breeze. Multiple POVs can be messy when done incorrectly, but I felt this book kept everything well centered and I was able to follow along. Ryan was my favorite.

This is the only work by Kate Fagan I've read so far, but I'm definitely gonna be looking for more after this! (I also have skipped out on the two books this one has been compared to in the official synopsis, but now I'm thinking about those too.)

I felt like the different points of view were distinct and fleshed out for the most part, which made the shifts feel less jarring (which is always a threat with structures like these), and lots of good representation. Will definitely be recommending to folks when it comes next year.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

The Three Lives of Cate Kay by Kate Fagan is a mutli-POV third person Queer contemporary focused on the many facets of identity through interviews, notes from Cate, and excerpts from Cate’s novel, The Very Last. Annie, Cass, Cate—three names for the same woman who is constantly on the run but struck big with a book trilogy followed by film adaptations. Nobody knew who Cate Kay really was until Cate finally decided it was time to reveal the truth.

I know of Taylor Reid Jenkins, but I have yet to read any of her books, so I wouldn't be able to say if I think this matches the same vibes or structure of Evelyn Hugo or Daisy and the Six, though it sounds like it does from what I've heard secondhand. I liked how Kate Fagan used the interview style to slowly peel back layers of Cate’s life, but most of her childhood was from Annie’s (Cate) POV and lingered strongly on her relationship with Amanda. The little notes Cate leaves for clarity or to gently contradict a statement added a layer to how memories change and the importance of context.

Through Amanda, Sidney, and Ryan, we read the different ways people love Annie how they see her, including her worst parts. If Cate Kay was a real author, it would probably be a shock to many fans just how messy she really is and the ways in which she has hurt other people. Amanda was especially heart wrenching, but there is this added layer of Annie loving her and Amanda not really returning those feelings but also subtly giving Annie hope here and there, which doesn’t paint Amanda in a very good light either. Sidney and Ryan are not perfect either and it’s hard to say which relationship is the messiest.

Of all the POVs, I think Ryan’s was my favorite. Her first chapter is brimming with personality and subsequent chapters gradually become more and more full of yearning. I loved seeing Annie, as Cass, through Ryan’s eyes. The other thing I liked about it was how Ryan had a feeling Annie was Sapphic based on a scene in The Very Last around different usages for the word ‘girlfriend,’ which is a source of confusion I have also experienced.

I would recommend this to fans of novels with an interview structure, readers who love books centered on fame and novelists, and those looking for a Queer contemporary that stars messy Sapphics.

I'm not sure how I fully feel about this book. I thought it was well written and very entertaining. I felt like i could relate to the main character to some degree and i loved how it displayed her life throughout the story. Although I felt like something was missing or that it lacked in a few areas.

right now im rating it 3.5 stars. might change it to a full 4 stars later after i've let the story sink in.

I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but I will say I really enjoyed this story and didn’t want to put it down. I loved following the “three lives” of Cate. I enjoyed how her following her character over the years and seeing their personal growth.
Though the story went back and forth over the years, I was a bit lost at times of the event order - but it didn’t take away from understand the story as a whole.

This was a quick and fun read! I was immediately drawn into the story despite not understanding Annie’s choices after the accident. Would have been 5 stars but I was disappointed with the end - it felt rushed.

I was very fortunate to get into this arc. I loved the cover so, I decided to give it a try. I realized I couldn't get into this arc.

unfortunately i did not enjoy this.

so this is marketed as in the vein of the seven husbands of evelyn hugo. now i'm not gonna lie that book was formative for young gracie okay i actually cried when i read it so i had my hopes high for this and unfortunately this book did not meet my high hopes.

this book follows cate kay, a famous novelist who has never revealed her identity and decides to write a memoir detailing her entire life out. her chapters are interspersed with chapters written by people close to her. we see how cate's life has unfolded, from her growing up in a small town with her best friend, to her running away and becoming a writer.

let's start with what i liked: the multiple pov's were a good choice; they allowed us to understand more of cate's character and why peop[e were so drawn to her. i also thought fagan's writing was good; for a debut novel, i was satisfied with the writing. i also thought cate and amanda's relationship was well-done; i was rooting for them.

my main issues are that a. the relationships in this, apart from cate and amanda's relationship, seemed very superficial and not fleshed out. i have a hard time believing that ry and cate fell in love in a month. same with sidney and cate. it's also hard for me to believe that cate retained sidney as her lawyer for all those years following their breakup?? very strange stuff. b. the huge mystery of amanda being dead. one google search and cate probably would have found out the truth so i don't really understand why this is the titular mystery like it's not that big of an issue c. cate is not that interesting of a main character. if you're gonna be an enigmatic novelist and nobody knows anything about you, you better be the most interesting person alive and unfortunately she was not to me. and d. the ending pissed me off so bad because the ending doesn't feel very satisfactory! all the buildup between cate/annie and amanda and it ends there?? i started hitting my pillow i was so annoyed. and also lowkey i feel like the timeline of the books becoming a film feels unrealistic af how does a book get published and get a movie adaptation 1 YEAR AFTER??? i'm sorry i'm not in show business but surely that's too quick of a turnaround? okay nvm

overall this book was disappointing to me. i couldn't fully get into it and connect with the characters. however, i think fagan is a good writer, and this being her debut novel is a good sign, because the writing was satisfactory. i'll keep an eye out for fagan in the future; hopefully i'll be able to read more of her writing. i would recommend this to anyone who enjoys literary fiction and women's fiction

the problem with writing a book about an irresistible, super hot main character who writes an irresistible, super hot book is you have to REALLY be skilled in showing how those things are irresistible and super hot. this book really wasn’t successful in that respect, but the idea was interesting and i did finish it (eventually)

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the advanced reader copy

This will definitely be in my top ten books of the year. This story was fun and impressive, from a writing standpoint--in that Fagan had to keep multiple character arcs in play while also writing a whole separate book that "Cate Kay" wrote (and I kind of hope she writes that book). Great LGBTQ , lower socioeconomic status, and physical disability representation without anything having a spotlight on it. Loved this book!

Many reviews compare this to The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, and I do see that a bit. Similarities: the memoir format, the career in Hollywood, the redheaded actress sapphic love interest. But this book juggles a lot more POVs (contributors to the MC Cate Kay's memoir), not just the MC's POV, and I found all characters involved to be as complex yet more likeable than in The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.

The relationship that hit me the hardest was between Cate and her childhood friend Amanda. Female friendship, childhood dreams, pain, guilt, unrequited romantic love, requited platonic love... I devoured this book mainly so I could find out how their relationship angst was resolved, and the end made me cry like a baby.

*****Spoiler regarding the sapphic relationships: there is some infidelity (Cate is in a toxic relationship and cheats on her girlfriend with the main love interest). I wish I had been aware of the infidelity prior to reading.

I was not captivated by this debut novel as much as I had wished to. There are definitely aspects that I liked, such as the story within a story and the characters' intervention written in parenthesis (giving the book the quality of written to be spoken out loud). I also liked the multiple POVs, which really helped the reader see the events from different perspectives. Together with the Cate's footnotes, it made me question the reliability of the narrators. But as the story unfolded, I realised there was no question of unreliability here, though I think I would have made the novel overall more suspenseful.

What I was not a fan of was the character building. I felt that they lacked a certain complexity which would have made me understand their actions better or at least accept their decision-making process. I mostly had this issue with Annie since she is the center of the story and the other characters only tend to gravitate around her.

Moreover, the characters had a feel of superficiality about them and so I could not really get attached to any of them or their stories. They felt really shallow. I especially did not get the seriousness of Cate's problems throughout the story. I wish certain topics were explored more (such as the relationship between Annie and her mother or Ryan's interest in Cate Kay).
Overall, this sapphic story with thriller elements was a fast-paced read, but it was not a page-turner for me.

A page turner from beginning to end, with lies twisting the fates of two women while tearing them apart. When does love become obsession, how does that obsession become manipulation, and what is the cost of ambition in the face of longing? Fagan's years in journalism shine through with each voice in this story so distinct, so nuanced in their use of language, it is as though we are sitting and questioning across the table. With each character the plot twists tighter till escape from the life of Cate Kay seems impossible. When you've never had the chance to be yourself, how do you know who's telling you the truth?

I am definitely suspicious of any book compared to The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo but I absolutely adored this. I found the memoir style so easy to read and the multiple POVs seemed to really flowed together. I couldn’t put it down.

It follows a mysterious bestselling author who after years of hiding her identity comes out with a memoir detailing how she came to be the elusive ‘Cate Kay’. As the book progresses you learn more and more about the three women she’s been in her life and what caused her to run from who she is in the first place.

There’s so many elements of this that I loved—the blurring of platonic and romantic love, the experience of a woman with a disability, the importance of privacy and autonomy, the ability to reflect on your past mistakes etc. It felt like a love letter to young queer women worried about what lies ahead.

My only real criticism is that some elements introduced along the way couldn’t be properly wrapped up by Cate herself. This, perhaps, being the single downside to the multiple viewpoints introduced. I also found the ending a tad rushed initially but upon reflection can understand why certain events weren’t explained in detail—some things Cate wanted to keep just for herself. If this book teaches readers anything it should be the importance of just that.

The Three Lives of Cate Kay is such a unique book with such a distinct writing style. Normally I can find multiple POV books a little jarring but in this case they worked very well to weave the story together. Unlike some other books, the integration of multiple perspectives felt very purposeful and designed to drive the narrative. Each character also has their own distinct voice with different nuances in their character even if they only acted as a very small part of the plot.

The story is a touching, and sometimes infuriating (but in a good way), story exploring the relationship between an author and their work, growing up and learning about how you fit into the world, and an exploration of queer sapphic love and friendship in a very non stereotypical not tokenistic way which I thought enhanced the story. For me, it was such a page-turner but the pacing was also great in that at no point did the story feel rushed.


Note: Thank you to the published Atria Books who provided the ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was hooked from the first page. I loved all the different perspectives in this novel, it really added another layer to the story. I would definitely recommend this.

This book uses a lot (too many?) literary devices so it was a bit tricky to follow and get into it. But as the story older I enjoyed it more. It was nice to read an honest and gay love story and the character development was strong.

The Three Lives Of Cate Kay focuses on grief and the non-linear healing journey. We meet the main character as a teen on the cusp of adulthood and follow her through life as she does her best to survive in anonymity. While this book is being compared to Evelyn Hugo, I think that sentiment paints with too broad of a brush, and while it does have the similarity of a celebrity revealing her private life, it stands alone as a tale of learning who you are amidst pain and manipulation.

While reading, I found the various voices slightly challenging because at times it would take me out of a curated moment or catalyst and I'd struggle to fit back in -I would also advise that as an ecopy the footnotes don't necessarily line up and you miss the asterisk and then find the thoughts a little too late - i didn't feel each character that was highlighted necessarily elevated the plot but the voices I enjoyed were finessed and felt like spun silk.

What Fagan does supremely is dissect the layers and depths of pain completely coating the audience's organs in the turmoil of grief yet still leaving a thin shadow of hope in corners and darkest parts of self-loathing.

This was my first Kate Fagan fiction experience and my first NetGalley complimentary arc. All thoughts in this review are my own and left with kindness and enthusiasm. Kate Fagan has set the bar high for future arc reading, and I will closely follow for any future works she writes.