I really, really enjoyed this story. It reminded me of everything I loved about the Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Daisy Jones & The Six, and The Favorites.

It was a perfect way to tell the story of Annie (& Cass & Cate Kay). Honestly, as the story started reaching the end I was worried that I was going to be left unsatisfied by the ending because I feared that there weren't enough pages left to fully wrap it up. Thankfully, I was mistaken. I'll know to never doubt Kate Fagan again (as I'm positive this won't be the last book of hers that I read).

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to review "The Three Lives of Cate Kay." I really enjoyed the way that this book flowed. It was an easy read. It could be edited to make it shorter and I felt that some characters did not need to be added in. Overall, it is a well written, engaging, contemporary fiction.

The Three Lives of Cate Kay by Kate Fagan
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Cate Kay is the elusive author of a book trilogy turned box office success. The thing is, Cate Kay doesn’t really exist. Her real identity has been a secret since the day she fled from her home and her best friend.
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This was a bit of a strange book. I did the audio and it was a little hard to figure out what was going on for the first quarter of the book. It’s written in POVs but also short interviews with side characters and that took a little while for me to get the hang of. I feel like reading this with my eyes would have worked better.
Overall it was an interesting story and I liked it but didn’t love it.
3⭐️⭐️⭐️

It’s been months since I read this book and I still can’t put my finger on how I really felt about it. I would say at least 1/3 of the plot line felt very uninspired and mediocre. However there were parts that depicted the MFC’s childhood with stunning clarity and nostalgia. These chapters brought me back to the 90’s, to my own cartoon summers and I was more engaged then. The mystery aspect to this book and the subsequent conclusion fell pretty flat for me, but I would still consider giving this author’s future work another go.

There’s a moment in every reader’s life when they pick up a book and understand as if it’s whispered in between the turn of pages that once the last sentence unfurls itself it will live within them forever.

Consider a seed planted in my head; it will be a long time before I can read or write (both of which I am best at and both of which plague me) without Cate Kay peeking over my shoulder.

This book does what Evelyn Hugo wanted to and so much more, seamlessly blending multiple narratives to create a puzzle - not one that is begging to be solved, but is patiently waiting to unfold.

There were some lines in here that hit me so violently and personally that I wanted to write them down for myself and keep them locked up forever. I’m not a highlighter heavy reader, but this book is filled with bright green lines; Fagan’s prose is even better than her story, and I loved her story a lot.

I also loved the addition of Annie’s cliffnotes, the use of which I tend to find tired in fiction. Luckily for the reader, Fagan uses them beautifully, adding another layer to the story rather than just another vessel for Annie’s voice.

If there’s one thing I feel the need to critique about this book it would be the ending - it comes too fast. I’m someone who appreciates shorter texts, often reading translated novellas or plays when I fall behind on my reading goal, but this could have been strengthened by 30-40 more pages. The ending felt too sudden, too fairytale.

Thank you to Atria for providing me with an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I just finished The Three Lives of Cate Kay by Kate Fagan, and I really enjoyed it. The story follows Annie, who reinvents herself as the elusive author Cate Kay, hiding behind a pen name after a personal tragedy. As her past catches up with her, she’s forced to confront old wounds and relationships.

The narrative structure is unique, blending memoir-style storytelling with multiple perspectives, which kept me engaged throughout. The exploration of identity, friendship, and the cost of secrets felt authentic and resonant. While some plot points stretched believability, the emotional depth and character development made it a compelling read.

If you’re into stories about reinvention, complex female relationships, and the blurred lines between truth and fiction, this one’s worth picking up.

This was my first book by Kate Fagan. I wanted to love it but it just missed for me. There were too many plot holes and not enough substance to the characters. I just wanted more.

A totally unforgettable read. Sold to Kate Fagan and all the stories she would ever write.

Loved how the character had the chance to reinvent herself and made the most of it.

For fans of The Seven Husband's of Evelyn Hugo, this would be highly recommended.

I really enjoyed this book! I love the different perspectives and jumping back and forth in time. The characters were relatable in their internal struggles. I wanted to keep reading to find out how all the ends would tie up (or not tie up). I am excited to read more work by Kate Fagan.

Unfortunately this was a DNF for me. The story just didn’t spark enough interest for me to want to continue.

The Three Lives of Cate Kay is a gripping story of identity and secrets, and how they can define us. The characters were well-drawn and I definitely enjoyed reading this one.

Thank you Kate Fagan, Atria Books, and NetGalley for providing this ARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

This novel started a bit slow but did hook me into finishing it. The premise, especially the catalyst for Annie leaving felt a bit unbelievable but once the next 'life' of Cate Kay started I was able to get into it more. This was a quick and mostly compelling book and I can see why it has been popular. I think I may have preferred it as an audiobook. Overall, not a huge win for me but still a fun read. I, like other readers, was very frustrated by the MC's lack of a quick internet search to confirm a pretty huge piece of news, but then again the whole second half of the book would be very different if that had happened.

Fun book! Really flew through it. I wish there were a bit more here. Lots of cliches and “this could be solved with one Google search” but it was cute.

This book kind of confused me at times, because of all the back and forth between the lives we were learning that Cate Kay lived. Looking back I did enjoy it, though sometimes through it I felt like it was meandering somewhat, or going in too many directions. This would probably have been easier in a physical book than the audio version I used, which I have found the case for many books. It requires a lot more attention than I can give an audio book, so that probably plays a lot into my review.

It took me a few chapters to really get into this, but once I was in I couldn’t put it down. This story of a woman who lives life under three names due to a traumatic life experience is compelling and told from so many perspectives yet is easy to keep track of. Definitely a lot of “missed connections” and miscommunication which could have saved a lot of heartache over the years, but a great read.

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

This book was fast-paced and very intriguing. I enjoyed learning about the main character and her background and history.

This story follows a bestselling author who confesses her true identity after many years of hiding. I haven’t read Evelyn Hugo so I can’t compare it to that level but I enjoyed the main storyline of the book. It allowed me to keep on going even though too much was happening but nothing was happening. The pacing is great and the book jumps over different years. This book is told from multiple povs which would be great but there were way too many perspectives and they all blended in that no one felt unique or different.

Cate is the main lead and I wish I could say I could feel a connection with her character. Honestly, I can’t even really tell you much about her. There are many other side characters but the main ones were Ry, Amanda, and Sydney. They all love Cate in their owns ways but I wish we got to know more about them. It is a lgbtq romance where Cate finds her true love. I wish the romance was better written because it was just rushed at the ending.

I didn’t care for the ending because I just couldn’t connect with the characters. The plot twists in this book were weak because they just didn’t feel special. It made me ask questions like how did Cate not know about Amanda. I know many love this story but this one is not for me.

*this book was sent to me by the publisher to give an honest review in return*

The Three Lives of Cate Kay is a layered, emotionally resonant story about identity, reinvention, and reckoning with the past. As a blockbuster author living under a pseudonym, Cate has spent years hiding from her origins—until a shocking turn forces her to confront the tragedy that changed everything.

The novel moves between past and present with steady pacing and a strong emotional core, though some moments lean more on setup than depth. Still, it’s a compelling exploration of friendship, loss, and the stories we tell ourselves to survive. Quietly powerful, if a touch uneven.

Definitely not my cup of tea,
I found the characters to be weak and ineffectual; Cate Kay had so much potential to
be on the side of good but consciously chose a detour.
Her best friend is paralyzed in a swimming pool mishap and Cate Kay decides to leave town
at graduation, as the two had planned to do together, instead of sticking around for her friend.
Here search for success and what comes with it is long reading.
Did not get much out of it.

I was gifted this ARC by netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

First off, any book that mentions Cate Blanchett within the first few chapters is an automatic win for me and thankfully, that impulse reaction stuck. This was one of my favorite recent reads and an easy five stars. If you liked The Writing Retreat by Julia Bartz, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkin Reids or Yellowface by R.F. Kuang, this should be your next read. My only hesitation with writing a review is giving any snippet away. This was brilliantly crafted and had just the right amount of chaos, intrigue and confusion. It had me second guessing my guesses and eagerly flipping through to see what was to come. I've always been curious about pen names and the reason for authors choosing to use one. Is it to hide from the spotlight, or is it to cover up something more scandalous? We get to know the author behind the pen and all of her personas she's ever had, the story of her romances, real and not real, and her muse for her novel is also her victim, in some ways. This was a definite page turner, fast paced, well-written adventure and I cannot wait to see more from Kate Fagan. She will be an instant buy author for me!