This book was so fun to read the writing and pacing was very good. I enjoyed growing up with these characters and especially loved learning how Annie evolved into Cass then Cate. The chapters from many different characters were engaging especially as they were complied like a (auto)biography with occasional input from Cate. Although I am not usually a fan of miscommunication this was done with purpose and felt real. Overall this was a book I looked forward to reading every time I picked it up.

Really enjoyed the Taylor Jenkins Reid vibes that this book gave off! It not only goes over the 'memoirs' of the famous Cate Kay, but also all the other important people in her life, including their perspectives on the controversial event that leaves Cate (Anna Maria? Cass?) sure she can never go back home. Anna Maria escapes the small town she was brought up (by her neglectful mother) after a disastrous event she can't bring herself to talk about. She reinvents herself and discovers new relationship as well as things about herself she thought would stay covered up forever...

I thought that this would work really well as an audiobook as well as a film, and really thought all the various characters came to life with their strong voices and identity.

I would definitely recommend and be interested in anything else that Kate Fagan writes. Many thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'm still not sure how I feel about this book, it has certainly given me a lot to think about and reflect on, and I am quite pleased there's that conflict there because it's certainly an interesting read.
I initially wasn't sure about the format, with different voices in each chapter giving their own perspectives followed often by "author notes" from the main character. It settles into its own about halfway though and certainly the last 30% of the book I was really invested and I felt that emotional connection finally to the characters and their stories.

The “Three Lives of Cate Kay” by Kate Fagan is a novel about ambition, identity, guilt and the different layers that make up an individual. In it, “Cate Kay” looks back on the various phases of her life, drawing on letters, interviews, and other documents, to incorporate other people’s perspectives. Having written a best seller and achieved her ambitions, Cate should be lauded, and instead she feels she must hide her identity and an incident in her past. This leads to her being vulnerable to others and uncertain who she can trust. For me, this is a fantastic exploration of the complexity of people and how views of them can change and be multifaceted. This was a relaxed read, but also one that left an impression.

Thank you Bloomsbury and NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is often compared to The Seven Husband of Evelyn Hugo. I understand where that comes from: the book pictures Hollywood glamour, the fmc writes a memoir and there are multiple timelines. Still, The Three Lives of Cate Kay is entirely different.
I liked the multiple povs and thriller-like feel of the book. Most characters were flawed and some were slightly problematic, but I liked their development. The pacing was perfect and kept me reading for hours to figure out what happened in the past and what would happen in the future.
Ryan's pov was the most interesting, and I liked her and Cate's relationship.
However, the ending felt a bit too rushed. I would've preferred more to be shown rather than told since there were some things I still have questions about...

Overall, it was still a good story, and I'd read more of Kate Fagan's books in the future.

I really enjoyed this. It is different to anything I have read before and I loved how it shows how love can last a lifetime even when you don’t see each other. I well recommend this for a quirky read.

A brilliant debut novel! This book has been continuously marketed for fans of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and it’s safe to say THEYRE RIGHT!! I couldn't put this book down once I started it A fantastic read, easily 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book! It was easy and quick to read, and it was a nice Saturday evening/Sunday morning gentle read. The characters were fun, I enjoyed all of the POVs and seeing the same events through different eyes. Lots of people are comparing this to the Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo which I can see the similarities to, but it’s definitely its own story worthy of standing on its own two feet. A great read.

This was marketed as for fans of "The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo" and I do think it has enough of the glamour, celebrity and mystery of Evelyn to merit the comparison. What I liked most about this book though was Amanda and Annie's friendship - Kate Fagan really captured that unique dynamic of living in each others pocket, understanding each others thoughts, moods, desires and fears of young female friendship. The type of friendship where you have your own secret language of inside jokes and phrases, and everyone from the outside can see how much you love each other. It broke my heart the whole time they were apart - Sidney was the worst type of person, my god.

Kate also captured that hungry feeling of adolescence where you want to eat the world and everything in it. I've not read that articulated quite so well as in this book. The conclusion Annie comes to regarding this hunger particularly struck a cord with me, I'll be thinking about it for a long time.

I thought the snippets of "The Very Last" were great, giving us insight into Annie's mental state, and how much she loved Amanda.

The odd chapters from minor characters were interesting enough, often seeding elements of unreliable narration - but that element didn't really go anywhere unfortunately, so I'm not sure those chapters were necessary.

I loved Ryan and Annie, I just wish we'd had more of their reunion.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bloomsbury publishing Plc for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this debut novel, the writing was very good and the structure of the story flowed beautifully.

This book reminds me of the seven husbands of Evelyn Hugo in the way we get to know the FMC following different timelines to bring us to the present.

It was easy to get to know the FMC and who she really is. The author provided detail, created specific settings/world building and helped build an emotional connection to the story.

If this doesn’t speak romcom perfection I don’t know what does!… I was so delighted with the warm fuzzy feeling this book left me with
Found myself laughing out loud and smiling throughout this book… If you love cozy stories, some cute romance… this book is for you!

The Three Lives of Cate Kay

Cate Kay is a very successful author but no-one knows who she is... or do they? Because her multi-million bestseller books have lots of references to things that will mean something to someone she lost along the way... or did she? As we read various peoples' contributions to Cate's biography, her three lives are gradually revealed.

Wow, WOW, what a brilliant story, I absolutely LOVED it! Fantastic premise, characters, storylines, intrigue, settings... everything. And I really REALLY loved the friendship between Annie and Amanda, especially the dialogue and in-jokes... Cate with a Kay! Can't wait to see what the author writes next - what a talent. Very VERY highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book!

I really enjoyed the story of Cate Kay and how she came to be, and I feel that the writing style and structure was very novel and intriguing. By choosing to switch between characters and years in each chapter I felt the author allowed me to connect with and better understand each person in Annie’s life. This definitely made it easier to relate to them and, though often I disagreed with them, I understood their purpose.

From the very start I found this book difficult to put down as I felt swept up in the main character’s life instantly. The way the writer describes relationships, settings and emotions is so specific and allows you to instantly picture and empathise with the characters.

The only downside for me was that I felt the book may have been slightly shorter and a few areas felt more like filler, but I would still very much recommend it to others!

I really enjoyed the multi-perspective, back and forth in time style of this book. It’s so easy for books like this to become confusing but I found this so easy to follow despite the different POVs and timelines, and the fact that we’re also technically reading Cate Kay’s memoir.

I can see why this book is being compared to Taylor Jenkins Reid’s work, as it definitely has that Hollywood glamour, gritty underbelly vibe that we know so well from her books, but I think Kate Fagan has done something really unique with the character of Cate/Cass/Annie that I haven’t seen before. I love messy human stories with characters you truly connect with; I wanted to scream at the pages at certain points, and it was so reminiscent of watching a film and knowing what you want to happen and being so on edge as you watch those characters make all the wrong choices!

I was so fully invested in this book, in Cass and Ryan’s relationship and the confusion that tears them apart, as well as Cass’ beautiful friendship with Amanda. There wasn’t a single character that shouldn’t have been there and it was so satisfying to see everything click into place so perfectly at the end. I can truly see this being a film. I could’ve easily read this in a couple of sittings if I didn’t have to work, and would 100% recommend it to anyone!

A haunting exploration of friendship, loss, and the ripple effects of tragedy. From the very first pages, I was immersed in a world shaped by girlhood, love, and the complexities of relationships. The emotional depth of the story kept me engaged, and I didn’t want to leave its intimate world.
The use of multiple points of view is one of the novel’s strongest features. Each character offers a distinct lens on the events, adding depth and complexity to the narrative. Even characters I didn’t necessarily “like” were integral to the story, each contributing to the emotional richness that made the final picture feel complete.
The portrayal of the characters is nuanced and realistic, avoiding simplistic labels of “good” or “bad.” Their flaws, fears, and vulnerabilities make them relatable and the dynamics between them are raw and emotional, reflecting the messiness of real life.
I also appreciated the inclusion of Annie’s cliffnotes, a device that often feels overused in fiction. Fagan uses it effectively, giving Cate’s voice another layer and adding to the emotional impact of the story.
Overall, The Three Lives of Cate Kay is a beautifully complex and captivating tale about how life unfolds in unexpected ways. Fagan’s sharp prose and multifaceted characters stay with you long after the final page. A compelling read that I won’t soon forget.

Cate Kay is a reclusive author,very few know her, millions have read her books and seen the movies. Cate hasn't always been Cate and of the millions who read her books they mean something very personal to one person.
Kate Fagan's very impressive debut is a tale of secrets,betrayal and reinvention as it follows Cate's life from her childhood,growing up with a seemingly insuperable friendship. Both girls are extremely talented but with creeping envy from one of them poisoning that, to massive success for one while the other struggles through life with the effects of an act of betrayal .
This is an easy read but an affecting one, a story that seems ready-made for a tv series.

An interesting and intriguing tale about an author called Cate Kay, told from different perspectives over 3 stages of her life. This book was interesting, unusual, and had me hooked from the very beginning. I read it over a couple of days and it was a definite page turner. Fabulous read!

“The trick of life, as I see it now, is to make what’s around you beautiful. It’ll grow from there.”

This was a book I picked up purely because of it being recommended to fans of the book Evelyn Hugo, and I must say it deserves that recommendation. This was a fantastic read that I was completely engrossed in throughout. It was very though provoking, and had a lot of moments throughout the book that really made you question the characters motives, as well as evaluate yourself as to what your actions would be, I especially loved the book club scene and felt this was a perfect example of the books ability to break the fourth wall and discuss topics that would have varied responses and opinions.

I loved the books format, the way it is written in a memoir type chaptered read, but with notations, as well as paragraphs from interviews and Cate’s best-selling novels, it was a very well-developed plot and revolved around characters with huge depth, and the romance was adorable albeit very serendipitous. This was a lovely sapphic read that everyone needs, one that builds on an attraction into romance, but without feeling too much like a slow burn.

This book had the right level of shock moments, heart break and intrigue, I really felt for Amanda, and Annie throughout the book, and the author did a wonderful job of creating their characters and friendship. I did think that I would struggle to keep up with the vast points of view as the book alternates very often through different characters perspectives but this was done really well, in a way that benefited each character and the story, as well as the women’s history together. I would say that Carl’s chapter wasn’t really necessary but it delivered my favourite quote of the book so I won’t complain too much.

Either way this is definitely worthy of the anticipated release in 2025, and it is one I recommend to those that love a plot that weaves together through multiple POV as well as sapphic love stories.

A book with a difference, an authors tale, inside an authors tale. A book within 1 book at least.

Story of girlhood infatuation that went wrong and one of them panicked. Then started a literally career instead of an acting career. Discovered her sexuality through trial and error. Showed off the not so glitzy life in Los Angeles and New York. Can she really get over the lies that been told to her along the way and rebuild bridges with family and dearest friend after all the years?

I loved this book! I was gripped from early on, wanting to know what would happen. Interesting characters and I really liked the book within a book element. It gave me a lot of good for thought at the same time as being enjoyable. Highly recommend