Thanks to NetGalley, publishers, and author for an ARC of The Three Lives of Cate Kay.

Written as a memoir style story, this book follows how Cate Kay became who she is through several points of view, including her own.
I really enjoyed this book. I loved the threading of the story from different perspectives.
Highly recommend

Cate Kay is the pseudonym of the reclusive author of a best selling trilogy which has subsequently been adapted into a just as successful film series. The person behind the name being a closely guarded secret. Cate is really Cass Ford, but before Cass she was Annie. Are you still with me? The reason that Annie became Cass is that something bad happened just as she, along with best friend Amanda, were about to leave home to go to California to become film stars. Cass has been hiding from her past ever since, even publishing under the aforementioned pseudonym.
But the ticking along nicely is about to be blown apart as actress Ry Channing wants to meet with Cate. But she also has a secret life...
Flitting between the two main characters, along with an able supporting cast, we follow the story in the present and the past as the two collide and their flaws exposed. It's definitely a character driven novel and the characters stand that test very well. It's also quite emotional in places too, both happy and sad. Tbh though, I could have done without the footnotes but I do understand their inclusion. I have never found them easy to cope with when using an eReader. But i guess it fitted with the whole memoir theme. That said I also found that the author handled the multiple viewpoints very well indeed, each for me having their own unique voice.
All in all something a little different to get your teeth into. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Anne Marie Callaghan was the young girl who ran away from home.

Cate Kay is the famous writer whom no-one has met.

Cass Ford is the woman in between.

All three identities belong to the same person. But will she ever be ready to come clean about them? And what consequences will she face as a result?

This is an intriguing story told through a multiple perspective approach with the use of some clever literary devices. Engaging and enjoyable, this one is worth a read. It gets 3.5 stars.

Kate Fagan’s novel is a compelling read that weaves together multiple perspectives and explores the deep impact of choice-making on human lives. I found Fagan's writing very engaging, with significant emotional depth that keeps you invested in Annie’s journey. The book’s structure shifts between timelines and viewpoints, exploring the themes of identity, fame, and love. I really enjoyed it!

This debut novel is being wildly touted as the new Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, and if you are a fan of TJR, you're in for a treat as it gave me similar vibes.

Cate Kay is the most famous writer on the planet after the runaway success of her dystopian trilogy, but no one knows who she is. This book delves into the mystery of the writer, uncovering why she has kept her identity secret until now and why she is finally ready to step out of the shadows.

It's structured as a book within a book as Cate eorks on her fictional memoir. We learn that throughout her life, she has gone by three different names, Annie, Cass, and Cate, and as the book unfolds, we learn about these three separate identities and why she has let them go. Within her memoir, we get insights from her perspective and from those who knew her, even in the smallest ways. This adds so many layers to the story and gives more substance to who the real person is!

You really need to go into this book blind to fully appreciate the storyline and the twists and turns that her life takes.

I can see why this book is being compared to Taylor Jenkins Reid’s work, it has that Hollywood glamour but also little clues scattered throughout Cate's novel excerpts which neatly tie back to her earlier lives, which are delightful light bulb moments that keep you on your toes 🥰

This is such an enjoyable debut novel, and I predict it will be everywhere next year.

Exceeded all expectations. Reminded me of Taylor Jenkins Reid books. Fast paced, short chapters from multiple viewpoints which made it feel like a documentary. This really added to the experience. I’ll look forward to reading more from this author. Fascinating and resonating exploration of friendship and love.

I enjoyed this book. It had a good plot and a very strong opening few chapters. I personally did not connect with any of the characters and don't really enjoy the "manuscript" parts, so ended up not being obsessed with the book. However it was written well and I would still recommend to those who love a "fly on the wall" type book!

Wow. I absolutely flew through this one. The Three Lives of Cate Kay had me completely hooked from the foreword. It is sassy, it is fun and at times contradictory all of which combine to make a mysterious, impressive page turner.

Cate is a writer. An excellent one. Everyone knows her work but no one knows who she is or what she looks like as she’s in hiding. But she’s ready to reveal it all in the hopes of healing her past and because Cate is thorough, she’s not just telling her side of the story, she’s giving everyone involved a chance to share theirs too.

There are so many likeable things in this novel that it is going to be a crowd pleaser for sure. For example, the multiple POV added so many layers to the story and bumped it all the way up and away from a generic fictional memoir. Cate also added footnotes at the end of the parts not written by her which verified/alerted the reader (us) to any fake news about what was written and this added a nice little humorous touch. The backdrop of small towns added a cute vibe while the parts set in Hollywood added a touch of glamour. There were also a lot of secret messages such as the origin of Cate Kay’s name so if you’re a part-time detective in your free time, you’ll enjoy finding these.

Cate Kay is a smart writer because Kate Fagan is a smart writer. And you’re adding this to your TBR because you’re a smart reader.

I enjoyed elements of this book, particularly Ryan’s POV. I also liked the little snippets from outside characters such as the girl’s teacher etc, and I thought that was an interesting way of writing a faux-memoir.

However, some of the characters (cough cough Sidney) were just unrealistic. We’re supposed to believe that Cate Kay is writing her own memoir and taking on the input of other people, and somehow Sidney, who literally screws everything up and is no one’s friend and is obsessed with her own image, is willing to go along with how she is portrayed? I get that you need a villain, but she was a caricature at best.

That being said, I liked the way that Annie/Cass/Cate was primarily defined through her relationships with other women, and it definitely felt like a study of that. She was the least developed characters though. Considering everything, I feel as though we still don’t know her, but perhaps that’s the point. But if that’s the case, it just feels unsatisfying.

(The whole love triangle ending was unsatisfying af too! I want a clear explanation on who ends up with who okay, cheers)

All in all, I don’t think this lived up to its self-imposed hype, but it had fun moments.

Thanks NetGalley for the chance to read this early!

Three stars, barely. I just couldn't connect with any of the characters,felt like i had to constantly guess who is who and who is make and who female, and the stories from other perspectives didn't help with the confusion tbh.

Big thnx to the publisher, the author and ND for providing me an arc in exchange of my honest opinion.

‘The Three Lives Of Cate Kay’ by Kate Fagan is an emotional and epic tale of lies, lost love, success and heartbreaka. Told by elusive author Cate Kay, and a variety of people whose lives she touched across three identities, the novel is intriguing and unique… and will stay with me long after finishing the last page.

I enjoyed the narrative style, and found the different voices captivating. The book allows us to glimpse Annie turn into Cass and then into Cate, while zooming in on what she left behind at each transformation. The publishing industry elements were interesting, and I was absolutely gripped by the extracts from Cate’s novel - ‘The Very Last’ - a post-apocalyptic epic that felt deeply personal and astoundingly reflective.

Ultimately, the book tells a love story in multiple parts, focusing on romantic love, obsession and friendship. The author’s talent made me feel every emotion, leaving me reeling at selfish decisions and rooting for reconciliation.

This gets five stars from me - I wholeheartedly recommend to anyone who enjoys the work Taylor Jenkins Reid or Ella Berman.

I received an advance Digital Review Copy of this book from the publisher Bloomsbury Publishing via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

A clever and brilliantly written book, with well developed characters who have believable motivation and actions. I’m looking forward to reading this book again soon.

The Three Lives of Cate Kay is a fictional memoir about Cate Kay, an author whose true identity remains unknown to the world. The book explores her life and the reasons behind her three name changes. Whenever I read books like this, I find myself wanting to look up the characters as if they were real. I really enjoyed the multitimeline storyline and was hooked from the start. The author truly brings Cate Kay to life, making her a compelling character. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys emotional, character driven stories.

Wow, what a book. So full of promise but it didn’t live up to it.

I did something I never do with books and once I finished, I looked at some of the other reviews as I didn’t know why it had such a high star rating. I’ll be honest, I’m baffled. Like another reviewer, I feel like maybe I’ve read a different book.

The description says if you love Taylor Jenkins Reid, you’ll love this. I understand why this has been written. It’s clear that that’s what they’ve aimed for but it’s not been successful. Don’t get me wrong, there are a few things that have worked well. The prose is easy to read and the chapters are nice and short. The overall premise is good too. However there is a bunch more that doesn’t work. All the characters voices sound the same. There are too many voices, a lot of which add no value. I also found the characters really hard to care about because they don’t seem fleshed out enough. There are several branches of plot which don’t seem completely fleshed out either. I found the side notes rather annoying & the ending was rather frustrating.

Overall I was extremely disappointed with this book and couldn’t wait to finish it.

Thank you to the author, publishers & NetGalley for access to this arc in return for an honest review.

This is a must read for fans of Taylor Jenkins Reid. It has the same easy to follow but completely overwhelming narrative that grips you from beginning to end.

Cate Kay is the most famous author on the planet. And yet, her identity is, also the best kept secret on the planet since no one knows who she is - not even herself. She used to have other names, be other people and lived three different lives but now, Cate decides to tell her story in this unconventional memoir - with several different voices.

Have you ever though you just wanted to disappear, go somewhere else and be somewhere else when faced with difficult events/trauma? Well, so have I. I think it’s only human to think like that sometimes. Well, this is a story of someone who actually did it. She just drove out of town, changed her name and lived another life. But it was not as easy as expected. Annie, Cass, Cate…They are all the same person but each version struggles with identity, relationships and how to connect to the rest of world when you haven’t fully worked out how to connect to yourself.

I’m a character driven reader, so it’s not a surprise that I enjoyed the character development in this book. I was invested and engaged throughout, even if I did not relate particularly to any of the characters. I could see their motivations, why they made such decisions and their journeys coming through. I was hooked to the story and rooting for a happy ending.

While most of the characters felt real, there were a couple that seemed more like caricatures than real people (I’m looking at you Sydney ^^’). Also, since we got multiple POVs during the novel, I would have loved to get more insights on how the characters dealt with the trauma and the situations instead of just being there for the closure moment.

Highly recommended if you like character driven stories.

Thank you so much Bloomsbury and NetGallery for providing me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Three Lives of Cate Kay follows the author, as she tells her life story through her memoir, revealing her past as Annie and her pseudonym Cass.

There are similarities, as many reviews indicate to The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, there’s the drama and the personal struggles…. however, Cate Kay‘s story focuses more on emotions than the glamour.

The multiple perspectives and timelines can be tricky to follow at first, so it takes a bit of time to get into, stick with it though - it’s really worth the read.

This book was brilliant. I thought the characters were complex and interesting and the story was just brilliant. I can’t recommend this one highly enough, it reminded me of the seven husbands of Evelyn Hugo which is an all time favourite of mine.

I don’t think it’s a good thing when you get to the end of a book and feel you have no idea why the character’s make the decisions they did, not because of their immense complexity but because I felt I didn’t know them any better by the end. The romance was weakly written and so all the angst around it felt silly (to me) instead of wrenching. It’s definitely not a thriller and borders on dull at points (also very much disagree with the Evelyn Hugo comparisons). It’s not bad, but I didn’t care about the characters that much so it’s not for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was really looking forward to this book based on the blurb and the comments that “if you like Taylor Jenkins Reid, you will love this”. Unfortunately for me it just didn’t live up to the hype. I found the characters lacking and almost dull, the story telling style was confusing to say the least.

It is told in the narrative of various characters as well as the the main character’s “memoir”. I found this confusing and I felt added nothing to the narrative. The book dealt with various themes quite well such as relationships, friendships and fame but unfortunately didn’t make up for the inconsistency and drawn out writing.

The Three Lives of Cate Kay
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ARC Review: The Three Lives of Cate Kay by Kate Fagan, Published: 7th January 2025
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Cate Kay is the most famous author on the planet. And yet, no one knows who she is. Anne Marie Callahan no longer exists, aside from in the memories of those she left behind. Cass Ford is the woman who invented herself, the one who never really stopped running. Three names for three different lives, but Cate is ready to introduce herself to the world in her new memoir, but to do so, she needs to stop running from her past.
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Guys. This book. It’s SO. CLEVER. I finished it on my lunch break and I didn’t feel like it was fair for me to have to go back to work afterwards. I was kind of just sat there like !!!! And I’m desperate for more? Although, that’s precisely the point Anne / Cass / Cate makes. She doesn’t have to share everything with the world, some things are for her to hold tight to her chest, and that’s okay. We don’t need to know every single detail of a celebrity’s life. And yet, there are questions that are left unanswered and I want to know more.
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The way this story was told scratched my brain in a very specific way. There are multiple versions of Anne speaking - we have Anne, who then turns into Annie, who then turns to Cass, but we also have other character who crop up in her life. Whether it’s a big character who spends a lot of time with her, or someone who only briefly meets her but has a big impact nonetheless, this memoir is so far reaching. And it’s brilliant. We get to know how Annie changed the lives of those around her, even when she thought she was never good enough as herself. It’s the story of how one author, one woman, can have an impact on so many people.
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The book is so mysterious, so tense, so heartbreaking, and so romantic all at once. We never really know anything ahead of the narrative - even though it’s being told by people who DO, we’re allowed to go through all of the emotions that Annie experienced in her own time. We’re allowed to have the same questions as her (most of the time - there’s only certain instances where we know more than she did, but boy, is it great).
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There are so many characters that I loved, some that I hated, and some who I felt so much sympathy for. Each one gets to tell some part of their tale, and it’s truly fascinating to see into their minds. The way Kate Fagan was able to write so many different characters and strong perspectives in one book is truly impressive.
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At points, I laughed. At points, I cried. Sometimes I was even desperately trying to hold in a gasp or two. I actually cannot recommend this book enough - in fact, as soon as I finished, I voice noted two of my friends to gush about it. There is so much more than I can say about this book.