The Three Lives of Cate Kay

amazon review Cate Kay knows how to craft a story. As the creator of a bestselling book trilogy that struck box office gold as a film series, she’s one of the most successful authors of her generation. The thing is, Cate Kay doesn’t really exist. She’s never attended author events or granted any interviews. Her real identity had been a closely guarded secret, until now. As a young adult, she and her best friend Amanda dreamed of escaping their difficult homes and moving to California to become movie stars. But the day before their grand adventure, a tragedy shattered their dreams and Cate has been on the run ever since, taking on different names and charting a new future. But after a shocking revelation, Cate understands that returning home is the only way she’ll be a whole person again.

I just finished The Three Lives of Cate Kay by Kate Fagan, and I have to say, it was an enjoyable ride! The story centers on Cate Kay, a bestselling author whose identity is a mystery to the world. As the book unfolds, we get a deep dive into Cate’s past as Anne Marie Callahan (aka Annie) and her incredibly close connection with Amanda, her childhood best friend. These two dream of running off to California to become movie stars, but life throws them a curveball, and tragedy pushes Annie to reinvent herself over and over.

One thing I loved was the structure—Fagan uses a multi-perspective memoir format, so we get to hear from multiple characters, which makes the story feel layered and real. Plus, Annie/Cass/Cate occasionally drops in her own notes to clarify (or disagree with) someone else’s version of events, which I found super clever and fun. It’s such a great way to show how people can experience the same situation so differently (something I always enjoy in novels).

That said, I really felt like a lot of the chapters lacked a distinctive voice. There were moments I had to flip back and remind myself who was narrating because Ryan, Cass, and Amanda all started to blur together.

But this flaw was greatly improved by the audiobook. I decided to alternate between listening to the audiobook and reading on my kindle. While I usually enjoy audiobooks, this one was a real standout because it features different actors for the characters. (Think Daisy Jones and the Six). It really brought the story to life and helped me keep track of who was who. Honestly, if you’re going to read this one, I’d highly recommend listening to it too.

While the audiobook is similar to Daisy Jones in featuring a cast of voice actors, that is the only similarity. And I think that reflects an issue with the novel - it’s been mis-marketed. This book was pitched as being like The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, and… yeah, it’s not. Yes, there’s a lesbian starlet, but that’s where the similarities end. If you’re going in expecting another glamorous, Old Hollywood-style drama, you might be a little let down. And that is a bummer, because I think Fagan has created an interesting, thought provoking story that touches on self-discovery, female friendships, and the price of fame - but hearing compared to two of my favorites had my expectations sky high.

So, while it wasn’t perfect, The Three Lives of Cate Kay is a thought-provoking and emotional read. I’d give it a solid 4 stars—definitely worth checking out!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for a copy of The Three Lives of Cate Kay in exchange for an honest review.

Unpopular opinion it seems, but I really did not enjoy this one and it almost made it to my DNF graveyard. It was hard to track all the characters and timelines, and I found the story to be rather disinteresting, except for chapter 11 That was the only chapter that kept me interested for a little bit -although, this is not my typical pick for a read.

The story of a pen name and the woman who took it, told by many narrators. Lies, misunderstandings, but most of all love — platonic and romantic — making it all worthwhile.

i don’t know if this book is for everyone, but i personally ate this book up. great queer representation and themes and i thought the story was interesting. (the audiobook for this was also amazing)