The Three Lives of Cate Kay (Unabridged)
-
-
4.0 • 196 Ratings
-
-
- $19.99
Publisher Description
REESE’S BOOK CLUB PICK | NATIONAL BESTSELLER
Named a Best Book of 2025 by Time, NPR, Goodreads, and others.
“[A] propulsive puzzle of a novel.” —The New York Times Book Review
“This story swept me away with its big dreams, love, and unexpected twists.” —Reese Witherspoon
In this electric, voice-driven debut novel, an elusive bestselling author decides to finally confess her true identity after years of hiding from her past.
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 fantasized 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.
“An addictive page-turner infused with humor and heart, The Three Lives of Cate Kay balances the dishy allure of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo with the empathy of Slow Dance. A joy to read from first page to last” (Melissa Albert, New York Times bestselling author).
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
If you’ve felt how love can destroy but also redeem, then you’ll relate instantly to this fascinating debut novel. Amanda Kent was the cool friend and Annie Callahan was the nearly-as-cool sidekick until a terrible freak accident, a rash decision, and a selfish lie drove these two besties apart. Annie fled their small town for New York, renaming herself Cass Ford and publishing a postapocalyptic novel under yet another moniker, Cate Kay, allowing no one to make the connection between that name and her two other identities. As the book skyrockets to fame, Cass must decide whether or not to remain hidden, unsure if making herself vulnerable will bring her the love and happiness she craves or destroy the safety she’s painfully built from anonymity. Meanwhile, those whose lives she’s touched have their own reckoning to make. We enjoyed piecing together the puzzle of Annie/Cass/Cate’s life story, which is wonderfully narrated by a full cast like an oral history filled with not-entirely-reliable witnesses. Sometimes the truth is hard to find, and sometimes it’s staring right back at you.
Customer Reviews
Love it.
This story is engaging and keeps me on the edge of my seat.
Must read
Riveting story about love and loss. You become invested with all the characters. Very well narrated.
Disappointing
Meh. Had higher expectations about the story. Narration was great.