We are starting the new year by wishing a very happy publication day to Kate Fagan for THE THREE LIVES OF CATE KAY! One of the most anticipated novels of 2025, THE THREE LIVES OF CATE KAY is published by Atria in the US and Bloomsbury in the UK. It has been chosen as a Target Book Club pick, Book of the Month, and on the IndieNext list. Translation rights have sold in Poland, Spain, and Germany.
‘Electrifying’ and ‘propulsive’, THE THREE LIVES OF CATE KAY is the story of an elusive bestselling author who decides to finally confess her true identity after years of hiding from her past.
Kate Fagan is an Emmy Award–winning journalist and the #1 New York Times bestselling author of What Made Maddy Run, which was a semi-finalist for the PEN/ESPN Award for literary sports writing. She is also the author of three additional nonfiction titles, a former professional basketball player, and spent seven years as a journalist at ESPN. Kate currently lives in Charleston with her wife, Kathryn Budig, and their dog, Ragnar.
Congratulations, Kate!
Praise for THE THREE LIVES OF CATE KAY:
“By writing her memoir, Cate/Cass/Annie attempts to ‘throw open the windows’ and reveal herself to a ravenous public on her own terms. She acknowledges that her life is ‘a mass of bad decisions and selfishness,’ but she confesses: ‘I want you to love me anyway.’ And by the end of this propulsive puzzle of a novel, we do.”—Nina LaCour, New York Times Book Review
“Fans of Taylor Jenkins Reid will love this propulsive novel…I couldn’t put this book down. There are so many threads woven together beautifully to tell a story about friendship, ambition, and love. It is sexy, gripping, heart-breaking, and ultimately, redemptive. I dare you not to read this in one sitting.” —Abby Abell, Amazon Editor
“The conceit of using a memoir to frame a fictional narrative is not new, but it’s hard to think of an author who deploys the format as intriguingly as award-winning sports journalist Kate Fagan does in her entrancing debut novel…In addition to whiplash-inducing twists, The Three Lives of Cate Kay also packs an emotional punch as Fagan thoughtfully explores complex topics including identity, sexuality, ambition and female friendships.” —BookPage, Starred Review
“To call The Three Lives of Cate Kay epic in scope feels like an understatement. In her debut novel, Fagan succeeds in crafting a beautiful story of one woman’s life across three parts, and also fully realizes a moving post-apocalyptic trilogy that reveals as much about Kay—and what it means to be human—as Kay’s own experiences. Fagan deftly explores themes of friendship, romance, intimacy, coming of age, coming out, ambition, and narrative form in a captivating, heartfelt novel bursting at the seams with love in all its incredible, messy forms.” —Kerry McHugh, Shelf Awareness
“Centering on the experience of this small-town girl with burning ambitions, the book is exquisitely plotted with its inventive story structure, placing nuggets of information throughout to reel the reader in. Though the pace is leisurely, the tension of the story is taut and explores how ambitions clash with genuine connection and test the humanity of compassionate relationships. Fagan’s journalism-honed observational skills make her fiction debut shine.” —Booklist, Starred Review
“An electrifying story of a bestselling author’s secrets. Fagan fascinates with her enigmatic and shape-shifting protagonist, and the tightly woven plot will keep readers on the edge of their seats. It’s a blast.” —Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
“The Three Lives of Cate Kay peels back the provocative pretense of superstardom to tell a tale about friendship, love, ambition, and the burden of selves we bury but carry with us through time. Readers who crave a thriller’s pulse and a literary novel’s perception will be rapt and delighted by Fagan’s gripping and heartfelt debut.” —Emily Habeck, USA Today bestselling author of Shark Heart
“The Three Lives of Cate Kay is a captivating novel of deep friendship and dark secrets. Come for the twisty turns and celebrity glamor, stay for Kate Fagan’s bighearted writing and all-too-human characters. I can’t stop thinking about it.“ —Laura Hankin, author of A Special Place for Women
“An emotionally driven thriller that explores friendship, love, and the pitfalls of fame. I couldn’t stop reading this twisty, big-hearted novel. The Three Lives of Cate Kay is simply unputdownable! Kate Fagan is a masterful storyteller.” —Emiko Jean, New York Times bestselling author of The Return of Ellie Black
“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 of The Hazel Wood
“I couldn’t stop reading. The Three Lives of Cate Kay is the perfect book for anyone who has ever had to choose between a relationship and the pursuit of a dream. It asks how we balance our public and private selves and whether it is worth keeping secrets in order to advance a career. A delight from beginning to end.” —Tasha Coryell, author of Love Letters to a Serial Killer