Reese Witherspoon has announced the first book club pick of 2025, saying that “this story swept me away with its big dreams, love, and unexpected twists”.
The actor has selected The Three Lives of Cate Kay by Kate Fagan and it’s said to be the perfect immersive reading, making it a great pick for the slow month of January. The character-driven novel has drawn comparisons to The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo meets First Lie Wins, so you can trust it to be a page-turner.
Arguably the Queen of book clubs (sorry, Oprah), Witherspoon started sharing her monthly recommendations in 2017. From Daisy Jones and The Six to Where the Crawdads Sing, the club has impacted the global bestseller list, with many of the books adapted for the screen through Witherspoon’s production company, Hello Sunshine.
Though she’s started a trend for celebrity book clubs (see Dua Lipa and Kaia Gerber), Reese’s remains the most popular. Introducing her millions of loyal subscribers online and her Instagram followers to new authors and stories, her only criteria for picking a tome is that a woman must be front and centre.
If you’re ready to get involved in 2025, here’s everything you need to know about the Reese’s Book Club January pick.
‘The Three Lives of Cate Kay’ by Kate Fagan: £15.19, Amazon.co.uk
The story follows Cate Kay, the creator of a bestselling book trilogy that struck box office gold as a film series. As one of the most successful authors of her generation, she knows how to craft a story well. But she’s gone by a fake alias, she had never attended author events or done any interviews, with her real identity remaining a secret – until now.
Rewinding to when Cate was a young adult, the reader experiences Cate’s desire to escape her difficult home life with her best friend Amanda but a tragedy foils their plans for a great adventure. Cate has been on the run ever since, taking on different names, but after a shocking revelation, she realises that returning home is the only way she’ll rediscover her true self.
A twisty story to hunker down with during the first month of the year.
