Oh wow!! Katherine Center is a new to me author but I will definitely be picking up more of her books.

This is the story of Cassie, a firefighter from Austin, Texas, who has to move to Massachusetts to help her mother who she hasn’t had much to do with since she left her with her father. There is also a love interest who is a fellow firefighter which is certainly not a good idea. We see Cassie through lots of situations including learning how to forgive others and herself. We get to see Cassie, who is normally devoid of emotion finally show some vulnerability.

This was overall a great story. I loved the characters and the storyline. It was so quick to get through because I became so immersed in the story.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Even though I'm not fond of romances, this was an enjoyable book. I slapped myself on the forehead a few times in the sappy parts but overall it was a good read and I learned a little about firefighting to boot.

Things You Save in a Fire by Katherine Center is a fantastic book, that I loved. I have read How to Walk Away, and love it too. Katherine Center is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors, can't wait to read more books by her. This book is utterly delightful in every sense of the word. Get ready to be swept up in this story and the characters. I strongly recommend this book for any one who enjoys women's fiction.

I reviewed a digital arc provided by NetGalley and St. Martin's Press. Thank you.

Ugh this was terrible. I DNF it because it turned into a ridiculous romance story. It starts out strong and then just disintegrates into a sugary mess. I liked the writing style so I'm giving it two stars. Cassie the main character became unlikable quickly after starting out so strong. She has a scene at an awards ceremony that was awesome. Then that's dropped and she is conveniently moved across the country. I completely lost interest when she says all firefighters in Texas are tan and fit while those in Massachusetts are pale and fat. A paragraph later she's head over heels for one of those pale, fat guys after telling the reader repeatedly she doesn't do love. Nope. Done.

I received this title from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

On the night Cassie Hanwell received the Austin Fire Department’s Valor Award—the youngest and first female—for saving children from a sinking school bus, the unexpected presenter takes her back to the night that formed her opinion of love and family. Her award night again changes her life drastically, returning her reluctantly to family and more than one potential disaster. Center’s skills draw readers into the lives of her complex and deeply flawed characters, causing at least this reviewer to gasp out loud multiple times at wondrous and astonishing events. She brings tears with realistic emotional turmoil and unforeseen joy. Fans of Ann Garvin, Camille Pagan, and Liane Moriarty will appreciate Center’s writing style, sense of humor, and credible, relatable characters. I was fortunate to receive a digital copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Cassie went through some traumatic events as a teenager but now she's a strong, independent, badass firefighter. She has a dad she loves, colleagues that might as well be her brothers, and a job she wouldn't give up for anything. Her social life though? That could use some work. In a weird series of events, Cassie ends uprooting her entire life to care for her estranged mother.

This book has a strong theme of forgiveness and I was all for it. It takes a lot of forgive others but sometimes it's even harder to forgive yourself. I loved following Cassie's journey as she let go of her past and learned to love herself.

If you're looking for steam, you won't get that here. But you will get plenty of romance, girl power, camaraderie, and feel good moments.

I enjoyed Things You Save in a Fire, though not as much as I was hoping for. There seemed to be a lack of character depth that made the book feel a bit flat for me. Cassie was a great example of a strong female lead, and I did overall like the book. 3.5*

I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest and fair review.

{ partner } Thanks so much to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are entirely my own.

The premise and lead character definitely (and quickly) drew me to this book when I first read the pre-publication synopsis - I love a character driven novel, and when it's being lead by a strong female character I tend to love it all the more. What can I say? I have a type. So a story about a strong, independent, and badass female firefighter finding love and reuniting with her mother sounded like it would be right up my alley. And for the most part I really enjoyed this book, but it was a near miss from "love" for me.

One of the things that bugged me the most was the thing that I usually eat right up in a book like this - the romance. The love story. Don't get me wrong, I had quite a few swooning moments with the Rookie. But let's start there - it is very difficult to fully invest in a romantic connection between two characters where one is almost exclusive referred to as "the Rookie," even by the person that he is in said relationship with. I'm all for nicknames or pet-names galore, but the fact that he had this joking and mocking nickname before they were even fully acquainted, and she continues to use it after falling in love and even up until (spoiler) the wedding. And that was just a little bit difficult for me to fully buy into.

And then the other part of the relationship that was a bit tough for me was how instantly Cassie fell for the Rookie. While I do prefer stories about the relationships that start slowly (either as friends or rivals) and build over time, I don't have anything against a "love at first sight" type of love. And in all honesty I don't have any issues character-wise with the Rookie falling for Cassie at first sight. But everything that we know about Cassie would mean that she shouldn't have that kind of reaction. She has spent her entire adult and young adult life building up these walls around herself emotionally, and while yes I believe that finding herself falling in love with someone would break those walls down, seeing a man that she finds attractive should not immediately affect her as strongly as it does. The man walks into the room on their first day of work and her heartrate immediately quickens, and she all but goes weak in the knees and swoons. Again, I don't have an issue with love at first sight, but it doesn't make sense with who we are meant to believe that this woman is. It just didn't fit for me.

However, now that I've been a bit of a downer, overall I did enjoy this book. I liked the character of Cassie and her drive, and I really enjoyed her relationship with her mom (once she let herself have one). While it was really difficult to read about the people in her life letting her ignore her past, when according to her they "just know," rather than encouraging her to face it, it was really nice getting to see her get to the point of talking about it and therefore being able to come to terms with it.

Even with the issues that I did have, I enjoyed this book and I'm glad that I got to read it. I would recommend it, but it certainly won't be one of my favorite books of the year. What it did do was make me laugh at times, make me unwilling to put it down at others, and make me want to call my mom.

This is another amazing read by this Author!!!!

I couldn't put this book down.
Your heart will hurt and soar throughout this whole book!!
You will fall in love with the characters, feel their pain/sympathize with them/care for them/ want to hurt a few but overall love this story and what it represents.

If you're looking for another wonderful read by this Author--you need to grab this book today!!!

4.5 stars from me!

This book made me run a gamut of emotions: from LOL to crying in my pillow. Told by a fearless, young Austin firewoman who loves what she does and takes no crap. Little do her teammates know that her tough exterior are carefully constructed walls due to 2 unrelated (but for the timing) teenage traumas.
When her foundation is shaken she is forced to reinvest herself and start over in a good old boys Boston firehouse.
I reserve 5 star ratings for books I will read again. This is great storytelling and I recommend this book. I received an Advance Review Copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

What a beautifully written book! I was hooked within the first few pages and couldn't put this one down! I felt connected to the main character and loved her personality. I would highly recommend this book and the author!

Thank you, NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. I started this book tonight and easily finished it in 3 hours. Cassie is determined to remain strong and protect herself. Being hurt as a child allowed her to build walls to protect herself. Her life suddenly changes with one phone call and one career decision. She learned how to forgive, and she she learned how to be happy and to love. I cried several times throughout this book, and that always defines a good book for me. If it makes me cry, then it’s captured me and I’ve become a part of it. I can’t wait to read more Katherine Center books.
Review left on goodreads, also.

I was really optimistic about this book. But there's a difference between reading a book about a female firefighter who gets shit because she's a woman and a female firefighter who actually thinks being "girlie" is a bad thing. And she does. I'm sure that this book is about her growth and the way she learns to embrace all parts of herself and blah blah blah. And if that was my only complaint, I would have kept reading. But on page 68, there is the most fatphobic line I've read in a while. And it was jarring. "And one, McElroy, was fat. Much fatter than in his photo. Genuinely fat. Heart-attack fat." And so I decided that I just really couldn't finish reading this book.

Things You Save in a Fire by Katherine Center

Brief Summary: Cassie is a female firefighter who moves from her Austin Texas firehouse to the Boston area to help take care for mom who’s having vision issues. Is the only female, Cassie has to prove herself to her new colleagues when the unthinkable happens and she falls in love with her partner. As a huge fan of Katherine Center’s previous novel How to Walk Away, I wondered how she could possibly follow it up. She can and she did outdo herself.

Highlights: First and foremost Cassie is an awesome and very human female firefighter heroine that I loved rooting for. This novel it is so much more then a love story though. It is a very real look at the psychology a firefighting and shows how firefighters cope with repeated trauma exposure through humor, pranks, goofing off, sarcasm, and supporting each other. But they also harden themselves to the pain which is one of the reasons Cassie had closed herself off. Center also weaves in the serious subject matter of sexual assault and shows how it impacted Cassie as a survivor. The message on practice of forgiveness is also a strong theme in this novel and one I don’t see addressed very often. It is addressed in a real and practical ways readers can learn from. Finally I also love how Center used principles of positive psychology, worked in the theme of posttraumatic growth and even had her character rear book on it.

Explanation of Rating: 5/5 I couldn’t give this book enough stars or turn the pages fast enough. This is not only one of the best books I read this year; it has been added to my list of all-time favorite books.

This is a must read book with practical applications of forgiveness, Positive psychology, and posttraumatic growth. This would be another psychology book club pick, if I had such a book club. I have already recommended this book to my students and patients. This book is also great for anyone who knows or loves a firefighter.

Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. I love this book so much I bought my own copy for my personal library and to support the author.

The language and rhythm of the words hooked me from the opening sentences, which were comfortably lengthy and followed by staccato emphasis on the salient points. Told from first person POV, the story presents Cassie as a sympathetic character — smart, courageous, and a fighter, as well as prickly, suspicious, and compelled by anger and resentment.

The themes of forgiveness and human decency run strongly through the narrative and Cassie is the perfect conduit for the transformative power of forgiveness in particular. The other repeating, and perhaps equally important message, is that we get what we expect, and we see what we expect. As human beings, far too often our observations are colored by our preconceived notions of reality. Time after time, Cassie experiences first-hand this truth, explaining, "We really do see what we expect to see."

Some of Katherine Center’s similes are just brilliant: "It was beyond off-putting for this person I'd been in mutual disinterest with for so long to suddenly, out of nowhere, claim to be interested. It was as if we'd agreed to play checkers and he suddenly announced it had been chess all along."

Other similes are so universally understood, they made me wonder why I'd never before seen them, like this one: "Nothing about any of this felt real. I felt like a live person who'd just showed up in a Disney cartoon." Her mother wearing an eye patch is hilariously described "as if Laura Ingalls Wilder had turned pirate."

I loved this description of Cassie's fire captain: "...sporting a spectacular walrus mustache that made him look more like a cartoon of a fireman than a real one."

Her observation about the nature of resentment: "Ten years I'd simmered in my own self-righteousness, holding my grudge against her as if the only way to win was to stay mad the longest. As if there had ever been anything to win. As if you don't always lose by definition when you push the people who love you away."

In the front matter, Ms. Center thanks her volunteer firefighter husband for reading her drafts and lending his expertise. It shows. This story is replete with the details necessary to accurately portray Cassie's life, while also conveying the powerful emotions which dictate her actions. Her inability to accept hugs, despite her desperate desire for them, is just one example. Cassie is a complicated, human, flawed, yet well-intentioned heroine. I highly recommend this book.

THINGS YOU SAVE IN A FIRE by Katherine Center was awesome. It’s just good storytelling with emotional development between characters and conflict. I started it in the morning and could not stop reading it! The connection between Cassie and the unit at her new station is written so well, especially between her and the Rookie. This novel is about forgiveness, family, and fire. It’s well written and while it won’t change the way you look at anything in your world, you might find that a little escapism into a very well told story is a good place to find yourself. And, if you are like my mom, you will just appreciate the draw of the brilliant blue cover from across the aisle!
I received an Advance Review Copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Even though I had this book as an ARC and picked it as my BOTM for AUGUST, I decided to listen to the audiobook. Sometimes, audiobooks get me out of a funk when nothing else speaks to me.
Deciding on the audiobook was the BEST decision EVER!!!

Because I didn’t want to put it down, that’s why I ended up sitting in the car like an idiot – lol, refusing to leave. But I also did laundry and washed dishes all the while listening, laughing, smiling, and just having a great time. Being this transfixed usually means two things: exceptional narration and a fantastic story.

I was fascinated by how well the author researched the world of firefighters. Her portrait of a female firefighter in a male dominated profession was eye opening. What to do, and what not to do as a woman. The hazing. The camaraderie. The cases. But most of all the feel of authenticity and truth.

The author has this skill of writing incredibly realistic novels. Descriptions, feelings, dialogues – it all feels RIGHT and REAL. I could easily see myself in the heroine. To feel her doubts, concerns and struggles. They were tangible, relatable, and honest.

The book had everything I could have wanted in a novel. A sweet romance, funny and hilarious scenes, well researched topics, and a heartwarming plot.

I loved this book. Cassie is a female firefighter who is forced both personally and professionally to move from Austin Texas to Massachusetts. She moves in with her mom and starts a new job. I don’t want to give away too much but she faces many challenges both expected and unexpected.. This book made me laugh and made me cry. A definite five star read.

I loved this book from the moment I began reading. This is my second book by Katherine Center, with the first being How to Walk Away. I loved this book even more than the first one. You can’t help but get attached to her characters and root for their happiness. It is refreshing to read a feel good book.
Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!
Five stars all the way!

Things You Save in a Fire by Katherine Center is a fantastic Women’s Fiction book that covers a lot of bases from love, to women empowerment, to family issues. So many great story lines blended into one.

Women’s fiction is not always my absolute favorite, but I truly enjoyed this book. I love the depth of the main character, Cassie and all the different aspects of life she is dealing with. She’s still trying to come into her own while remembering advice from her father, a pestering absent mother, and love. Love always complicates things though. Center carefully intertwined problems that people have in everyday life and made it interesting and page turning. I kept wanting to know what was going to happen next and unable to put the book down.

I don’t have any complaints about this book really, and based on other reviews I would say that many people enjoyed it as well. I think Katherine Center is incredibly talented and I look forward to reading more of her books. If you love just a truly good story with a lot of depth and reality, then pick up Things You Save In A Fire by Katherine Center. You will not be disappointed.