This was a pretty good book! I liked it, but it was lacking some depth and character intrigue that would have made it even more interesting.

I'm sorry, I couldn't finish this book. I really tried, but I DNF at about 15% which is really unlike me.

This will be on my list of books to recommend this fall. The writing is engaging. The firefighting parts were very interesting. (but, I have to ask if you can master parkour in a few weeks?) The characters were realistic and the various relationships were also well developed.

The ending felt a little rushed as it all tied up super quick. Maybe if there was another logical suspicious bad guy in the mix it would have worked better?

*I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher and I am required to disclose that in my review in compliance with federal law.*

Cassie Hanwell is a star on the rise in the Austin Fire Department. The youngest firefighter (and only woman) to be awarded the department’s Valor Award and having recently passed the Lieutenants Exam mean an inevitable big promotion—until she screws it all up by very publicly assaulting a local politician.

Not that it happened without reason. Which is why she’s granted a bit of a reprieve and a chance to get out of the limelight until the trouble passes. Coincidentally, her mother has asked Cassie to move in for a year and help her recover from eye surgery. So Cassie finds a position in a tiny town outside Boston. A position given to her only because the department is so desperate for men that it’ll even take a woman! But Cassie knows her place as the first female in the old-school Lillian Fire Department is precarious. It means, per her old captain’s warnings, keeping her head down and never drawing undue attention to the fact that she’s not technically one of the boys. But Cassie isn’t one to keep her head down and when she meets to new rookie, she knows it’s going to be harder than she ever thought it could be!

Oh, I loved Katherine Center’s latest! Strained family dynamics, sexism, harassment, and more can’t keep Cassie Hanwell down. But it’s how she deals with it all that makes this such a great read.

Cassie and her mother have a terrible relationship, all thanks to her mother walking out on Cassie and her father on Cassie’s sixteenth birthday. And while that’s bad enough, the reader quickly learns that that birthday was worse than just that.

But as it turns out, and as is made clear by Cassie’s own father, Cassie’s mother isn’t a bad person. And living with her for a year gives Cassie a chance to finally learn that. It's also an opportunity to forgive her for her actions all those years ago. If, that is, Cassie is willing to give her the chance.

Cassie is as tough as she is stubborn. She’s also smart and incredibly likable. Which makes reading her story such a treat.

I’ll add, too, that I enjoyed this one so much I immediately downloaded the audio short that’s a bit of an accompaniment to this one. (It also cements a tie in with How to Walk Away that fans will definitely catch reference to early in the book.) The Girl in the Plane is read by Center herself and includes a first chapter excerpt of the audiobook of Things You Save in a Fire.

The first thing that hooked me was the writing style. The writing was easily relatable, so naturally human in it’s expression. Natural and flowing it was as if I were catching up with an old friend and we were falling right back into our routine. It was easy to feel for the main character as she struggled and triumphed through the story line. Set in the modern day with all the modern struggles, I loved that this story tackled the hard stuff. A woman in a “male” profession, a man with a “feminine” hobby, and how they both come to accept themselves. The author did a wonderful job portraying the strength and emotion in all the characters. The continuing theme of forgiveness and being able to see all the characters and their humanity meant there was no “bad guy” villain. That just brought an even more realistic feel to the story.

This story revolves around a bad-ass female firefighter named Cassie. When the book opens, Cassie is receiving an award for bravery and heroism, but winds up in a situation that causes her to relocate to another town, to another fire station, one not quite as hip as her fire station in Austin. She moves across country to a suburb of Boston, to help her out her estranged mother, and start over at this new fire station. The move proves quite challenging for Cassie as she struggles being in the same house with her mother, who she resents for leaving her on her 16th birthday, as well as struggles with the "old boy's club" of her new fire station.

This book was a 4 star read for me. I flew through it and enjoyed it so much. It involved into so many different things. I thought it was about just the experience of being a female firefighter and the misogyny that might present. Then I thought it was just about Cassie's relationship with her mother. Then I thought it was about the mystery of who was sabotaging her at the fire station. Then I thought it was about love and romance. I realized, it was bits of all of these things wrapped in a contemporary story that also addressed themes of forgiveness.

If you want a bad-ass strong female lead, and enjoy contemporary, you'll enjoy this book! I highly recommend it!

I am not sure what I expected from this book, but this was not it. In the best possible way. The story follow Cassie, a firefighter who shows us civilians what the job is truly like and the struggles of a female in a male dominated career. Quickly, a moment from Cassie's past catches up to her and turns her life upside down. She has to start from the bottom up and relearns how to view the world around her.

I love books that teach me about a true-to-life world that I know little about. This one in particular was especially interesting to me because my best friend's husband is a firefighter, and so many of the quips and anecdotes mirrors what he tells us.

This You Save In A Fire was funny and relatable. It was feminism at it's best...showing the truth of women who don't need to be taken care of but it sure feels nice when we find someone who will take care of us. This story showed the beauty of love...more than romantic love but love for ourselves. The beauty of forgiveness...not only for others but for ourselves.

Katherine Center shows us a heroine who is strong and truly a hero, but also learns that it is okay to lean on others, to forgive the hurts of past, and to forgive and love oneself. Love doesn't make us weak; it makes us even stronger. Wow.

Katherine Center's new book has received tons of wonderful reviews but I just didn't quite connect with this one.

Cassie has found herself in a new job as the story opens. She had been wrongfully forced out of her previous job in Texas and transfers to Maine where her mother lives. Cassie is estranged from her mother but agrees to help her while she recovers from surgery.

As a firefighter, Cassie must work much harder than her male counterparts and be in top physical shape. She is meant to be a firefighter, and is the top in her field. This book was best when it was set in the firehouse but the other scenes just seemed disconnected to me. In fact, Cassie's love interest was only referred to as the "rookie" throughout much of the story and to be honest, I missed the point in time when they actually emotionally connected.

Cassie is a brave firefighter but keeps human interaction at arm's length. I did enjoy the descriptions of life inside a firehouse, but I never felt fully invested in the main characters. The writing is fast-paced and obviously well-researched, and I will definitely read more of this author's work in the future.

Cassie is a female firefighter making her way in a male dominated field- and making her way pretty damn well. Cassie is the epitome of a strong willed, strong bodied, and strong ethically motivated woman. When a family emergency strikes, she is forced to move home and start at a new station, therefore forcing her to have to "prove her worth". As she earns the respect of her fellow firefighters, she also catches the eye of a teammate, which is a great big No-No. As their friendship builds, so does the sexual tension and potential for trouble. This was a sweet, well thought out novel. Though things seemed to unfold to perfectly, I really did enjoy every minute of it. Definitely one that I would recommend reading.

I have been seeing “Things You Save in a Fire” all over bookstagram lately and I totally wanted to jump in. Especially I loved her previous one - How to walk away, though it was such a tear-jerker. I started with really high expectations for this one but felt a little let down by the entire plot. I agree that the romance between Cassie and ‘rookie’ is cute but it was not something amazing or different from others.

I haven’t read that many firefighter backdrop novels so the whole fire-station situation was interesting enough and it was fairly quick read. There were very important issues like sexual abuse, trauma, gender inequality, dealing with abandonment, etc added to the story to help reader understand Cassie’s characterization probably, but it didn't work for me.

Things You Save In a Fire is my first book by Katherine Center and will not be my last! This book brought all the feels. I laughed, cried, raged, hurt and cheered for Cassie as she showed her new fire crew exactly what having a woman in the fire house means. She’s a strong woman who learned that emotions and love don’t make you weak, but can truly make you stronger. Cassie’s journey to forgive (herself and others) is one that many can relate to and will enjoy reading about. Add in some hot firefighters and this book is a 5 star read!

Thanks to SMP for the ARC! This has no bearing on my honest opinion.

I must be an outlier because I had some choice words from this book. To be fair, I did not finish. But I did not finish due to the numerous issues this book had.

The beginning alone was enough to make me gag. Her coworkers pranking her to the point where she questioned her feelings and want for her partner. So ten pages in and the main character isn't even sure how she feels?

Then a female boss, who obviously understands the unsaid issue with the guy Cassie punched, and she still wants her to apologize. Then proceeds to have her transferred to a small town that hates women apparently. Lastly, she then tells Cassie all the ways to not be herself so she can be liked.

I get the point of the book is to have a strong female character. However, we need to stop writing like every male is a piece of crap. If not we are no different than every male saying women cannot be firefighters.

This was one of the best reads of the summer for me and it is also my first read by this author but certainly not my last. I am already on the hunt for her blacklist. I loved everything about this story, from the strong quirky characters with their Boston accents to the intricately woven plot lines. Katherine Center writes characters that are flawed yet redeemable. I enjoyed how the author writes about the precarious relationships between parent and child, with such empathy for all parties. I felt like I knew Cassie Hanwell and Owen intimately by the time I finished. Some of my favorite parts of the book were the detailed descriptions of the day in the life of a firefighter. It was so exciting, fascinating, and kept me turning the page to find out what happens next. Be prepared with a box of Kleenex, you won't be able to put this one down.

Thank you St. Martins press and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Katherine Center for writing this poignant tale of a young woman's struggle to find her strength and triumph over devastating losses.

How do you decide how to rate a book? I have lots of ways I go about it, but there is one determining factor for me that makes a book 5 stars: if I cry. I recently finished Things You Save in a Fire by Katherine Center @katherinecenter and I definitely cried a couple times while reading this gem. .
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I have been a long time fan of Katherine Center, and she is definitely an auto buy author for me. Things You Save in a Fire was a multifaceted story of firefighter and EMT Cassie. I love a strong female character, and she is one of the best. She had me rooting for her the entire book, and I loved to see her growth with her mother and her relationship blossom with the rookie. This is a romance with heart. If you’re looking for a book that makes you laugh AND cry check this one out!! .

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book

I loved this book. I loved reading about the strong female protagonist. She is badass and confident. I liked that there was no need for a man to rescue the woman. Very interesting, not overdone, story.

Cassie Hanwell is a stellar, tough-as-nails firefighter and paramedic with the progressive and modern Austin Fire Dept. After a moment of passionate, righteous anger, she puts her job in jeopardy when she refuses to apologize. When her estranged mother asks Cassie to move east to help her after she loses sight in one eye, she agrees because taking a job in a chauvinistic, old-school Massachusetts firehouse is her only hope of salvaging her career. She is counseled by her female fire chief in Texas to be better than the men, to not show emotion, and to not date a fellow firefighter if she hopes to be accepted as one of the guys. This won’t be a problem because she doesn’t believe in love and her job is her life. However, her resolve is tested when she begins to fall for the sweet, kind-hearted rookie, Owen Callaghan, who faints at the sight of blood and bakes cookies in his free time.

On her 16th birthday, Cassie’s mother moved away and she was raped by the boy she had a crush on. In the decade since, she has walled herself off from emotion and focused on routine, order, and safety. She has survived, but the price has been loneliness. As she begrudgingly spends more time with her mother whose health continues to decline and acknowledges that she feels safe with Owen, she begins to realize how much she has lost by pushing away the people she loves. Ultimately, this is a book about forgiveness, feminism, and toxic masculinity, and how destructive and lonely it is to hang onto anger. This is one woman’s journey to rediscover love after devastating loss and betrayal. It speaks to how talented author Center is that she has managed to infuse humor and a sweet romance into a story that could easily have been darkly dramatic. Highly recommended for fans of Susan Wiggs and Kristan Higgins.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Cassie Hanwell was born for emergencies. As one of the only female firefighters in her Texas firehouse, she’s seen her fair share of them, and she’s excellent at dealing with other people’s tragedies. But when her estranged and ailing mother asks her to uproot her life and move to Boston, it’s an emergency of a kind Cassie never anticipated. review: After reading How to Walk Away last year (and loving it!) I couldn’t wait to read her newest book. The author does a fantastic job of character development and I quickly found myself rooting for Cassie. I really enjoyed the protagonist being such a strong female in a male-dominated career field. This was certainly a feel-good read and although it was predictable at times, it was a really touching read. I had the opportunity to meet the author last week and hearing her speak about the research, her link to the book & how she likes to write really made me appreciate her and the book even more. rating: 4.5 out of 5 ⭐️

My Thoughts: This is a tough one for me to review. I expected to like it every bit as much as last year’s How to Walk Away (my review). Of course, I knew it would be chick lit and have some rather implausible parts. I thought it was just the sort of book I really like on audio. I’d listened to How to Walk Away, but instead I read Things You Save in a Fire. A bit of a mistake. Audiobooks are just more forgiving for me. Now, I’m not saying Things You Save in a Fire wasn’t good, but it did have some flaws. This is the story of Cassie, an emotionally damage female firefighter leaving a job she loves to be closer to the mother she’s been estranged from for years. Much of her story hinged on a secret tragedy from her past and by the time it was finally revealed I felt a little manipulated. I also felt like the change in her personality was just too extreme. She started as a woman that was unrecognizable by the end. Despite those complaints, this was a super easy, fast read. Center included a lot in her story and it all kept me going and engaged. I read this book in the midst of a week of traveling with grandkids and it proved to be a perfect story for when you have to keep picking up and putting down a book over and over. Katherine Center fans will likely enjoy Things You Save in a Fire, and my take away is that from now on I’m going audio with her stories.

Note: I received a copy of this book from St. Martin’s Press (via NetGalley) in exchange for my honest review.

I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for my advanced copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

This was delightful. It had depth, romance, a sliver of suspense, quirky characters, human emotions, and conflict.

We all know firemen are hot. We all can imagine being rescued by a hunk of a man and living happily ever after. This story is not that! Our fireman is actually a firewoman who needs no rescuing, who is stubborn and skilled, who can be abrasive, who has not discovered herself, and who is currently thrown into a situation that pushes her way, way, wayyyyy out of her comfort zone.

I enjoyed the growth of the main character. I enjoyed the budding romance. I enjoyed the countryside setting of the story. I personally could relate to the frayed mother-daughter relationship. Some aspects of the plot were a bit underdeveloped (like Cassie's sexual past for example) but overall it didn't take away from the plot progression. The emphasis of the book is healing, empathy, and forgiveness, and Katherine Center beautifully delivered that.

In Things You Save In A Fire, Cassie, a female firefighter, is completely self assured, physically and mentally strong and, unflappable in her career. In her personal life, she is utterly human, flawed and a trauma survivor. When her deliberately separate personas suddenly collide, she is forced to alter her career path, face up to personal demons and, ultimately, grow in ways she never dreamed possible. Katherine Center has written a compulsive story with incredible heart and emotional intelligence. Yes, there is a love connection but, the overarching themes are of family, personal growth and forgiveness. This book is contemporary fiction at its very best!