This book is amazing and I loved it! Cassie is such an interesting character. She's a firefighter and what happens at an event honoring her for her heroics on the job, sets the changes for her life in motion. How she reconnects with her mother, takes on a new job, meets the rookie. All of it is so good. The epilogue is great, too!

This was my first read by Katherine Center and I look forward to the next! The story focuses on Cassie a Texas firefighter who, in her mid-twenties, continues to struggle with life-changing events from 10 years ago. The story describes the camaraderie of her fellow firefighters, in Texas and later in Massachusetts. It was interesting to consider the impact of a female in a mostly male firehouse. As Cassie works to resolve unfinished conflicts from her past, she begins to gain strength and confidence in her present day relationships. A well-written novel about loving, loss, lies, and forgiveness. Thanks NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I introduced myself to Katherine Center last year with How to Walk Away (HTWA) (my review is here) and loved it , so I eagerly anticipated her next novel which was Things You Save in a Fire (to be called Things for the rest of this review) and was not disappointed in the least. And Things is about a female firefighter: Go girl empowerment!

Center wrote the novel through examples of real life situations her volunteer fire fighter husband told her about the job and living in the fire house. I’ve spent a little time in firehouses and even put the turnout gear on and based on what I experienced, the novel is spot on!

Our protagonist Cassie made a brief appearance in HTWA which was referenced in Things. You won’t miss anything if you have not read HTWA, but it adds to Cassie’s story if you have already read it. I personally loved how the books were connected. I really liked Cassie and identified with her in several ways. Firefighting really is a ‘boys club’ and Cassie totally kicks male butt! You can’t help but cheer for her. She is also a conflicted character and feels like a real person. Center does a great job capturing real life struggles and putting them on the page. There are moments that will have you laughing and then moments that touch you in a personal way.

This novel has a bit of everything: romance, mystery, action, and yes, we do get a fire! With the fire situation the reader gets the experience of working that fire and going inside with the fire fighters.

I alluded to it earlier, and want to talk about my experience in a fire house: Back in 2004 I took part in a Citizen’s Fire Academy where I learned about my local fire department, did some training, and spent time at two fire stations with the men on shift. I got to go on the calls they received, and yes, one was a fire call! It ended up being a kitchen fire that was out by the time we arrived on the scene. It was a great experience and if the opportunity arises, everyone should do this! You really get a new appreciation and respect for what they do.
Bravo Katherine Center for an enjoyable novel that accurately portrays life in a fire house base on what I experienced myself. When you read this novel, you will get to see what life as a fire fighter is like in a 24 hour shift: from the silliness to seriousness.

Things You Save in a Fire is very highly recommended. Special thanks to St. Martin’s Press for granting me an e-arc that I received via NetGalley.

Cassie is one of the rising firefighters in her department in Texas, and one of the only females, too. But when her estranged mother calls asking her for help while she recovers from a surgery, Cassie uproots her life to move to Boston. At her new firehouse she's met a crew that is less than kind about having a woman join the team and a facility that is severely underfunded. The only person that seems to believe she's capable is the rookie; the one that Cassie can't seem to stop thinking about despite her former chief's one piece of advice: "don't date firefighters". Despite finally wanting to give in to her feelings, Cassie isn't sure she's ready to jeopardize everything she's worked so hard for in her career.

Things You Save in a Fire by Katherine Center was just the book I wanted (and needed) to read right now. I absolutely loved Cassie's character and how she was such a badass at her job in a male-dominated field. There were so many things explored in this book: family dynamics, sexism, past trauma, and forgiveness. So many times during this book I felt myself just nodding my head and feeling like the words were speaking directly to me, and really, what more can you ask for in a book?

I adored Cassie's relationship with the Rookie (although I wish we'd been able to see a bit more of it and not have it develop quite so quickly). This book had a little bit of everything - it was lighthearted, emotional and suspenseful and overall just an absolutely wonderful book that I know will stay with me for a long time.

5/5 stars

Katherine carter has a way of developing characters who you feel so deeply connected to. Her ability to bring the reader into the story is one I truly admire.

If you want a book you can emotionally connect with while admiring the main characters choices thru difficult times and emotional roller coasters you should grab this one!

I guess I’m somewhere between a 2 and 2.5.

When I read How To Walk Away and found it just okay, I should have realized that the author’s writing style doesn’t exactly work for me. But when I was offered this ARC, I thought I should give it another try and and here I am. I’m not exactly disappointed because I didn’t know what I was expecting, but it was just an overall underwhelming read.

Cassie is a determined, hard working and talented firefighter/paramedic but she holds herself to an almost impossible standard to make it in her very male centered profession. Her mother’s abandonment and a traumatic event at the age of sixteen have made her an emotionally closed off person, which means she hardly has any friends or social life and channels all her energy into being a great firefighter. When she has to move to a much more regressive fire department in a small town to live with her mother, she has to prove herself all over again. While I admire her for being so composed and handling every situation with a sort of clinical precision, I guess I wanted her to show a bit more emotion. But thankfully, her character arc is about growing more comfortable with showing emotion and vulnerability and I thought that was good. It just wasn’t entirely satisfactory.

The rookie love interest Owen was a dreamy guy, sweet and kind and just overall nice. While I liked how he was able to bring down Cassie’s walls a bit, I just thought the romance happened very fast and I didn’t see the buildup at all. The other side characters at the fire station all felt very two dimensional and I couldn’t even remember their names by the time I finished reading. Cassie’s mom is like a walking talking self help book and though I was sympathetic to her situation and wanting to spend more time with her daughter, their interactions didn’t feel very authentic to me.

The one thing that’s good about this author’s books are that they are very fast paced and easy to read - I finished it in just two sittings despite not enjoying myself much. My biggest problem was that the book wasn’t sure which category it wanted to be in - it wants to be a romance novel but the love story itself is rushed, there is hardly any relationship progression and I couldn’t understand why they were in love; on the other hand, the book wants to talk about issues like sexism in the workplace and dealing with trauma and how they impact our lives for a long time, but none of it is explored deeply because the author doesn’t seem to want to lose the light /breezy feel of the book. This just makes it all feel very superficial. There is also a “not like other girls” trope, especially at the beginning when the main character says things like “being in love is very girly and it makes girls sad and pathetic” and I hated it. The main character experiences deep trauma as a teenager which has affected her capacity to have relationships for a long time, but we never get to see how she is actually dealing with it... and ultimately, falling in love fixes all her issues, which is another trope I don’t particularly enjoy anymore. While I like the concept of forgiveness and how it’s important to forgive to be able to move forward and lead a more productive life, all the advice given in the book about it was pretty perfunctory and shallow and didn’t evoke any feelings in me. Despite having a bit of mystery element in the story, there is hardly any conflict and the author ensures that everything is neatly tied up in a bow.

If you have enjoyed the author’s books before, you’ll probably like this a lot more than I did. If you are looking for a light and easy fairytale-esque book without a lot of angst, then you should give this a try. However, if you are looking for an amazing well developed romance or a book that deeply touches on issues that the main character faces in her personal and professional life, then Things You Save in a Fire is definitely not it.

"Things You Save in a Fire" follows Cassie, a firefighter, who uproots her life in Texas to start a new job in a small town in Massachusetts. Her new path leads her to confront challenges, both new and old, where she must learn to forgive.

Cassie's character was strong and independent and it was especially enjoyable to read about the firehouse and how Cassie interacted with other firefighters, as well as her relationship with her mom.

Soon into the book, Cassie begins to fall for the rookie and the novel focuses on a very slow build to Cassie finally accepting her feelings for him. However, when she does finally declare her love, everything that follows is so fast. I truly felt the engagement at the end of the novel was completely unnecessary. Also, it felt like the epilogue was used to fill in the gaps of the romance part of the relationship between Cassie and the rookie that lacked during the story.

Overall, the book was enjoyable and easy to read and I look forward to reading another book by Katherine Center!

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press & Netgalley for a review copy!

Why can't all books be as good as this one?

This was my first book by Katherine Center and now I wish I had every book of hers to read, if only to prolong the reading high I have at this moment. This book will be at the top of my list of favorites for the year. I loved absolutely everything about this story and cannot think of a single flaw. It was the type of book I seek with every book I read -- it captured my attention from the very first page, I fell in love with the characters, and never wanted the story to end. Check, check, check!

I was a little nervous about this book, considering Cassie, the main character, was a female firefighter. I was sure this book would be a politically charged feminist manifesto with equal parts of female oppression and male-bashing. To my pleasant surprise, this book toed the line between both genders, representing both in a fair and honest manner. While Cassie, at times, faced some opposition, she was still allowed to be a strong woman and show what she was made of. The men in the firehouse were as masculine as I hoped they would be and pranksters all. As a woman, it's probably odd that I would enjoy the ball-busting men are in this profession are known for, but it's some of my favorite humor and I was glad to see Katherine Center's accurate portrayal. It added some laugh out loud moments and was made the story even more enjoyable to read. I loved watching Cassie rise to every occasion and represent herself well. She showed iotas of character growth and is one of my new favorite heroines. I loved that she never needed to be saved and was allowed to flourish in her own time with the help of the love from those around her.

This book offered so many heartwarming moments, action, great quotes, and things to reflect upon. The easy-going characters, especially Owen, were an absolute delight to read about. It's probably entirely too predictable to say I relished in the steaminess between Cassie and Owen, but this was the exact amount of romantic tension I look for. Their chemistry was perfect!

I particularly loved how much the story encouraged forgiveness, even when people didn't deserve it. This tugged on my heartstrings in the best possible way and ended with all the warm fuzzies I needed. The book hangover is real and I'm afraid no other books in 2019 will hold a candle to this one. I highly recommend picking up Things You Save in a Fire on August 13th.

I love finding new authors to love and Katherine Center has definitely made that list!

Cassie is a firefighter in Austin, Texas when she decides to make the move north to take care of her mom. She is the first female to ever work at her new fire department. The other firefighters are not too happy with a female being on their shift. Then comes along the “Rookie” and he changes things for her.

This was such a cute romance and I loved that there was such a strong female main character! I loved seeing a strong woman working a “man’s” job. It’s shows that women can do anything.
I plan to read How To Walk Away next!

A new to me author Things You Save in a Fire by Katherine Center. Wasn't sure what to expect from this book when I started it but it grabbed me from the first chapter. Totally enjoyable I look forward to checking out more by this author in the future.

loved this book ♥️♥️♥️ just what I needed after reading many v disturbing thrillers in succession. In the beginning, I really wasn’t sure I could take a whole book of Cassie’s “I’m not a girl” tough guy act, but her development was fantastic and you realize that the tough guy act is just a result of her past trauma and the walls she’s built to protect herself. Great story about a badass female firefighter, love, and forgiveness.

Thank you so much to St. Martins Press for the free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely loved Katherine Center’s first book How to Walk Away and I was so excited when she came out with this one (and I love how much the covers almost match!). It did immediately entice me from the beginning and kept me interested for a while and then I found myself almost bored in the middle of the book and for that reason, this was almost a 3 star read for me. Then the ending came and it definitely redeemed itself and is well worth 4 stars.

This story follows Cassie who is the only female firefighter at a station in Austin. She loves her crew and they don’t treat her like she’s a girl, she’s proven how tough and fearless she can be. When her mom that left her at sixteen years old calls and says she’s sick and needs someone to help take care of her, Cassie must leave her career and all of her buddies to move to Chicago. She gets hired on at another station and these guys are less than thrilled that a female is working beside them. Cassie must prove that she’s just as good as they are and along the way learn to trust and forgive.

As I said before, the beginning of this book really drew me in, a female working in a male-dominated career field and having to prove that she’s just as good, any story about females being complete badasses I’m all for. But then towards the middle of the book, I felt that things were dragged on and I was starting to get bored with the story. The romance and everything were not all that interesting to me and really felt like just another trope.

Then I got to the ending of the book and immediately fell back in love with the story and that’s where the romance got better for me. The ending was so suspenseful and I could not tear my eyes away from the page, I had to know what was going to happen next. Katherine Center had me feeling all kinds of emotions; gasping from the suspense, angry at a certain character, sad, happy, then sad again, it was a whirlwind of emotions and I loved it.

I knew going in that Center can write an emotional story, but I wasn’t really prepared to feel the things that I did while reading. It was just amazing…

Cassie Hanwell is a firefighter, well on her way up the ranks too. That is until she has one big blunder. And boy was it a Big one too. Her career is now in limbo and she has also received a phone call from her mother asking her to come and live with her, the mother who left when she was 16 years old. Not knowing what to do about either, she packs up and moves to Lillian, Massachusetts and takes a job at a local fire department, where she wasn’t exactly welcomed. She is a female firefighter after all.

Cassie is one those characters that you admire and want to give a smack up side the head a time or two. She is fiercely independent, strong willed and extremely ambitious and I really loved that about her. But at the same time, she was very stubborn, sometimes too stubborn her own good. She has been so focused on her career that everything else has been put on the back burner, including her family and most of all love.

Cassie knew that the move wasn’t going to be easy. She would be living with the woman her abandoned her, and now needs her help. Not only that, the fire station didn’t exactly want her there because she was a woman, in what they thought was a mans world. And then there is the Rookie, he was sweet and charming and everything that she had always pushed away.

The more I read, the more I became fully immersed into Cassie’s world. I laughed with her, rooted for her to fit in and maybe get some peace where her mother was concerned. This has some pretty sensitive themes in it too and Center handled them with care. And by the end, I was a blubbering mess but in such a good way. Things To Save in a Fire was one emotional roller coaster but was so worth it.

"Choosing to love - despite all the ways that people let you down, and disappear, and break your heart. Knowing everything we know about how hard life is and choosing to love anyway... That's not weakness. That's courage."

I took my time reading this one. I just knew that it was going to be on a level of emotional that only Katherine Center can deliver. So I paced myself. I digested it in small pieces. I let myself feel everything that Cassie was feeling. Katherine writes in a way that feels light and easy, but always deals with topics that are anything but that. You see things in a different light afterwards.

'Things You Save in a Fire' is that one book you MUST pick up. It'll help you put, whatever you're dealing with, into perspective. That is Katherine's gift. The theme stays with you long after you've read the last page. The biggest theme in this one is forgiveness. Expect to cry... and not just the 'I have something in my eye' type of tears... the type of cry that makes you feel like a weight has been lifted afterwards.

From the cover to the words inside, Things You Save in a Fire, is a top pick.

Cassie’s story was so beautiful. Watching her grow and learn how to accept love was so wonderful. I enjoyed all the relationships in this story- romantic. Mother-daughter, etc. Cassie found her place at her fire station which was also such a wonderful part of the story.

This book. It crept up on me. I enjoyed it from the start, with its tough female lead, fascinating details about firefighting, laugh out loud moments and an engaging premise (she has to start over in her career and personal life). But then the plot started building and I wasn't simply enjoying this book, I was all in as she proved herself to group of set-in-their-ways firefighters, tried to salvage her relationship with her mom, and slowly opened herself up to an adorable rookie firefighter. By the end, I went through all possible emotions, parts of the story were so sad, other parts were simply infuriating, but when it as all said and done, it was a love story in more ways than one, and it left me smiling.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Cassie Hanwell is a female firefighter located in Austin, Texas. She has it easy as her captain is also female and she is currently working in a more progressive station. Her world is turned upside down though when her ‘estranged’ mother asks her to pack up all her things, drive hours to come and see her, and move in with her. She is then thrust into a firehouse that has a definite male vibe, and though she thinks she’s an emotionless robot, one particular rookie catches her eye and turns her all kinds of bonkers. Does she fight her emotions? Does she give in? What happens between her and her mom? What exactly is wrong with her mom?

I lovedddd this book. About the same amount as the last one if not more. I also got this book on my book of the month (I assumed I would like it enough that I just went ahead and got a hard copy 😂). I’m glad I did like it though because it is just so fantastic. Again the characters were brought to life and I laughed quite a bit reading this book. I finished this one in a day, just like her last novel. They are such fast paced books and it was so difficult to put them down! She does a great job of reeling in the reader and keeping them engaged and entertained. The best part is that it isn’t a thinking book, so you’re basically just reading it for fun! Also recommend this one!!

Ok, I’ll admit it. I requested this book purely because I loved the title. But as I read the first few pages, I was second guessing myself. Was this going to be some sort of romance fluff? The answer is unfortunately, yes. Now, if you’re into that, I guess this is a decent one.

The book blurb says it’s about family and forgiveness. And there is some of that. But it’s really mostly about romance, the head over heels infatuation kind. Cassie is a strong, no nonsense, firefighter who’s risen like a speeding bullet through the Austin TX fire department. Until she makes a bad move at an awards ceremony. No spoilers, but that was the highlight of the book for me. Timing wise, the incident comes at the same time as her mom asks her to move to New England to help her out. The fire department there is still lodged firmly in the 1950s. The firefighters aren’t out and out misogynist, as Cassie says they act “in a chivalrous, slightly patronizing way”.

Where the author does a good job is in describing the mind of a firefighter and what the job is like.

I am the antithesis of a romance fan, so do not let my review dissuade you if you like the genre. If you like sweet, Hallmark style love stories with a bit of morality thrown in, this one’s for you.

My thanks to netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance copy of this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Katherine Center and St. Martins Press for the free e-book in exchange for an honest review.

Cassie was born for dealing with emergencies, she’s seen her fair share of them and she’s excellent at dealing with other people’s tragedies. She’s one of the only female firefighters in Texas, and when her estranged mother reaches out with a health related emergency, she has to leave her home and move to Boston where they don’t appreciate having a “lady” on their crew. It’s tougher than it was back at her old station; this one is old and they have poor funding. She starts out her new job with a Rookie who doesn’t seem to mind having her around as much, but Cassie finds herself fighting off feelings for her new coworker because it is forbidden to date someone on your crew. Doesn’t she keep fighting or give love a chance?

I am a forever fan of Katherine Center’s novels after reading her newest two because I was unable to put them down and I fell in love with the characters and the story as I was reading through. I loved the theme of forgiveness in this one and I think we could all learn something from this book! Sometimes we need to remember that we need to forgive ourselves as often as we forgive everyone else! I read this in two sittings and I never once wanted to leave Cassie and Owen’s story because it was so real and heartfelt. Everyone knows what it feels like to be in love for the first time and be terrified, but then put your job on the line and I think we can all see why Cassie is scared. These characters just broke my heart and put it back together again and I was terribly sad to see it end!

Pick it up August 13th!

How to Walk Away was one of my favorite books last year and made me an instant Katherine Center fan. I’ve been looking forward to Things You a Save in a Fire all year. I was a little nervous at first because I wasn’t really connecting with the main character Cassie. However, I was quickly pulled into the story and absolutely loved it. Overall, this is a light read, but there is definite substance here; it’s not just fluff. I found myself laughing and teary-eyed and feeling all the feels. (Trigger warning- sexual harassment, rape, cancer) This book really brought things together and wrapped up nicely. I was sad when it was over. I highly recommend it and am pretty certain Katherine Center has again secured one of my top book spots of the year!

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for a gifted copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.