I loved this book! Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an advanced copy of this novel prior to its release in August.

I was immediately drawn to the main character Cassie, her tough exterior, and more mysterious interior which you crave to learn more about. Cassie works as a female firefighter in a male dominated profession, and I loved watching her character prove people wrong time after time and rise above the “gender norms”. The story not only follows her professional life, but also her life with family, love, and forgiveness.

I would definitely recommend this novel to anyone; it was a solid 5 star read. This was my first book by Katherine Center, and it will definitely not be my last!

The world can be such a sad and tragic place, even moreso theough the eyes of a first responder. It also has moments of such intense beauty and joy. This book explores this juxtaposition. It is a love story, a journey of healing, and a primer on forgiveness. It covers sexism, pain, rape, abandonment, fear, emotional damage as well as family, heroism, forgiveness, pranks, camaraderie, and love. If you are a reader who enjoys feeling your books, this the book for you! (Tears were shed multiple times.)

Almost worth 4 stars with a title that misled me as I was thinking picture albums, family heirlooms and pets. Meet Hanwell/Cassie and The Rookie/Owen as the author continually weaves the central, compelling theme of forgiveness throughout. At first, I could not relate to the female protagonist, Hamwell, but Cassie surfaced! The effect of being harmed, violated, mistreated or abandoned is clearly shown to the reader. This is the second book I have read by Katherine Center, and I am certain it is not the last. I thank NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Oooo -- this was an entertaining read. It was perfect for vacation although I did skip out on an event because I couldn't tear myself away.

With "Things You Save in a Fire," I laughed, cried, and tore through the book. It's heartbreaking, and sometimes a little bit too real, but well worth the chance. Admittedly, I almost gave up on the book at first because of the author's tendency to over describe just about everything...but there's a scene about giving a small dog CPR, and it was just about the funniest thing I've ever read.

What a wonderful read! I learned so much about the life of the firefighter, what is expected of first responders, and the ways they all handle the stress of the job while staying focused and useful in each emergency. And then there was the story of a woman breaking the glass ceiling in this male-dominated field. And there was also a story of forgiveness and the healing of wounds that have been painful for years. And romance! What a sweet story of romantic love! The humorous dialog made me laugh out loud in many places. And all of this was carefully unfolded along with the feelings and secrets of complicated -- and human -- characters. Five well-deserved stars from me.

Things You Save in a Fire was an excellent story! The main character is Cassie. She is an accomplished firefighter in Texas. She has everything going well for her, until the night she is being recognized by the city. A traumatic event is resurfaced and causes her to behave in improper way in front of her co-workers, captain and city officials. At the same time her mother, who she has an estranged relationship with, asks her to move in with her for at least a year in Boston. Cassie had been reluctant to move, but due to what happened during the ceremony and her captain's recommendation, she decides to go.
It is while in Boston that Cassie is put to the test of how well she can adapt to change and to reconnect with her mother. Also an important change for Cassie is that she falls in love for the first time. In order for Cassie to accomplish all this she needs to learn how to forgive those who failed and hurt her. These are the scenes that made me cry. Especially those conversations she has with her mother, who abandoned her on her sixteen birthday to go to Boston and live with another man. In the process in learning how to forgive is when her life changes for the better. Life throws her a couple of curve balls towards the end of the story, but she is able to survive them because she has opened up herself more. She learns that it is okay to have someone by your side and that there's things that we don't need to do by ourselves.
She admits that loving Owen is okay, because love is not a bad thing. He was just the sweetest guy. I loved how he treated her and that he didn't feel intimidated by her (she has more experience as a firefighter).
Great story and highly recommended!!

It has been a long time since I have read a great story.
From the initial start of the book, to what it is like to be an only woman working as a firefighter among men, had the best dialogue and storyline ever. Very good humor truly engaging; not in the least bit of what I expected. I loved the easygoing descriptive writing style and I loved all the characters. It was truly an inspirational story about pain, grief and love. Not too chick flick but the relationship felt so real, reminding me of that feeling of first love again.

Cassie Hainwell, the only female firefighter among a team of guys has to prove herself every step of the way. Connecting with her determination and rooting for her all the way, she is a person not to be reckoned with.

I love the wisdom this story produces about forgiveness and compassion and learning to get beyond the anger to allow the inner self to emerge.

I would give this book 10
Stars if I could.

I grabbed this ARC of NetGalley since it was listed as a romance. For what I'm used to romance-wise, it took a little bit to get there, but once it did, I was not disappointed at all on that front. Meanwhile, I became completely captivated by the rest of the story, especially Cassie's on-the-job challenges--from the interactions with her fellow firefighters to the day-to-day work. Then I got invested in Cassie's relationship with her mom who had left her family years earlier. The theme of forgiveness went deep in this book. But I'm a simple romance girl, and I adored Owen and how sweet he was from the moment he graced the page. This was a very satisfying read that made me a little wistful in the end.

The first chapter drew me in with equal parts humor and relatable characters and ends with a sweet romance. This book was exceptionally charming and heartwarming, hitting on compassion, acceptance and forgiveness. I loved it!

4.5 stars

I kept seeing rave reviews of Things You Save in a Fire and decided to give it a whirl for myself to see if it was as good as they led me to believe. It absolutely was!

This book is about Cassie who is a flawed but fun heroine who is a kick as firefighter trying to restart her life after moving in with her Mom halfway across the country.

I was swept up into this story almost from the first page and didn't want to put it down until the last. It's exactly everything I love in novels - a feisty and fun heroine, a good backstory, a sweet romance and a lot of fun. It was almost a smidge too predictable, hence the half star away from 5 but I still love this book all the same.

I highly recommend this book to those that like a good story that is full of great characters and a strong heroine.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an eARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I love Center's sense of humor and off-beat characters. This is a really well done, contemporary, if a bit predictable love story. A first for me, having the protagonist as a fire fighter. A bad ass fire fighter. With a sad back story. I especially loved Diana, eye patch and all. Sweet, LOL funny, and a bit of sadness thrown in for good measure. Really enjoyable and highly recommended.

I love Katherine Center's books. She has a way of bringing her characters to life that sucks you right into their world. I love that Cassie is a bada** strong female who doesn't need saving. I love that the characters feel real, with faults and flaws, the firehouse is written with challenges that exist for women in male dominated fields. The writing is beautiful and I couldn't put the book down. This will be on the top of my list for books from 2019.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a copy of this fun and heartfelt book.

In the beginning, this book may seem like a lighthearted, fun read. It is that, but it's so much more. It's about preconceived ideas about people, about our views of things that happened versus what really happened, about how we are all human and make mistakes, about how life can (and does) throw you a curveball at any time, about how we perceive ourselves, and...about what is really important in life.

Cassie is a loveable, young, determined woman who has built a shell around herself thanks to two things that happened on her sixteenth birthday. And this story takes Cassie on a journey of self-discovery and truth. It's a great book that will have you cheering for everyone in the story!

I became a huge Katherine Center fan after reading How to Walk Away. What to Save in a Fire is a story of community, forgiveness and family.

I found myself reaching for tissues when reading part of this book. Center knows how to tug at a person’s heart strings.

5 STARS!

This book was so much more than I expected and I had already expected to love it. Similar to her previous books this is a single POV by a female protagonist. This time, a female firefighter who is at the top of her game when felled by behavior unbecoming.

Not caring for brusque, arrogant, or pushy females as main characters, my only concern was due to that of my own preconceptions. Any worry over those presumptions fell to the wayside after the first two chapters. This author managed to create a character who while confident and highly capable in her career, was immensley vulnerable under the walls she was forced to build due to past hurts. It was the perfect balance. I loved Cassie's character so much. If I could do my life over, I would want to be her!

While classified as women's fiction, the romantic element to the story was more prominent than any of the other books I've read by this author. This made my romance loving heart happy. The moment Rookie Owen turned his goofy, smiling face towards Cassie, she wasn't the only goner. Along with some sweet romance, there were other wonderful elements to this story that created something relatable, empowering, and hopeful. Great wit, a little mystery/suspense, honorable characters, and a swoony romance. Things You Save in a Fire was reading bliss.

Things You Save in a Fire is amazing!! I laughed and cried, mainly cried. It is a beautiful tale of forgiveness. And love, I can't forget the love. Cassie needs to get out of the heat of Texas, and her Mom needs her in Massachusetts. She hasn't seen her Mom in ten years and she is not looking forward to spending time with her. But she is dutiful. But oh what awaits this sweet child!!! I'm crying trying to write this review!! Read it! You won't be disappointed!!!

Jodi Picoult recommended this one for a reason, and I wholeheartedly agree. I loved this look into a profession and world most women never get to see in any capacity. I now have a greater sense of understanding and patience for this profession - even more than I already did! What a gut punch of a book. Don't' sleep on this one.

Katherine Center does it again! This book had me hooked from the first page and had a little bit of everything- romance, mystery, family drama, and medical drama. Katherine always does so much research on the things she writes about and it shows. I know nothing about being a firefighter, but this book made me feel like I was learning how to be as a read, in a good way. I can't wait to get a hard copy of this book so I can reread it!

How to Walk Away was the first book I ever read from Katherine Center, and it was in my top 5 of best books for 2018.

Things You Save in a Fire will (I suspect) be in my top 5 favorite books of 2019. Cassie is impeccably developed as a character. I loved this character. Owen...*sigh*. Owen is a keeper. I figured from his first few scenes how his story would end, but oh man, he is a wonderful character. I think I want an Owen in real life!

There is never a slow moment in this book, never a dull page. It's a definite 5 star book.