I'll be honest.
When I started reading this book I didn't expect it to be as good as Katherine Center's last book. I honestly thought that it would fall short. However, I was completely wrong.
I now see that she has a very distinct style of writing that while I don't always love, I am always engaged. I read some things in this book that I know people won't like and may hate the book for it. All I know is that I came out of this book genuinely moved by it.
I enjoyed the way this book connects with her last one and how I had no idea where this book would end up. I kept being surprised and always rooted for Cassie, the main character.
She was tough and so misguided, I felt her pain and I enjoyed following her. This book is definitely fun at times, inspirational at others, and sometimes downright tragic, but that was the fun of it. She felt like she was just doing her best to navigate her way through all of it. Choice after choice, I really liked this book.
I honestly didn't think I would be as big a fan as I am today, but I'm certainly not complaining.

I recently read another Katherine Center’s book, How to Walk Away, and really enjoyed it so I was looking forward to starting this one. This one drew me in right away, the main character, Cassie is a firefighter that loves and is great at her job, living in Texas. She ends up uprooting her life and moving to Massachusetts to be with her mostly estranged mother. I really enjoyed about how her relationship evolved with her mother and of course, her and the rookie. This is a sweet, relatable and heart felt book. It’s a quick read that I’d highly recommend!

Things you Save in a Fire is hard to put down... After reading How to Walk Away I became an instant fan of Katherine Center....and this book did not disappoint. Cassie Hanwell had a tough life and because of her circumstances becomes one tough firefighter. Slowly we learn how she overcomes all obstacles to find love and fiorgiveness. This story was wtitt3n from the heart of the author as any one who reads it can tell. Another winner from Katherine Center.

I have no words, it was completly amazing, way too short, i would have read this for weeks. It was an emotional , funny, hearthwarming story.

This book was alright. Middle of the road honestly. I read so many books per year that I cannot love them all and some of them have to fall through the cracks and that was this one if I am being honest.

Absolutely beautiful book of love, strength, courage and pain.

I received a free e-copy of Things You Save In a Fire by Katherine Center from NetGalley for my honest review.

Cassie Hanwell, is one of the toughest firefighters there is. She has saved many lives and has the highest medal the department has to give. Cassie decides to transfer across the country due to a request by her estranged and sick, mother. She transfers from a city that adores her and co-workers that love her to a city where women don't fight fires and men are closed minded to the idea of a woman being in their line of work.

This book had me laughing and crying but hooked me from the very start.

Katherine Center has officially earned her place on my list of “automatic read” authors.

After reading and loving her previous book, How to Walk Away, I was so pleased to get my hands on an advanced copy of this book, which I ended up enjoying even more.

Things You Save In a Fire starts out really strong; the reader is dropped right into the middle of a juicy conflict, and I was immediately invested in the main character’s story. Cassie is also a female firefighter, which I found to be refreshing and very interesting. She’s extremely competent and exceeds at her job, yet is constantly underestimated in a male-dominated field, and I always love a good underdog story.

This book has a great balance of emotion and light-heartedness. While the romance is a big part of the story, this book is every bit as much about the importance of family and forgiveness. As a bonus, there were also multiple parts in this book which made me actually laugh out loud (the chihuahua story!).

I will definitely be recommending this one to all of my friends when it comes out.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Following along with Cassie on her journey in this book was one of my best reads of 2018! I absolutely love everything Katherine Center has written, but this one is now my favorite! You will not be disappointed!
Thanks to Katherine Center, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC of this fantastic book!

Loved this book...and it's definitely worth all the advance praise it's receiving. Really well written, sappy love story, that I didn't want to put down and didn't want to end!

This book is a quick read. I really enjoyed reading about the differences she felt as a female firefighter. She had a tough time as a teenage that came along as she was an adult. We can all understand carrying baggage, even if it's not ours to carry. She had a tough go with her new station, but I enjoyed the ride she took us on, as she overcome her old problems and adopted new ones. The way everything was resolved was lovely and shows how your foes can turn a new leaf and become family.

I absolutely loved Things You Save in a Fire. This book centers on Cassie, who is one of the few female firefighters for the Austin, Texas fire department, and is told from her perspective. She has had some pretty negative things happen to her throughout her life (her mother left home on her 16th birthday, and the same day she had #MeToo movement experience with a guy from her class). These two things have caused Cassie to not really get close to anyone and put up a wall when she feels someone is trying to get close.

Cassie receives a call from her mom one evening, after dodging her calls for several weeks. Her mom asks her to come live with her, as she has lost the eyesight in one eye and needs help around the house while completing rehab. Cassie hasn’t lived with her mom for 10 years, since she left her, but ultimately says that she will. Her captain helps her find a job at a fire department near where her mom lives, in Massachusetts. Her captain in Austin gives her a few pieces of advice for starting a new job as a firefighter - the most important being...”no dating firefighters.” Cassie doesn’t have to worry, because she has never dated anyone.

So, Cassie moves cross country, starts a job at a new, all-male, not-progressive fire department and tells her mom that she isn’t here to get “close” to her or make friends, just to help her out and do her job.

Well, all hell breaks loose, when, on her first day, she meets the other new firefighter recruit, “rookie.” He is the most handsome person Cassie had ever set eyes on, and instantly knows she is in trouble.

I don’t want to say much more, for fear and of giving away the rest of the book, but this is a story about love and loss, friendship, forgiveness, and finding yourself. It’s an amazing read (and a quick one, too.)! You’ll want to turn off the distractions around you when you pick up this book- because you won’t be able to put it down. I laughed and cried while reading this book- and strongly recommend it!

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Katherine Center for the review copy of this book!

Thank you to Netgalley/St. Martin's Press for sending me a copy of Things You Save in a Fire in exchange for an honest review.

2/5 🌟

I pushed myself about a third of the way through this book before ultimately deciding to DNF it. It simply did not spark or hold my interest, and I really did not like the main character from the start. I continued pushing hoping to see some character growth/development, and to be fair there may be by the end since this seems to be a main plot point, but I couldn't push myself to get there.

I do think the writing and plotting itself were well done, I would be interested in trying something else by this author. This specific book just was not for me.

I absolutely loved this book and the 2 main characters. Cassie is a strong, female lead and Owen is sweet and charismatic. Once again, Katherine Center writes a story that you can't put down. While the love story between Cassie and Owen is front and center there is so much more to this story then that. The relationship between Cassie and her mom and what it allows Cassie to discover about herself is the focal point of this story. It doesn't hurt that it's set in the quaint, idyllic setting of Rockport, MA. Five stars, no question!

Let me begin by saying I love this author and recommend her first book, “How to Walk Away” quite often.

I didn’t like this new one nearly as much. The story was sweet, but predictable in spots and overdone in others. It took until I was 80% through until I really got into it.

I’ve talked to others, who loved it from the start. So, maybe to each their own. I’m not giving up on the author and will check out her next one for sure.

I loved this book! It kept me reading late into the night as I got so invested in the characters. I laughed, I cried and was delighted with this book. A more thorough review will be published closer to the book's publication date.

4.5 rounded to 5 stars

Are you in need of a fabulous reading boost? Perhaps you are looking to recover from a heavy-duty tome or trying your darnedest to break out of a reading slump. Or maybe you just in the mood for a nice feel good novel. If any of these scenarios apply to you, then this is the book you want to grab.

Things You Save in a Fire is about Cassie Hanwell, a young woman firefighter trying to break through some pretty steep emotional barriers she has tried to bury ever since a very traumatic 16th birthday ten years previous. Her issues are complex and seem almost impossible to overcome. On top of that, for circumstances basically out of her control, she is forced to leave her firefighter job in Austin, TX, the only thing she loves and can identify with, and move out East.

This book pulled me in from the start when I developed an instant connection with Cassie. Though the prose is simple, the story is highly engaging, making it difficult to put the book down for any length of time.
Cassie finds herself in an array of challenging situations, which slowly but surely add up and point her towards redemption, forgiveness, and a better way of living.

This novel is a notch above many of the women fiction stories that I have read. Cassie’s journey to find herself is enriched by an interesting cast of characters, a sweet romance, and several life lessons--the most important probably being that there is no totally happily ever after for anyone in life, making it imperative to appreciate and savor all the good things that do happen. The power of forgiveness is also a strong theme. Simple principles all, but told in beautifully emotive fashion.
I now see the reasons for all the 5-star ratings my friends have been awarding this book.

I highly recommend Things You Save in a Fire to all readers looking for a fast, but meaningful read.

This is the first book I have read by Katherine Center and it certainly won't be the last!
I had heard a lot of excitement about this beforehand and so decided to give it a go and I was not disappointed.
This was thought provoking story dealing with love, loss and forgiveness and I was hooked from start to finish,

Cassie Hanwell was born to be a fire fighter. She thrives in the face of emergencies. As one of the only female firefighters in her Texas firehouse, she's seen her fair share of them, and although she's excellent at dealing with other people's tragedies she just realized how bad she is dealing with her own. Her estranged mother needs her to come home and take care of her, but that means returning and starting completely over at an all-man firehouse. Leaving Texas means admitting defeat and Cassie thinks swallowing her pride is her biggest problem, but soon, she finds out that is the least of her worries. As a female fire fighters, she's expected to be stoic. And when she meets fellow fighter who just might change her entire world, she cannot stay stoic for long. Cassie had been warned by her previous chief- never date a firefighter. She doesn't want to jeopardize her career but that means putting her first chance at real love on the line too.

It's a sweet story but also has a lot of tough layers to get through, especially when it comes to women equality. I didn't love the stubborn side of Cassie who constantly acts like she is on the defensive, but Katherine wrote this book beautifully.

I thoroughly enjoyed this read. It was a sappy love story with a strong female character. What more could you want? I love Katherine Center’s writings - I adored her previous book, How To Walk Away, and I was very excited to get the opportunity to read this one early. It didn’t disappoint and I’m already looking forward to future books!

How to Walk Away was one of my favorite reads last year, so I was really excited about this author's next book, and it did not disappoint! There were parts that were truly heartbreaking and others that were laugh out loud funny and then of course everything in between. I took so much from this boo, especially its lessons on forgiveness and growth. I found myself highlighting several passages in this book which I've actually never taken the time for, but the lines seemed so poignant I did not want to forget them. My only complaint was there were a few parts that seemed to drag on and certain words or phrases seemed a bit repetitive, but I admit that much of that is likely my personal preference and not an actual critique. I'm telling all of my friends and fellow book nerds to grab this book as soon as it hits shelves later this summer.