This book was so great! I plowed through it in 2 days. Now I’m off to read every other book that Katherine Center has wrote!!

Well this was really good. The only reason I didn't give it five stars was because forgiveness is okay, but I loathed what one of the characters did and it was like they were given a pass on it because they had other issues going on. FYI, I am all about the vengeance.

"Things You Save in a Fire" follows firefighter Cassie Hanwell. Cassie is doing great at her department and is about to receive an award when someone from her past comes screeching back. Cue one public relations nightmare later, and Cassie is going to have to start all over again. It's just luck that Cassie's estranged mother calls her and asks her to come and live with her for a year and help her due to her losing her eyesight. Cassie has to start all over again in Boston and we get to see the ins and outs of firefighters in this book.

Cassie was a great character. I also laughed at how none of the firefighters in this book use each other's first name. I still am blank on the real name of Cassie's love interest in this one. Cassie is strong, has good friends from the firehouse in Texas, but is a lonely individual. We readers can guess what happened to her, Center gives us enough clues. Cassie is resistant to becoming close with her mother and with the love interest who has a way of digging in. I did love Cassie's mixed emotions about her mother. She left her and her father on Cassie's 16th birthday which...yeah. I do want to say though that I wanted them to really have it out though. Cassie's mother character keeps talking about forgiveness, but it didn't seem like she really wanted to know how Cassie's life was harder after she left.

The other firefighters and the captain were great. I don't know if I could be a firefighter. It sounds like a pain. I did appreciate what Cassie's favorite firefighter talked to her about before she left, about how things were easy for her before, and it was going to be hard now. Since this character was an African American woman I appreciated it.

I thought the writing was really good and mixed in was explanations about fire, kits, etc. and what you do when a fire happens. We also get a few funny scenes with them responding to things that I went seriously people call the fire department on that?

The flow was really good too.

The setting of the book moves from Texas to Boston, but I didn't get a sense of either state in this one. The book is really focused on Cassie's mother home and that was described very well. Other than that, not too many details to make me think oh yeah this is happening in Boston, MA right now.

The ending was great. We get an epilogue that goes into things that occurred over a lengthy period of time. Very good ending and was sad to finish this one.

A wonderfully uplifting story about real-life heroes. And romance and sexism and forgiveness and family and what you'd stand up for and how it's always the simplest things that have the biggest impact.
Loved this book so much!

This was a lovely read that I breezed through in about a day. Great premise and certainly enjoyable, but ended up feeling a little... superficial? Like it was somehow lacking depth. The culprit who ended up being the "stalker" didn't seem to really have a logical enough motive for his actions, and the romance, while lovely, failed to have any spark for me. I think it was maybe the buildup was lacking? Either way, an enjoyable read, but can't give it 5 stars.

Wonderfully written! Loved How to Walk Away and this Katherine Center book did not disappoint. Beautiful story about love all around. Thanks for the chance to read!

If Katherine Center's husband wasn't a firefighter, I might start to worry that she had an unhealthy obsession about fire. But even if that were true, I wouldn't mind because wow can that woman write!

I was stuck in such a heavy book fog while reading this one. This book completely wrapped me up and I was engrossed. I couldn't put it down. I mean every spare moment. I was literally reading while brushing my teeth. This is exactly the kind of book I live for. It was the perfect blend of realistic romance, but with a very unexpected feminism with such a deep and complex protagonist.

I received an ARC copy of this book from Netgalley & St. Martin’s Press for my honest review, which, needless to say, is nothing short of a rave review.

I first discovered Katherine Center last year when through The Girlfriend & St. Martin’s Press, I received a copy of her book in the mail. I loved the story. You can find that review here.

Things You Save in a Fire, had me laughing and crying, and then upset when someone interrupted my crying. It’s such a wonderful story about love, forgiveness and the power of healing from the things that try to break us as we go through life. Cassie was such a relatable character for me, as I had my own set of issues with my parents growing up, my father to be more specific, and I could understand her anger and how through the years, that resentment becomes your safety blanket, that wall that keeps people out, it really does become your prison while you believe, its here to keep you safe. It’s not.

Katherine does such a wonderful job of giving us characters to relate to and love, she gives us such a realistic and yet wonderful world to take part it, and then she takes us through an entire emotional roller coaster. I knew I would love this book. I knew because with some authors one book is all you need to know that you are always going to love their work. How to Walk Away was that book for me, and that little cross over that happened here between the 2 books, had me giddy as can be. Silly, I know.

I look forward to reading more from Mrs. Center, past and future work. I want to make it a point to read all of her books, as I feel like at least these 2 have come with valuable life lessons. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys contemporary American fiction, or anyone who loves a great story.

4.5 Stars
This was a really sweet story about love and forgiveness that had me in tears as it drew to an end.
At the beginning of the book, Cassie is a highly successful firefighter at her station in Austin, TX. Unbelievably strong and great at her job, she's well-loved at her station, "just one of the guys". After an unexpected incident occurs, it becomes clear that Cassie has some painful events from the past that she may now be forced to face. Following the incident, Cassie decides to move in with her mother in Boston. She takes a job in her new city, where she faces some difficulties fitting in as the only woman at the station and developing relationships with her coworkers, as well as her estranged mother. It is here that she is forced to face the issues from her past.
Overall, this was a quick, enjoyable read. It is definitely chick-lit, as it was quite sappy at times. I would recommend it if you like that type of book.

Meet Cassie Hanwell, with all her stoic faults and hangups -- all of which originate on her 16th birthday. But now she's 26 and her structured, hard-earned life of independence and self-reliance is about to be, well, set on fire... One of the best and most engaging stories I've read in a while -- with twists and turns the reader likely won't anticipate. Things You Save In A Fire will not only keep you up all night in page-turning anticipation of what could happen next, but it will also make you think about your choices, relationships,, love, and forgiveness....and what it means to be human. This is truly one of my new favorites!

At 50% through, I'm unfortunately going to need to walk away from this title. While the premise of Center's book is intriguing, the characters are flat and the plot is highly predictable. Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced copy.

Five stars are not nearly enough to rate this phenomenal read by Katherine Center. I am a huge fan of Katherine and her books and this one did not disappoint!
I was absolutely enthralled by the main character Cassie- a strong, capable, smart only-woman firefighter in Austin TX who after an incident is forced to leave her home and station. She then chooses to go to Boston, where her estranged mother has requested her to help come take care of her. As she struggles to find her way at the new fire station- with a crew (less accepting of her than her TX crew) she also has to work her way through this new relationship with her mother.
This story is incredibly detailed yet fast-paced and you won't be able to put it down. It features romance, forgiveness, family, girl-power, trust, and the love of family. It's a beautiful thought-provoking story that had me thinking about it long after the last page. Congrats Katherine Center on another incredible book! As always will be anxiously awaiting your next read!
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and Katherine Center for an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Things You Save in a Fire did not disappoint. While it read a lot like a "Chicago Fire" episode, it was original as well. Very timely subject matter with the #metoo movement. I was very excited to have the chance to read this book and it held my attention the whole way through. Loved this book!

I read "How to Walk Away" last year and I was so entranced by her character development. I was thrilled to read "Things You Save in a Fire". Cassie is a firefighter who has had her world turned upside down. This novel is warm and inviting. It mirrors the journey of vulnerability and the courage it takes to become who you were always meant to be. Katherine Center has done it again!

Katherine Center does it again with Things You Save in A Fire. I could not put this book down, and I am already telling everyone I know to make sure to grab a copy in August.

"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 is courage."

Cassie is a firefighter first and for most. She has worked her way up the ladder and has an award winning career in Texas. When out of the blue her estranged mother calls and needs Cassie's help for a year, resulting in an unwanted move to Massachusetts, and working her way up in another fire department. Cassie has closed herself off to everyone around her, and is determined to just focus on her firefighting career. There is no way she will forgive her mother for walking out on her and her father when she was sixteen, and definitely no room for romance. When she walks into her new station that first morning she meets the 'rookie" and try as she will there is just something about him that she can't seem to shake off. Maybe she can find forgiveness and love in this new life that she has been forced to start.

The best part about this book was just how relatable all of the characters were. I laughed and I cried my way through. I can not recommend this book enough!

I loved HOW TO WALK AWAY and was very glad to be able to read her next book in advance. It was sooo good. It had romance and humor and pain and also the importance of forgiving. I love this author's books and I LOVE the artwork on the covers. I will definitely purchase this book for my branch library.

This book was so so good. I could barely put it down and when I wasn’t reading I wanted to be! This book is about forgiveness, friendship, betrayal, hardship and so much more! Cassie was a firefighter and a very good one at that especially for being a girl. She was liked by her colleagues and respected. But by reacting without thinking her life changed and she had to move to be close to her mother whom she was estranged with. She didn’t want to go but the choice(s) were next to none. What happened next was a whirlwind and well you’ll have to read the story to find out. I loved this book and I don’t think you will be disappointed! Thank you netgalley for giving me the chance to read this and give a honest review. Release date is August 13,2019! You need to put this one on your tbr list, I promise you will not be disappointed.

I had high expectations going in to this one after giving "How to Walk Away" 5 stars in 2018, but this one did not do it for me. I felt the main character was one dimensional and while I did enjoy the love story, Katherine Center's writing style will keep me hooked and reading her next books but I struggled to get through this one.

Cassie, an experienced firefighter in Texas, finds herself leaving her job and moving to Massachusetts to be with her estranged mother and start a new job. Being the only female firefighter and in a new town, Cassie has to prove herself. Not only is she new to the town, she is also starting her new job at the same time as another firefighter, Owen, a true rookie. Pranks on new members is common, but one member of the firehouse is out get Cassie to leave. This story has everything, humor, anger, danger and love. I hated to see it end.

I had never read anything by this author before but after reading this I think I may go hunt down every book she’s ever written. This book was an incredible journey through pain and suffering and love and loss, and how it shapes who you become. I’m really not even sure how to quite put in words how much I enjoyed this book. The characters were so relatable and I laughed, cried, smiled and become incredibly angry through the pages. An excellent book draws you into the characters and evokes all kinds of emotion, this book goes above and beyond in doing so.

I LOVE all things Katherine Center! This book is no exception. Katherine has a way of creating her characters in such a way that you feel like you know them personally and you miss them when you finish her books.