This book is one of the best books I have read in a very long time. It is incredibly engaging, interesting and heartfelt. It is very moving at times and very funny at other parts. I am so glad I read this book. I cannot recommend it strongly enough—it is incredible.

Thank you to NetGalley. Katherine Center and St. Martin's Press for this ARC.

This was my first Katherine Center book, and I LOVED IT. The story was fantastic, and illustrated how women can succeed in male dominated careers. Just because we're women, doesn't mean we can't do the same jobs as men.

The only thing I didn't like about the novel (and it's a very minor thing) is how Owen was called "rookie" through most of the book. Halfway through the story, I actually forgot his real name!

Overall, this was an amazing book. If you like the show "9-1-1", you'll love this book.

I received this advance copy from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press in exchange for an honest review.

I've read a few of Katherine Center's books in the past and I really like her writing style. She's funny, intelligent, and creates great insight into her characters. In this one, was the love story a bit mushy? Yes. Predictable? Yes. Did I care? Nope. I unabashedly found myself rooting for the fairy tale happy ending. This was not just a love story, however. It was also the story of Cassie's challenge to soften a heart hardened by a couple of tough events in her past. Mix in a bit of education about the life of a firefighter, and you've got yourself a very worthwhile read.

3 1/2 stars.

Well, I have a lot of mixed feelings about this book. It starts out well and I've got to say, I found myself really getting into the characters and the storyline. Cassie is determined, strong willed and most importantly she is a character that is open to change. I loved her and became quite fond of her because I realized she reminds me a lot of myself. Not the 'love doesn't exist' Cassie but the Cassie that tries to keep everything together so she can preserve herself. She's purely trying to survive not necessarily thrive...at least in the beginning.

I admired what Center was trying to do with Cassie's character and because of that, I gave the book a higher rating. However, I had a few problems with the book as a whole. It felt a little disjointed, rushed and often times way too cheesy for the subject matter at hand. There were many scenes that felt too predictable and the theme (forgiveness) felt forced. I think the story would have been better served if either the light love story was the focus or Cassie's relationship with her mother and in turn herself were made more of a focus. I personally would have loved to read more of the latter.

I'd recommend if you're a rom-com type. Thank you to Netgally and St Martins Press for the advanced copy.

Thank you, St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley, for the advanced copy of Things You Save in a Fire. It was my first book by author Katherine Center, and it was fantastic.

Cassie Howell is a firefighter in Austin, Texas who loves her job and her city. She receives a call from her estranged mother asking for her for a favor. A big one. Cassie’s mom wants her to relocate to the suburbs of Boston because she is ill. After an altercation at her job, she is offered the chance to relocate to a MA fire department that has never once had a female firefighter. Soon, Cassie is trying hard to forgive her mother. Her bond with her fire crew is extraneous at best. And to her utter dismay, she is falling hard and fast for the newest rookie fireman. The chaos allows Cassie to reexamine what is important to her and learn to forgive the people who have hurt her.

Things You Save in a Fire took me less than a day to read. I loved how Center created a female character that was smart, independent, and her own person. She was working on her career and embracing her role as the only woman at the firehouse. She was so confident and passionate about her job. As Cassie’s story unfolds, she balances being soft and hard and she learns how to embrace her feminine side. I thought the character development was phenomenal. I also loved that even with heavier topics, TYSIAF was Laugh Out Loud hilarious. There is charm here that makes the characters endearing and relatable. I highly recommend.


Instagram post date: August 13th @ www.instagram.com/tesstalksbook

I absolutely loved How to Walk Away so I was very excited to see that Katherine Center has a new book. Fans of Center will not be disappointed.

Cassie is a firefighter and is faced with having to relocate from Texas to Massachusetts to help her mother with her medical problems. She quickly discovers that her new department is not nearly as progressive and female-friendly as Austin’s, which even had a female chief. Cassie finds that she has to prove herself again and again to be accepted as “one of the guys.”

Cassie lives a very predictable and regimented life. She likes it like that. She needs to to be in control of her life at all times after two unpredictable and tragic events traumatized her on her 16th birthday

Because of these traumatic experiences, Cassie has successfully insulated herself from getting close to others, but now she finds herself craving companionship and love. You see, Cassie has a big crush on the rookie firefighter at her new department but she knows that if anything were to happen between them, she would lose her job and career. But sometimes, as hard as one may try, you can’t stop love.

Center has a talent for creating characters with such depth, that you truly feel like you know them. Cassie is believable, relatable, genuine, and admirable. At the same time, she faces major psychological struggles that you or I might have encountered as well — emotionally blocked and isolated, estranged mother, doesn’t believe in love, etc.

Things You Save in a Fire is about Cassie’s journey to psychological maturity and confront the issues holding her back from love and enjoying life. Her biggest obstacle and lesson she needs to learn is forgiveness of others and of herself. I was rooting for Cassie and experienced her transformation.

We feel so many different emotions along with Cassie, such as joy, anger, trust, surprise, etc. I was particularly moved when she experiences empathy and compassion for her mother.

“For the first time, I understood. In all the times I’d remembered that story, I’d experienced every single part of it from my own perspective, standing in my own sixteen-year-old shoes. Now, for the first time, I saw it unfold from a new angle. Hers. And it changed the story.”

This book has all the elements — drama, love, suspense, heroism, a little humor, and secrets! It is well written with three-dimensional characters. We get to know the inner struggles of these characters and the motivations for their behavior.

The first line of the novel grabbed me and it never let me go.

“The night I became the youngest person—and the only female ever—to win the Austin Fire Department’s Valor Award, I got propositioned by my partner.”

I really enjoy Katherine Center’s writing (see examples below) and am looking forward to reading her earlier books while I wait for her next one.

“...two ladies pulled out dress after dress, holding them up in front of me, then tossing them in rejection piles on the bed. Too purple, they’d decide. Or: Too bright. Too dark. Too flashy. Too plain. Too stiff. Too floppy. Too many pleats. Too teenagery. Too old-lady. Too much cleavage. Not enough cleavage. And on and on.”

“Down in Texas, everybody had been robust and tan. Here, they looked like ashtrays.”

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

This book was amazing!!! I devoured How to Walk Away AND now Things You Save In A Fire. This book took me 2 days and only that long because it was the holidays. And honestly, I don’t usually like endings like this one but for some reason this worked amazingly. I love the dynamic between characters. And, as someone that went to school and worked in a male dominated field, I totally understood Cassie’s struggles! Such a great book. Will definitely be a best seller in 2019!

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Loved Things You Save In A Fire! This was my first Katherine Center book and I can't wait to read her others.

While the storyline was predictable it was a cute, quick read and I enjoyed the main character and how she was a fire fighter and pretty awesome!

Cassie has so many layers and between each one, she wrestles with forgiveness. As Cassie evolves, the reader evolves as well. I don't know how to explain the depth and empowerment that I find in Katherine Center's novels. Certainly, I read for the story and characters, but she pushes emotional boundaries. There can never be enough books by Katherine Center and this does not disappoint. This novel is well written and emotionally intelligent, a must read.

This was my first Katherine Center book and I will most definitely be back for more! She has such a great way of writing that is easy to read but doesn’t feel like just another light read.
This book was great! iIt opened the window to a world I knew nothing about- the world of firefighters. The different setting (a woman in a mans world for sure!) along with some twists you will not expect set this book apart from every other chick-lit, light, romance book you are used to. I highly recommend picking it up!

I Cassie is one of the toughest firefighters there is, she has saved many lives and has the highest medal the department has to give, so why give that all up up to help her ailing, estranged mom in another state ?
Cassie has a rigid schedule, be the best , no friends or love at anytime !
Cassie was so many, many things but her bravery and strength hooked me from the first page, her layers of hurt had me turning the pages long into the night !
This is my second book by this author and I must say , she now has a permanent place on my TBR list!
I laughed and cried and will carry this book and it’s true lessons of forgiveness, compassion, and moving forward in my heart and in my life from now on!

Katherine Center is one of my favorite authors and I believe that I have read everything she has written, novel wise. I was beyond excited to see she has a new book coming out this summer and was thrilled to get an ARC from Netgalley to read in return for an honest review.

This book, for me, started out a little slow. I didn't find the main character, Cassie, overly appealing and felt a bit disappointed as I read the first couple of chapters or so. Was this going to be the first Katherine Center book I didn't like?

As the book progressed, however, I found my way into the story and the characters and from about a third of the way in, I was sold. I very much enjoyed the story and the themes of forgiveness, of softening the hard spots and letting love in and of gender equality and respect in the workplace.

Katherine Center is just a solid, enjoyable author and I am so glad that she writes and shares her stories with us!

Thank you again to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC!

Katherine Center has a knack for creating realistic, relatable, down to earth female protagonists. Cassie's journey was a fantastic reminder for all of us. We need people!

Amazing. Couldn't put it down. Somehow, every single book, Katherine Center sucks me in from the first sentence. It's like I've been dropped into a conversation and I want it to go on forever.

I loved it. The characters, their lives, their loves. Just beautiful. I would like this author to continue writing forever. She's remarkable.

This book was too light and fluffy for my taste. The storylines seemed to jump around and I didn’t care for the style of writing. I felt as if certain storylines were forced and predictable.

This is my first Katherine Center novel; I’ve had How to Walk Away on my To-Read list for awhile. And now that book is moving straight to the top of the list! This book was actually lovely. I stayed up for hours finishing this book; it was such a beautiful blend of love story, mother daughter story, tiny mystery, coming of age, feminist hear me roar - you will root for this girl with pride in your heart and tears in your eyes. Highly recommend. Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read and review!

This was such a great story, and the author does a fantastic job of making you fall in love with and root for the characters. I thoroughly enjoyed this story!

Things You Save in a Fire is an emotional story about vulnerability, forgiveness, love and the life-changing power of courage. It’s about a strong young woman, the only female firefighter in her Texas fire station. To avoid being fired, she transfers to Boston where her mother lives. As she tries to adjust to her new life, while also taking care of her mother, she finally learns how to forgive and to love. Great storyline. Awesome characters. I was fortunate to receive this novel from Netgalley as an Advance Reader Copy, in exchange for an objective review.

This book was really good. There were moments when I was upset with the self-deprivation and at Diana bc I mean she was a crap mother, but read it through. Take the messages to heart and learn that there is so much messiness and parents are humans and life isn’t abt the revenge or the journey sometimes, but abt the forgiveness we give ourselves and others in order to get to happiness. Bonus star for a total of 6 for using my all-time favorite word: yentas! Thanks NetGalley for my ARC!

I just discovered Katherine Center this year when I read "How to Walk Away" (which I enjoyed very much) and I think I loved "Things You Save in a Fire" even more. I adore that the main character is a female firefighter and we are able to see the difficulties and discrimination she faces in such a male dominated career. As a physician with a husband who has been an EMT for over thirty years, a lot of the scenes were familiar and Center did a good job making most of them realistic. I also enjoyed learning about the details of firefighting and the risks inherent in that world. The characters are well drawn and likable. I especially loved that "The Rookie" was almost always called by this nickname, even in Cassie's mind. He is a great character and I fell in love with him right alongside Cassie. For anyone looking for a delightful romance with interesting quirky characters, this is the book for your. And kudos to the cover designer...it's gorgeous!