Katherine Center’s Things You Save in a Fire is an engaging read with strong themes of resilience, forgiveness, and personal growth. The novel follows Cassie Hanwell, a skilled firefighter who is forced to relocate from Austin to a small-town firehouse in Massachusetts, where she faces skepticism and resistance as the only woman on the team. As she fights to prove herself in a male-dominated field, she also struggles with emotional wounds from her past—complicated further by an unexpected romance with a rookie firefighter.

Center does a great job portraying the challenges women face in traditionally male professions, and Cassie is a compelling protagonist—tough, smart, and deeply guarded. The book has moments of humor, warmth, and inspiration, and the romance is sweet, if somewhat predictable. The writing is accessible, and the pacing keeps the story moving.

However, while the book has a strong premise, it falls into familiar tropes, and some of the character development feels a bit shallow. Cassie’s transformation is satisfying, but certain conflicts wrap up too neatly, making the resolution feel a bit rushed. Additionally, the romance, while charming, sometimes overshadows the deeper themes of the book.

Overall, Things You Save in a Fire is an enjoyable, easy read that will appeal to fans of contemporary fiction and strong female leads. While it doesn’t quite pack the emotional punch of some of Center’s other works, it’s still a solid story with a positive message about healing and second chances.

Going through my shelf and realizing I never came back to rate this.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of Things You Save in a Fire by Katherine Carter.

This was an engaging read mainly about the power of strength, forgiveness and rising from the (literal) ashes.

I recommend this one to anyone looking for a sweet romance.

Cassie’s life in Austin blows up so she ends up in Massachusetts with her estranged mother and works as a firefighter paramedic. ARC.

This book took me on an emotional rollercoaster and I’m not ashamed to say there were tears too! Beautifully written, this is one that I would highly recommend to fans of relationship-led dramas. Comforting, moving and gentle - loved it.

Things You Save In A Fire
By: Katherine Center

4 Stars

I have read a few books by this author, and each one has been an amazing experience. This story follows Cassie, a female fire fighter. All her life, she's been a loner. At least since her mother left, on her 16th birthday. Now, her life, her put together, no play life is about to change drastically. Dealing with emergencies is easy, dealing with her own traumas, not so much.

This is a story that covers so much. It has drama and trauma. It has romance and friendship. The main thing I got from this book was growth and forgiveness. Cassie grows so much. She learns to love and forgive others while at the same time healing herself. Loving herself. Forgiving herself.

This was a wonderfully written story with a powerful message. It was fun, sad, happy, and really had it all.

*I want to thank Netgalley and the author for this book in return for my honest review*

Stormi Ellis
Boundless Book Review

This was such a cute emotional story! A bit cheesy but just what I needed. I love a book that makes me cry.

My first Katherine Center book, but certainly not the last. A female firefighter main character isn’t something I’ve seen before, and I was sucked in from the start.

never disappointed by a katherine center romance! i loved every bit of this story and easily recommend it to romance readers.

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the firefighter aspect, and the way struggles and instances in the main characters’ past helped shape every decision they make in the future.

I've read close to 200 books in 2018 and not a single one compared to this book. It was so well written, the characters so believable. I fell in love with Cassie and her journey. Things You Save in a Fire is positively the best book of the year. I look forward to much more from this author in the future.

~ Erin, 5 Stars

I love Katherine Center’s books because they’re the perfect blend of romance mixed with heavier topics. Cassie and the Rookie were adorable, and I loved the growth of her character professionally with the other guys on her crew and personally with her mom and their neighbor

After reading How To Walk Away, I was incredibly excited for this author's next book!! It turned out to be such a touching, heartfelt story that had me in tears several times.

I thought the fact that this was about a female firefighter was so interesting. It gave me so much more respect and admiration for firefighters but especially female ones. She was one tough cookie and I felt so bad for how she was treated sometimes. I was surprised that we didn't see many actually fires in this book which was okay!

The main character Cassie is a badass. She's fierce and not afraid to push back. But she's also struggling with dealing with the past. Her journey was impowering to read just like the main character in How To Walk Away.

For some reason, I didn't realize this would be such an emotional book. I guess I was expecting more of a light-hearted romance but it definitely dealt with some tough issues. I wasn't prepared to end up sobbing but this had me feeling so many feels. The stuff with her mom really hit me.

While How To Walk Away is still my favorite, I really enjoyed loved this one. It was a beautifully, emotional story of forgiveness and learning to love. Just watch out for those tears that sneak up on you cause I didn't expect them and then bam I was bawling. Definitely would recommend if you love heartfelt stories! It kind of gave me some The Simple Wild vibes.

This author is one I will continue to be excited for what she writes next. They're sure to hit you in the heart! To

Trigger warning: sexual assault (but it's handled very respectfully)

I wasn't overly enthusiastic about this book. It just sounded OK to me. After I started reading it however, I absolutely could not put it down.

Cassie is a die-hard firefighter. Her brothers-in-arms are the family that she feels that she never had. But when an unfortunate incident occurs during an awards banquet, Cassie is told that she needs to find a new direction. Enter her estranged mother, who calls her from across the country to request help with daily living after a recently diagnosed illness. Reluctant Cassie picks up and moves to Boston, and applies for a job with the nearest station. She is greeted by another newbie-a chiseled hot newbie to be exact. She shuts her thoughts down though-firefighters do not date firefighters. Well, until now. Can Cassie hide her feelings from this new, wonderful delicious hunk of man meat, or will she give in to temptation?

I think it is so refreshing when a writer creates a female character that is strong and capable on her own, and then meets a man that compliments her, not constantly puts her down. I couldn't flip the pages fast enough with this one.

Katherine Center never disappoints and this was such an amazing novel. I was truly swept into these characters lives - the writing was phenomenal! Center will always be an auto-buy author!

I didn't connect to this one like I have other books by the author, but did enjoy Cassie's story! I really liked that it was a peek into a character we met in another story!

Beautiful story with many life lessons throughout. Thank you to the publishers for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.

One of those rare books where you miss the characters after finishing. Cleverly written from the awards ceremony, through firehouse hazings as Cassie has to prove herself again to a new firehouse, until the mystery unravels at the end. Regretting taking so long to move this to the top of my TBR stack and looking forward to The Bodyguard.

Things you Save in a Fire was such a wonderful read. It's about forgiveness and love, and it grabbed me. Love the characters and overall storyline. Kudos to Katherine Center on her writing.

I love books about a badass, and Cassie is the definition. A firefighter who moves to a station in Boston from Austin to help care for her estranged mother. While it seems like a disaster in the beginning, Cassie slowly realizes that people in her life are not always what they seem. Thanks to Netgalley for a free copy in exchange for an unbiased review.

Absolutely loved this book! The characters felt relatable and the pace of the book was great. I found myself excited to get back to the story and spent time reflecting on the message behind the story.