This is the first book I have read by Katherine Center, and now I'll be reading them all! Things You Save in a Fire just grabbed me from the beginning and wouldn't let go. I stayed up late and couldn't put it down. The characters and emotions are spot on and the firefighters and fire station setting is perfect! Forgiveness is always difficult and Ms. Center dealt with it beautifully, carefully and realistically. I will remember this story for a long time. I strongly recommend.

First time read for this author and definitely not the last time. After closing the book on Things You Save in a Fire, I immediately went to my computer and looked up her other novels. I am not a type of person that gets emotionally pulled in and sheds tears, but this novel tugged at my heart strings and showed the grace in the power of forgiveness. The main character, Cassie, puts on a tough front due to circumstances in her life that hardened her heart which may have served her well being the only female firefighter at the station, but did not serve her well in her personal life. Only when leaves her comfort zone in Texas and moves to Boston to help with her estranged mother who is ill, does Cassie's shell she has grown around her begin to crack.

The author weaved this story so well and you didn't really learn all the details to Cassie's adversities until just the right moment as the author had an incredible talent for revealing facts at just the right time. This book will be released on August 13th, 2019 and I highly recomend you put this on you to-be-read list!!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Cassie is a woman firefighter working her way up the ladder when a phone call from her estranged mother changes everything she thinks she knows about life and love.
I totally fell in love with this book. It was slightly predictable and slightly sappy, but I just kept rooting for Cassie. I wanted to keep reading and I wanted to see what the next pages would bring. Such a feel good story. Read this book, you won’t be disappointed!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review!

4.5 Stars! Katherine Center has quickly become one of my go to authors and her latest novel does not disappoint. Things You Save in a Fire hooked me almost immediately and I was up most of the night finishing it. This book was about love, courage, strength and most of all forgiveness. There was also just the right amount of humor.

The protagonist in this book, Cassie Hall, was strong, vulnerable and funny while being totally relatable at the same time. I was completely immersed in this story and was falling for the "Rookie" along with Cassie. From the relationship between the Newbie and the Rookie, to the firehouse pranks to the complicated relationship between a mother and daughter, this book encompasses it all. The characters in this book are flawed and I love watching their growth through the story, This book caused me to laugh out loud and also tear up on occasion. My only issue with this book is that I wanted more! I was not really ready for this one to end.

I can't recommend this author enough and Things You Save in a Fire might be my new favorite of hers. You will not regret buying this book!

“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’s courage.” 

4.5 stars! This book had me hooked from start to finish. It is the perfect balance of romance, drama, humor, and action. While I normally do not love a Hallmark ending, this one tugged at my heartstrings in all the right ways.

Katherine Center finds ways to include little tidbits that make her characters undeniably relatable- from the rookie sneaking a puppy home, to Cassie crushing her fellow firefighters in Basketball. Every detail just adds to the charm of this novel. This is the first book I’ve read by Katherine Center and I can’t wait to pick up more by her very soon.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Katherine Center for gifting me this advanced reader copy!

I had high hopes going into this book, as I LOVED Center’s How to Walk Away. This book exceeded my expectations and left me thinking about the characters for days after finishing it. The book started out a little slow, but as you learn more about the characters, the better it gets. I will definitely be reading this again, and purchasing a physical copy once it comes out!

Well, I was expecting a cozy romance, something on the lighter side... but this book is so much more! I should have known, since I read Katherine Center’s previous novel, How to Walk Away, last year and it was also more than expected. This book did still have plenty of light moment, and was a bit predictable, but did I care? No. I was along for the ride.

Katherine Center craftily works in themes of abandonment, trauma, sexual assault, sexism in the workplace, friendship, and love through the story. This story is timely in the era of #metoo and #timesup, it it doesn’t come across heavy handed and Center doesn’t overtly throw these themes in your face. At the heart of the story is Cassie Hanwell, who is navigating an estranged relationship with her mother and finding her place at a new firehouse while coming to terms with her own PTSD.

I enjoyed learning about the firefighter profession, especially what it means to be a female firefighter in a male dominated profession. The setting of Eastern Massachusetts was quaint and picturesque. Center even throws in a nod and wink to How to Walk Away.

I did read this book quickly because the story was engaging and the words easily flew off the page. The second half took off and I couldn’t stop. I wanted to know if Cassie could overcome her traumatic past to find happiness and forgiveness and love.

I want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book. It was a pleasure to read.

I enjoyed this book. It was sweet and charming and super mushy gushy without being over the top. I also really enjoyed the narration of the story and Cassie’s personality that you were able to glimpse from the writing. But there were a few things I wasn’t particularly fond of.

I thought the plot was a little too obvious. When a certain character was introduced I automatically knew what was going to happen in the end. It was super cliche.

I did feel that there was a lot of interesting conflict and drama but, again, it was a bit obvious and a bit like the author was trying to try to create conflict because she felt it was necessary.

Everything was a little too cleanly wrapped up. I just felt like there was so much build up and then it was just done. Easy. It was like your typical rom-com that you know will have a happy ending because they all do.

Overall, it was a quick, light read. While I enjoyed it enough, it’s not anything I would run out to read again.

I received an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Netgalley.

What a great book. Love story. Lessons on forgiveness and more.

Believe me this book is worth the read.

This is only the second Katherine Center book I've read, the first being How To Walk Away. When I saw the title I had certain expectations. The title relates to the story in both cases, but not quite the way you'd expect. I love that!
Cassie reinvents her 16 year old traumatized self to become a competent EMT/firefighter who keeps her emotions tightly wrapped. When her estranged mother asks for her help Cassie finds she has to reinvent herself yet again. And this time love, vulnerability, and forgiveness come into play.

I enjoyed this story. Based on the title I expected a different type of story. This story is about forgiveness of the people we love when they have hurt us deeply. It is clear that we don’t always have a clear understanding of everything that happen.

Claire is a strong woman who has had a difficult life. Her mom left on her 16th birthday which left her feeling abandoned. As a result, she has worked hard to get where she is in her fire fighting career. Her independence is what she holds on to, pushing herself to reach her career goals.

When her mom calls with health issues will she leave her home and go help her mom? Will she be able to forgive her mom for leaving? What will the move do to our career?

This was my first book by Katherine Center. I loved everything about it. The character development, the lessons on forgiveness, the action, and the love story. I will definitely be reading more of her books!!!

This is not a romance in the traditional sense (even though it does have a romantic thread in it) but it is a love story. Cassie suffered some traumatic teenage experiences after which she found strength by walling off her heart from any emotional connections and focusing on her physical strength. But life has a way for throwing some curve balls and Cassie now has to drastically change her life. She is now exposed to situations where she finds out if she has the strength to accept love and forgiveness of both herself and those who had ‘wronged’ her.

“Yes, the world is full of unspeakable cruelty. But the answer wasn’t to never feel hope, or bliss, or love – but to savor every fleeting, precious second of those feelings when they came.”

Beautiful writing, relatable characters. Highly recommend.

I kept seeing this book recommended everywhere and I have to say it exceeded every expectation. Cassie the main character is complex and interesting. You are constantly peeling back layers of her life experiences with every page. Forgiveness is a theme throughout and I couldn’t help but feel I was learning right along with her. Incredibly thoughtful story and great read overall. 5 stars!

I received this book "Things You Save in a Fire" from NetGalley and all opinions expressed are my own. First book by this author and it won't be my last. I loved this book! big 5 stars. The words just flowed so smoothly and the storyline was awesome. You just want to be Cassie's best friend. I really enjoyed reading this and I will be reading the other books by this author. Did I mention that I loved this book? I really did.

If you enjoy firefighter dramas like Chicago Fire or Rescue Me, you will enjoy this PG rated book about a kick-ass female firefighter named Cassie. At the same time you get a story about forgiveness and a truly sweet romance with "the rookie".

Cassie Hanwell has a past that haunts. She is sure that love is for the weak, and not something she needs in her life. Why? It would leave her vulnerable and she wants to exemplify strength and maintain control in her life.

But when Cassie, who is now a firefighter, receives a call from her mother, who she hasn’t seen in ten years, to come live with her for a short time and help her with medical needs, that’s the last thing she wants to do. But Cassie’s quick response at a service awards dinner has her in a bit of a mess. While being presented an award by the man, who as a boy, nearly destroy her life and reputation, she loses her cool and sets off a series of events that help lead her to change her mind about moving.

While at her mother’s, a new story unfolds. She faces an unwelcome fire crew, a mother who hurt her years back, and time. Time to grow and time to work with a new Rookie who joined the fire station the same day as her. While the crew is convinced a woman is the last thing they need, The Rookie is not so sure.

But Cassie promised herself years ago that love had no real place in her life. While her mother lets her slowly adjust to her new surroundings, and The Rookie tries to figure her out, Cassie begins to learn valuable lessons.

My Thoughts


What Concerned Me: To be honest, the first part (at the awards dinner) seemed too exaggerated and almost turned me off regarding the book. But I’m very glad I read on, however!

What I Liked Most: This story has a romantic element, but it’s much deeper in scope. Being a woman, and due to her past, she feels she must work very hard to prove her worth. She has built a protective shell around herself in the process. At times, as you read the book, she might seem hard to like, but as her past unfolds, the reader better understands Cassie’s reasoning.

This story’s got many layers to peel away and explore. The pages won’t be hard to keep reading. What will be hard is putting the book down.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to review this novel.

This book has every element that I love in a good chick lit!

We’ve got Cassie, our spunky, I can do anything, main character. Tragedies in her past have made her tough as nails and only reliant on herself. She’s become a dedicated firefighter and knows exactly where she’s going in life and she has no time for this “love” people talk about.

Then someone from her past shows up along with her temper and she’s left with the choice of losing her job or transferring to the old fire station in her Mom’s town that doesn’t believe in having female firefighters. Her Mom, whom she’s refused to have a relationship with since she was 16. A mom who needs Cassie’s help even if she did abandon her daughter years ago.

I love the storytelling, character development, the element of danger, a pinch of mystery, and that emotional pull of the possibility of forgiveness. Not to mention the promise of love.

Well...I wish I had liked this book more. I adore this author but the insta-love was off putting. The reunion story with the characters mother was lovely. I think I wanted a longer book and more details. It all felt very rushed. The jump from plot point to plot point was predictable. It was just OK for me. I will keep buying Ms. Center's books.

Katherine Center's books have become some of my favourites over the past few years, and I had been anticipating reading this for quite some time. I held off on reading the ARC for a few months because I wanted to be able to share my review closer to its publication date (August 2019), but eventually, I could not resist it on my kindle queue and dove in and finished it in one sitting. I loved this book, as I expected to. It was so interesting to read about the firehouse setting. Cassie was such a great character. I've found myself thinking of it almost every day since finishing, and I re-read parts of it that I really loved. To me, this is the sign of a 5-star book for me.

This will be a perfect late summer read to enjoy, laugh with, and relate to the lovely characters. I can't wait to see the success that I'm certain this book will experience.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of this wonderful book by a favourite author.