I received an advanced digital copy of this book from Netgalley.com and St. Martin's Press. Thanks to both for the opportunity to read and review.

Ms. Center has written another engaging story about love, forgiveness and family. In the setting of a firehouse, we meet a young woman who is lonely and deeply flawed and doggedly determined not to be perceived as weak. The dramatic elements are touching without melodrama, and has touches of humor scattered throughout to keep it from becoming maudlin. With an August publishing date, Ms. Center is sure to become one of the fall's "can't miss" authors.

Highly recommended.

my blurb!
A woman who has built her life on indepence and being one of the guys, has to make the decision if being herself fits into either of those categories.


I received this copy for free from Netgalley in exchange for my review which does not have to be favorable.

*Reader beware: this book deals with rape*


3.25 out of 5 stars

what i didn't like:
The majority of the book the reader is aware of a shady “relationship” between Cassie and another man, but no details are given (which I appreciated). But in the last 1/8 or so of the book, the event is described (it’s not in extreme detail, but it is described). I personally steer VERY clear of this type of storyline, and had I known this was going to be a plot in this book I probably would not have picked it up. All in all, that is a negative for me, but nothing described was nightmare inducing, and it was written well overall.
Another thing I didn’t love… There is an issue with a fellow firefighter that endangers the life of another person. As a reader, we see how Cassie reacts, but we don’t see enough of how the other person affected reacts. This seemed like a missed opportunity to me.
There wasn’t enough dialogue in this book for me. I craved more of it.
Regarding Cassie’s mom’s health…. I think as a reader, I was supposed to be surprised about something. I wasn’t surprised. I mean, I do watch a lot of Masterpiece Mystery shows on the BBC so maybe I’m unwittingly channeling Sherlock. Or maybe that was predictable.
This book felt long. I can’t describe that another way, other than I asked myself if it was going to be over soon, just to look down at the percent completed and realize “nope, only 65% done.” And I’m not sure this book was actually long, it just felt like that at times.
I don’t believe in love at first sight. Attraction? Of Course. Lust? For sure. Love? No way. This book had a case of love-at-first-sight’s and the majority of the book did feature a love story. I read the whole book and I didn’t finish it and think to myself… wow they really love each other.

what i liked:
Wow that was a LONG list of things I didn’t like! I bet you’re wondering if there is anything I DID like in this book. Don’t worry, there was! A 3 star rating for me is by no means a dud! Consider this a thorough review!
There are some great quotes in this book. I felt like I was constantly highlighting quotes to come back to later! (In my initial draft of this review I wrote down no less than three quotes from this book- but then I remembered this was an ARC and I can’t include quotes in my review! but TRUST me, her writing is AMAZING!)
This book talks a lot about forgiveness. Katherine Center has an uncanny ability to capture an unbelievable degree of realism in her books. Maybe not every plot line, but she’ll describe something so accurately that you’ll begin to wonder what struggles she’s experienced in life to make her so acutely aware of the words needed to describe them! And then you realize that perhaps she hasn’t at all and she’s simply an amazing author. In The Bright Side of Disaster, she captures everything from a birth plan to life as a new mom. In How To Walk Away she captures the ache of being in a hospital and the truth about hopelessness in your health. In this book, it’s the real steps it takes to forgive, and the reality of what it looks like to cope in life without forgiving. You can live a perfectly reasonable life without forgiveness, but a much more full one with it. I think that was the message in this book and it was well received.
Another BIG pro (I can’t emphasize that enough) in this book is the women’s issues it tackles. Cassie is a woman doing a job that is almost exclusively male. She sees the pros and cons of being a girl and doesn’t have a chip on her shoulder when proving why she is amazing at her job. Her attitude throughout the book is so stellar – because she assumes positive intent from her coworkers. Cassie mentions at one point that she was trying to recalibrate her coworkers idea of what it meant to be female. I loved that thought.

Overall I’m not sure if I should classify this book as a romance novel or a fiction novel- truth be told, those genres overlap a lot more than people are willing to admit. This book wasn’t crazy steamy or anything (it’s no Winston Brothers), but there is romance involved!

while reading you should
Act: make sure your house is up to date with Carbon monoxide and smoke detectors and that the batteries all work.
Listen: Moonlight Kiss by Bap Kennedy
Watch: How to Deal (Mandy Moore at her finest!)

Live with radical kindness,
Dux


ps. for more of my reviews- check out my blog at www.myweekisbooked.com

Thank you to #netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of this book (publication date: August 13, 2019). Here's my completely honest review:

I could not put this book down. Literally!

This book is sweet and simple, yet deeply moving. While being a modern romance, and in many ways showing its stripes, there were enough twists, turns, and excitement in this story to make it stand out within its genre.

So much about Cassie, and her desire to be regarded as an equal in the boys club of the firehall, really resonated with me.

Each struggle and each victory she experiences at work highlights the reality that there are a different set of rules for women (and reminded me of all the moments in my life that I'd faced similar symptoms of "the rules" in action). By hitting this point, this book tore me apart and built me back up again.

Of course, there's so much more to this story than simply a woman trying to prove herself. Between a budding romance with a fellow firefighter, reconnecting with her ill absentee-mother, and struggling to make peace with her past, Cassie works through her pain in search of love and redemption.

This novel offers both, in full.

This book had me crying, it had me cheering, and now it has me saying: you should read this book!!

This is the first book by Katherine Center that I have read. It reads like your favorite firefighter drama and reminded me of Chicago Fire or Ladder 19. While this is a romance there are underlying storylines with some action, intrigue, and mystery while still focusing on the main love story.

It was a fun easy read that I would recommend looking for something lighthearted and entertaining.

5/5 stars for Things You Save in a Fire by Katherine Center!

I laughed, I cried, and I was SO bummed when I finished the last page!! This book is such an enjoyable read - its one of those books that leaves you a little sad when it is over because I was so in love with the characters and story.

Many thanks to the publisher and netgalley, who provided a free ebook in exchange for my honest review.

Let me preface this by saying that I DO NOT READ ROM-COMS. Normally. But anything that Katherine Center writes will be on my shelf. I previously read How to walk Away and now Things You Save in a Fire. Fun fact: How to Walk Away makes a bit of a cameo in this one (I was grinning from ear-to-ear as I read that part)!

I love how Center’s characters have so much depth and the story is much, much bigger than a romance: a checkered past, a sexist societal issue, and a romance. It even contains a bit of a creepy stalker mystery!

I read this book in two days, and it would have been one if I was able to stay up and read all night! I couldn’t get enough of Cassie’s story! It was a bit cliche at times and a little predictable in parts, but it didn’t make me like the story any less. I definitely recommend this one!

I absolutely loved this book!! It pulled on every heart string I have. A book about forgiveness and love.
And the ending was wonderful!!

What a great read! Cassie is a female firefighter/paramedic in Austin, TX, struggling in her personal life, as a result of two things that happened on her 16th birthday--a horrible encounter with a male classmate, and her mother leaving the family home for another man. Ten years later, when her mother begs her to come to the Northeast to help her manage a health issue, Cassie refuses, but is forced to reconsider after an incident at work puts her job in jeopardy. She takes a position with an old-style fire department in Lillian, MA, where the all-male crew is not accepting of her gender. And, she finds herself attracted to a rookie firefighter who joins at the same time.
This is a story of how one's perspective can be changed by new circumstances. It's a story of one woman's struggle to overcome the ghosts of the past and to get past the ingrained biases of others. And, it gives stunning insight into the minds of first responders, making me admire them even more than before. I was engrossed by the storyline and couldn't wait to see what would happen. I highly recommend this book!

Although not normally a fan of the romance genre, I enjoyed reading Things You Save in a Fire by Katherine Center. I found myself highlighting the passages about forgiveness and healing. This story is, on the surface, a love story between Hanwell and the rookie and yet, there is so much to learn from the crochet club about relationships, acceptance, and joy. Set near my new favorite city, Boston, I enjoyed reading the descriptions of the town and houses. It was easy to picture this story and I'm glad I was able to get an advance copy from NetGalley and in return, give my honest review.

Synopsis: Cassie is a firefighter in a progressive firehouse in Austin, TX. At the request of her estranged mother (who is having medical problems) she moves to Massachusetts to take care of her. She starts working at a new firehouse and feels like she has to prove herself to her new boss and team (who are not as progressive as her previous firehouse). The book follows Cassie’s career, relationship with her mom, love life and the obstacles she finds along the way.

Review: I read “How to walk away” by Katherine Center last year and instantly became a fan of her. When I saw this book was coming out I knew I had to read it. The synopsis was compelling and what a cover, so beautiful! This is a great fast read; I was hooked from the beginning. I loved that the characters were realistic, you can relate and understand what they are going through. I enjoy Katherine’s writing style, I even laughed out loud multiple times.

This is a book about courage, hope, and the power of forgiveness. I would love to see this book turned into a movie!

Favorite quote: “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”

“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.”

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press and the author for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The book comes out August 2019.

Wow where to even begin with this novel! Katherine Center created the most beautiful characters in her latest book. I loved the primary theme on relationships and happiness. Katherine Center highlights the overall importance of human connection, and how being loved by others can heal deep wounds. There is a line in the book about the fleeting moments of happiness in which she normalizes the struggles of life which was so relatable. I found the main character Cassie to be extremely likable and I enjoyed reading her growth throughout the novel. I was sad to finish this one!

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!