I loved Center's book How to Walk Away, so when I saw she had a new book I was excited to check it out!  I was not disappointed! After finishing this book, I just felt ...HAPPY. It's a sappy story, yes, but that doesn't mean it lacks depth. Center explores so much more than romance here: gender roles, female empowerment, trauma, family dynamics, harassment, and forgiveness, to name a few.. And yes, there is a cute firefighter love interest if that's what you are looking for. 
 Things You Save in a Fire follows protagonist Cassie Hanwell, female firefighter and all around badass. She moves from a safe, respected position in a progressive firehouse in Austin, Texas, to an old-school department near Boston. She must endure chauvinism, hazing, and a crew who isn't thrilled to have a female in their ranks. At the same time she's living with her ailing mother with whom she has a rocky relationship. She's constantly proving herself more than capable, but still suffers stereotyped thinking and discrimination. She's holding on to a lot of anger toward her mother who left on her 16th birthday, and she *might* be having romantic feelings for the rookie-breaking firefighter rule #1. 
This was a very fast read, and at times very predictable, but that in no way diminished the story for me. Center has a very breezy, personable narrative style that I like in this type of book. I don't usually gravitate toward mushy romances, although I do enjoy them occasionally. This book was a good balance of mush and substance. Also, whoever is doing the cover design for this and her last book is killing it. Look for this beautiful book when it's out in August!

Things You Save in a Fire is a book about a woman named Cassie who maintains a strong female lead throughout the book while learning  to prioritize what is important in life and how to forgive. The book touches on family relationships, physical health, mental health, infidelity,  careers, love, and friendship. I also appreciated the connection and reference to Howvto Walk Away. I strongly recommend this book and can’t wait for it to become available in August to discuss with friends.

This book was different that the leading lady was in a strong career position but fought falling in love.  She didn’t think she could but her mom that she was estranged from showed her how and learned to lover her mom again also.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the read of Katherine Center’s, Things You Save in a Fire.

Meet Cassie. Strong, tough, guarded. Fearless, female firefighter holding her own. 

Past family wounds catch up with her when the mother who abandoned her, reappears in her life, and needs Cassie. 

The threading of love throughout this story is beautiful. Cassie has fortified the walls around her heart for a long time – no one gets in. Owen’s gentleness and kindness, helps her to slowly loosen the strands that wrap around her heart.

You can feel Cassie’s character change as she faces emotional transformations as she learns to feel again, and walk down the long road to forgiveness. 

A fabulous read. I loved the book and highly recommend it.

I’ve been a fan of Katherine Center for a few years and have devoured all of her books.  Her stories always have complex characters, well developed storylines, and a good dose of page-turning romance gone wrong.  Things You Save In a Fire did not disappoint.  On the surface, Cassie seems like a tough, badass firefighter who isn’t afraid of anything.  Until you find out she is afraid of love and emotion and forgiveness.  The novel did an excellent job of taking the reader through Cassie’s journey of forgiveness and redemption.  Fans of Katherine Center will enjoy the homage to How T.O. Walks Away in the beginning of the book as well.

This was the first book I've ever read by Katherine Center.  It won't be the last.  I loved this book!  The characters, the story, the underlying message, all of it!  

Cassie, a tough strong firefighter gives up her life in Austin to move home and help her ailing mother.  Having to start all over again and prove herself in a male-dominated profession.  Along the way the things she learns and the people she encounters will change her life and help her learn how to forgive not only others, but herself.

This is a great, heartwarming read and I won't be surprised if it is one of my favorite books of 2019.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC to read in exchange for my honest review.  

This book will be released August 13, 2019.

Ironically, I got this book to read on the day I evacuated my home from the Woolsey Fire in Southern California, so it's taken me a while to actually read it.  Thankfully, I really liked this book!  

Cassie Hanwell is a firefighter in Texas - she's tough and smart and she works in a station that appreciates her talents.  When her mom needs her, she doesn't want to move home to a small town outside of Boston but she ultimately does, and it's a huge change.  The entire fire station is made up of men who don't believe that women should be, or are even capable of being, firefighters.  Cassie wants to prove them wrong without looking like a "girl", which is going to be hard when she's falling for another rookie firefighter in the station.

I liked the story a lot, and Cassie's character was well-drawn and interesting.  I highly recommend this book.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I'll be honest. 
When I started reading this book I didn't expect it to be as good as Katherine Center's last book. I honestly thought that it would fall short. However, I was completely wrong. 
I now see that she has a very distinct style of writing that while I don't always love, I am always engaged. I read some things in this book that I know people won't like and may hate the book for it. All I know is that I came out of this book genuinely moved by it. 
I enjoyed the way this book connects with her last one and how I had no idea where this book would end up. I kept being surprised and always rooted for Cassie, the main character.
She was tough and so misguided, I felt her pain and I enjoyed following her. This book is definitely fun at times, inspirational at others, and sometimes downright tragic, but that was the fun of it. She felt like she was just doing her best to navigate her way through all of it. Choice after choice, I really liked this book.
I honestly didn't think I would be as big a fan as I am today, but I'm certainly not complaining.

I recently read another Katherine Center’s book, How to Walk Away, and really enjoyed it so I was looking forward to starting this one. This one drew me in right away, the main character, Cassie is a firefighter that loves and is great at her job, living in Texas. She ends up uprooting her life and moving to Massachusetts to be with her mostly estranged mother. I really enjoyed about how her relationship evolved with her mother and of course, her and the rookie. This is a sweet, relatable and heart felt book. It’s a quick read that I’d highly recommend!

Things you Save in a Fire is hard to put down...  After reading How to Walk Away I became an instant fan of Katherine Center....and this book did not disappoint.   Cassie Hanwell had a tough life and because of her circumstances becomes one tough firefighter.  Slowly we learn how she overcomes all obstacles to find love and fiorgiveness.     This story was wtitt3n from the heart of the author as any one who reads it can tell.   Another winner from Katherine Center.

I have no words, it was completly amazing, way too short, i would have read this for weeks. It was an emotional , funny, hearthwarming story.

This book was alright. Middle of the road honestly. I read so many books per year that I cannot love them all and some of them have to fall through the cracks and that was this one if I am being honest.

Absolutely beautiful book of love, strength, courage and pain.

I received a free e-copy of Things You Save In a Fire by Katherine Center from NetGalley for my honest review.

Cassie Hanwell, is one of the toughest firefighters there is. She has saved many lives and has the highest medal the department has to give. Cassie decides to transfer across the country due to a request by her estranged and sick, mother. She transfers from a city that adores her and co-workers that love her to a city where women don't fight fires and men are closed minded to the idea of a woman being in their line of work.

This book had me laughing and crying but hooked me from the very start.

Things You Save in a Fire is a perfect title for this book. Cassie Hanwell’s journey is filled with courage, pranks, and heartache. It was riveting to read the different emotional stages of Cassie’s journey. The first chapter really pulls the reader in and has you waiting for the big secret to be revealed. This story is relatable to everyday life. Cassie struggles with trying to advance in her career, maintain a good relationship with her father, rebuild her relationship with her mother, learn how to allow her emotions to be free and allow herself to love and be loved. 

Cassie is a firefighter and experienced in dealing with emergency situations. This is second nature to her, but she lacks expertise in her personal life and it is truly a journey of evolvement. When reading this story, you have no choice but to put yourself in Cassie’s shoes and question what you would give up to help a terminally ill family member or a fellow firefighter.

This book is perfect for anyone interested in being a firefighter. I found the industry terminology very accurate and perfectly placed within the story. The story also shows the true nature of what happens in a fire station and the bonds that are built. This is also a love story with emphasis on self-love, mother/daughter and romance.

Katherine Center has officially earned her place on my list of “automatic read” authors. 

After reading and loving her previous book, How to Walk Away, I was so pleased to get my hands on an advanced copy of this book, which I ended up enjoying even more.

Things You Save In a Fire starts out really strong; the reader is dropped right into the middle of a juicy conflict, and I was immediately invested in the main character’s story. Cassie is also a female firefighter, which I found to be refreshing and very interesting. She’s extremely competent and exceeds at her job, yet is constantly underestimated in a male-dominated field, and I always love a good underdog story. 

This book has a great balance of emotion and light-heartedness. While the romance is a big part of the story, this book is every bit as much about the importance of family and forgiveness. As a bonus, there were also multiple parts in this book which made me actually laugh out loud (the chihuahua story!).

I will definitely be recommending this one to all of my friends when it comes out.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Following along with Cassie on her journey in this book was one of my best reads of 2018!  I absolutely love everything Katherine Center has written, but this one is now my favorite!  You will not be disappointed!
Thanks to Katherine Center, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC of this fantastic book!

Loved this book...and it's definitely worth all the advance praise it's receiving. Really well written, sappy love story, that I didn't want to put down and didn't want to end!

This book is a quick read. I really enjoyed reading about the differences she felt as a female firefighter. She had a tough time as a teenage that came along as she was an adult. We can all understand carrying baggage, even if it's not ours to carry. She had a tough go with her new station, but I enjoyed the ride she took us on, as she overcome her old problems and adopted new ones. The way everything was resolved was lovely and shows how your foes can turn a new leaf and become family.

Nice flow to the book, doesn’t get boring or slow down. Some minor typo errors in this copy but they’re bound to be found.

I absolutely loved Things You Save in a Fire. This book centers on Cassie, who is one of the few female firefighters for the Austin, Texas fire department, and is told from her perspective. She has had some pretty negative things happen to her throughout her life (her mother left home on her 16th birthday, and the same day she had #MeToo movement experience with a guy from her class). These two things have caused Cassie to not really get close to anyone  and put up a wall when she feels someone is trying to get close. 

Cassie receives a call from her mom one evening, after dodging her calls for several weeks. Her mom asks her to come live with her, as she has lost the eyesight in one eye and needs help around the house while completing rehab. Cassie hasn’t lived with her mom for 10 years, since she left her, but ultimately says that she will. Her captain helps her find a job at a fire department near where her mom lives, in Massachusetts. Her captain in Austin gives her a few pieces of advice for starting a new job as a firefighter - the most important being...”no dating firefighters.”  Cassie doesn’t have to worry, because she has never dated anyone. 

So, Cassie moves cross country, starts a job at a new, all-male, not-progressive fire department  and tells her mom that she isn’t here to get “close” to her or make friends, just to help her out and do her job. 

Well, all hell breaks loose, when, on her first day, she meets the other new firefighter recruit, “rookie.” He is the most handsome person Cassie had ever set eyes on, and instantly knows she is in trouble. 

I don’t want to say much more, for fear and of giving away the rest of the book, but this is a story about love and loss, friendship, forgiveness, and finding yourself. It’s an amazing read (and a quick one, too.)! You’ll want to turn off the distractions around you when you pick up this book- because you won’t be able to put it down.  I laughed and cried while reading this book- and strongly recommend it! 

Thank you to Netgalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Katherine Center for the review copy of this book!