Published by St. Martin's Publishing Group on August 13, 2019
Genres: Family Life, Fiction, General, Women
Pages: 320
Format: Paperback
Source: ARC
“A spirited, independent heroine meets a smoking-hot fireman in Center’s smart romance... If you enjoyed ‘The Kiss Quotient,’ by Helen Hoang, read Things You Save in a Fire”’– THE WASHINGTON POST From the New York Times bestselling author of How to Walk Away comes a stunning new novel about courage, hope, and learning to love against all odds.
Cassie Hanwell was born for emergencies. As one of the only female firefighters in her Texas firehouse, she's seen her fair share of them, and she's a total pro at other people's tragedies. But when her estranged and ailing mother asks her to give up her whole life and move to Boston, Cassie suddenly has an emergency of her own.
The tough, old-school Boston firehouse is as different from Cassie's old job as it could possibly be. Hazing, a lack of funding, and poor facilities mean that the firemen aren't exactly thrilled to have a "lady" on the crew—even one as competent and smart as Cassie. Except for the infatuation-inspiring rookie, who doesn't seem to mind having Cassie around. But she can't think about that. Because love is girly, and it’s not her thing. And don’t forget the advice her old captain gave her: Never date firefighters. Cassie can feel her resolve slipping...and it means risking it all—the only job she’s ever loved, and the hero she’s worked like hell to become.
Katherine Center's Things You Save in a Fire is a heartfelt and healing tour-de-force about the strength of vulnerability, the nourishing magic of forgiveness, and the life-changing power of defining courage, at last, for yourself.
First, I want to thank the team at St. Martin’s Press for sending me an advanced copy to read and review. I was also lucky enough to receive one of the candles they used to promote the book and it is already long gone. It was just the perfect scent to relax with in the evenings. I am pleased to say that I absolutely adored this book. I read it in two sittings which is a feat when you have a rambunctious toddler.
Cassie is your typical work-a-holic. Honestly, without her roles in EMT/Firefighting, the poor woman would be absolutely lost as she has completely built her identity around the job. Even though she was intense, as women in male dominated fields tend to be, I found Cassie completely relatable. Her fierce passion for her work was endearing and even her flaws made Cassie the sort of character you are happy to root for. I cheered when she struck out in defiance both at her event in the beginning as well as at her new firehouse.
I think what I loved most about Things You Save in a Fire would have to be how Katherine Center was able to draw me in with each scene. I was completely invested in Cassie’s character and after the first two chapters anything less than a HEA would have me rioting. What impressed me most is Center managed to create characters that felt authentic with distinct voices without getting bogged down in the details. Little things like Cassie’s mother’s eye-patch being quirky gave readers a strong sense of her personality.
I enjoyed the romance, what little there was, though I do wish the romance had been hashed out more. I would have loved to have this book a bit longer as I truly didn’t want it to end.
Ultimately, Things You Save in a Fire is a story of love, self-discovery, and forgiveness. Cassie’s struggle with the inherent vulnerability and lack of control that comes with relationships, platonic or romantic, is an issue I suspect many readers will understand. As a result, it was truly satisfying to watch Cassie’s relationships shift and change as she grew as a person. Things You Save in a Fire was a truly heartwarming and uplifting exploration of forgiveness, self-worth, and personal growth. This is my first exposure to Katherine Center and I can guarantee I will go back to read How to Walk Away as soon as I possibly can.
About Katherine Center
Katherine Center’s new novel is WHAT YOU WISH FOR. She’s the author of eight novels, including How to Walk Away and Things You Save in a Fire—both instant New York Times bestsellers—as well as The Lost Husband (now a movie starring Josh Duhamel that just hit #1 on Netflix). She writes laugh-and-cry books about how life knocks us down—and how we get back up. Katherine has been compared to both Nora Ephron and Jane Austen, the Dallas Morning News calls her stories, “satisfying in the most soul-nourishing way,” and BookPage calls her the “reigning queen of comfort reads.” Her books have made countless Best-Of lists, including Real Simple’s Best Books of 2020, Amazon’s Top 100 Books of 2019, Goodreads’ Best Books of the Year, the Indie Next Great Reads List, BookList’s Top Ten Women’s Fiction, and many, many more. Katherine lives in her hometown of Houston, Texas, with her husband, two kids, and their fluffy-but-fierce dog.
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