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Things You Save in a Fire: A Novel
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Things You Save in a Fire: A Novel
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Things You Save in a Fire: A Novel
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Things You Save in a Fire: A Novel

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

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About this ebook

**INDIE NEXT PICK FOR AUGUST**

**AN AUGUST 2019 LIBRARYREADS SELECTION**

**BOOK OF THE MONTH PICK FOR JULY**

**AN AMAZON EDITOR’S PICK FOR AUGUST**

“Center gives readers a sharp and witty exploration of love and forgiveness that is at once insightful, entertaining, and thoroughly addictive.”
KIRKUS, STARRED REVIEW

“An appealing heroine, a compelling love story, a tearjerking twist, and a thoroughly absorbing story. Another winner from Center.”
BOOKLIST, STARRED REVIEW

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.

LanguageEnglish
Release dateAug 13, 2019
ISBN9781466847712
Author

Katherine Center

BookPage calls Katherine Center “the reigning queen of comfort reads.” She’s the New York Times bestselling author of over half a dozen books, including How to Walk Away, Things You Save in a Fire, and What You Wish For. Katherine writes laugh-and-cry books about how life knocks us down—and how we get back up. She’s been compared to both Jane Austen and Nora Ephron, and the Dallas Morning News calls her stories, “satisfying in the most soul-nourishing way.” Her books have made countless Best-Of lists, including RealSimple’s Best Books of 2020, Amazon's Top 100 Books of 2019, Goodreads' Best Books of the Year, and many more. Bestselling author Emily Henry calls her summer 2022 book, The Bodyguard, “a shot of pure joy.” The movie adaptation of Katherine’s novel The Lost Husband (starring Josh Duhamel) hit #1 on Netflix, and her novel Happiness for Beginners is now a Netflix original starring Ellie Kemper. Katherine lives in her hometown of Houston, Texas, with her husband, two kids, and their fluffy-but-fierce dog.

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Reviews for Things You Save in a Fire

Rating: 4.0595930566860465 out of 5 stars
4/5

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Enjoyable storyline. Light read, bit predictable but that’s probably the genre.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    It was an entertaining light read, read like a movie.

    2 people found this helpful

  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Standing Outside the Fire. Wow. This tale about a female firefighter's struggles both personally and professionally was simply amazing. Told almost in memoir format, the tale picks up when our narrator is at an awards gala to receive the highest honor her Department has to offer. When things go a bit awry, she heads thousands of miles away to help her sick mother and hide. Little does she know that in the process of doing both, she will find things are more complicated than she ever dared imagine - and find strength even she never knew she had. Firefighters try to stay outside of fires unless necessary, and tend not to stay in them longer than absolutely necessary to do the job. But this tale gives new life to the old Garth Brooks song, in all the best ways. Again, simply amazing.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Although parts of this novel were a bit sappy, the story was heartfelt and endearing.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Excellent. I couldn't put this book down once I started it. It was touching and had a lot of wisdom in explaining how and why forgiveness is important. It helped me to understand why people forgive and why I should be more forgiving even if the person would never know I forgave. Also, the details about firefighting in the book were so well-researched and that made the story feel more authentic.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This book, without a doubt, is one of the best romance book I have read. Now that is just my personal opinion of course, some may think its not that great while others may agree with me. I am speaking from a point of view of someone who does not normally enjoy romance books. This one was wonderfully written, it had a fantastic story line, and it honestly put me in mind of a movie. I love the way she put Cassie in a role that is not very common, and made it work! I found myself wanting to be just like her, and then when she introduced the rookie! I knew right then, that this was going to be a fantastic read! I love that this book was not to mushy, but there was still a happy ending, and love still conquered all. There is your sad parts, and when I said I mean they made me bawl like a little baby!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Things You Save in a Fire by Katherine Center

    St Martin’s Press
    August 2019
    Fiction
    Rating: 4/5

    I received a digital copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review from NetGalley and St Martin’s Press.

    Cassie Hanwell knew she had to work hard to prove herself in a male dominated profession. She focused her life on being the best firefighter after working her way up to being a paramedic. Unfortunately, she walled herself off emotionally after several life-altering events on her sixteenth birthday. She learned how to fit in with the guys at the Austin Fire Department with their bawdy jokes and pranks.

    Cassie continued to live in Austin near her father, Ted, since her mother, Diana, left them to move to Massachusetts to be with Wallace. This happened ten years ago on her 16th birthday, a day she woul always remember with anger and sadness.

    Just as she feels her life is going according to plan, until she is taken by surprise at award ceremony. She was anxious thinking about accepting the honor on stage and having to make a speech. Cassie has never been good with talking about feelings or emotions. She never expects to see let alone feel the inappropriate touching of the Austin councilman, Heath Thompson, when she accepts her award. As traumatic memories of him from high school cloud her brain, she narrowly avoids arrest after assaulting him at the ceremony.

    Just as she is fretting over the consequences of her actions and probable loss of job, her mother calls her from Rockport, MA. Apparently, she’s been living in a small house making a living selling her pottery. She calls to begs Cassie to help her adjust after losing sight in one eye. With not many options, Cassie transfers to the Lillian Fire Department and moves in with her mother.

    Soon, Cassie finds that her laser focus on her career is preventing her from moving forward in her life. She begins to understand the mother who left on her birthday. Life is fluid and nothing is black and white. Holding onto the past will just keep you in the past. Sometimes you have to be vulnerable and risk the step into the unknown to propel yourself in a new direction.

    The things you save in a fire could very well be the things that save you from yourself. This is an enjoyable and predictable story but touching none the less.




  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Delighted to discover a brand new author, for me! Loved this story as well as the fact that the author's husband is a firefighter.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This is my third title by this author, and I think it was stronger than her last book, How to Walk Away. The lessons in this one may be a little heavy handed, but I can forgive it for how moving the story truly is. A story of a female firefighter, I really appreciated that the focus is just kept to a few characters and the supporting cast of firefighters is small enough to be distinct without much detail, because I think flushing out the secondary characters more would have diluted the book's impact. Five stars for this quick fun read with heart!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This story was about hurt and pain, love and mostly about forgiveness.
    About what its like to be a firefighter and a women in the firefighter business.
    And how its better and healthier to forgive then to live with the pain of hurt.

    I had a very hard time putting this book down when I started it. It was an amazingly written story.
    One that I know anyone will thoroughly enjoy.

  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Things You Save in a Fire was just what I needed right now. It was sweet, it was hopeful, and it was about a strong community. It was also pretty predictable and easy reading that was a perfect distraction. Sometimes you just need the right book for the right time.Cassie is a superhero-like firefighter in Texas who is summoned to Rockport, Massachusetts to care for her estranged mother. Circumstances lead her to follow that call and pursue a job as the first woman in a small-town fire station. She has to cope with her mother, an untreated trauma, prejudices against her, and an attraction to one firefighter. And she has to serve as a firefighter!This is definitely a story of romance so if you like that, read it. If that doesn't interest you then you'll be disappointed.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I didn't realize it was a romance novel so was expecting a little more substance, but at least it was a bit updated and fresh in style. Good for the beach.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    A thoroughly satisfying read about learning to love and forgiveness, not only towards others but also ourselves. Center is now added to my list of authors that I’d buy without reading the book jacket. Her stunning covers are an added bonus.

    Cassie is top notch firefighter, and has worked hard to be one of the guys. While receiving a special award, old memories come back to haunt her and derails the life she is living. At the same time, an unwanted call comes her way and she has no choice but accept it. Now she needs to start over proving herself all over again to a much tougher crowd! Throw in a hot rookie, an intimidating stalker and a massive fire and you have a book that you will read from cover to cover in one sitting!

    Center undertakes many different relationships in this book; family, love, work, friends. She captured the workings of a firehouse (the work, competitiveness, friendship, chain of command and pranks) but also the mindset of what it takes to be a firefighter.

    Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for this ARC. Opinion is mine alone.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Cassie Hanwell is the only female firefighter in her Texas firehouse. She stays calm in emergencies and is the perfect example of what it means to be a great firefighter. Her male colleagues respect her, and she feels that she is exactly where she wants to be in life. Suddenly one day her estranged mother asks her to move to the Boston area. Cassie finds that the firehouse in Lillian, MA is a far cry from the state-of-the-art progressive Texas firehouse that she left. But what Cassie never expected to find was healing and personal growth in a way that she never knew she even needed.Cassie is a strong, independent woman who can clearly take care of herself, but she has demons from the past that she hasn't laid to rest. The vulnerability that she refuses to let show is what makes her such a likable protagonist. I don't know how to categorize this book - it's more than just chick lit because it has so much substance to it. By the time I finished the book, I found myself warmed from the inside and emotionally satisfied. I really loved this book.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A female firefighter has to overcome sexism when she moves from Texas to Massachusetts. An engaging read that was fun at times and touching at others. The end was a bit too neat for me and veered into becoming preachy, but I’d still recommend it. “It’s a big deal to share your grief with other people, to give them a glimpse of the pain you carry. It connects you in a profound way.”
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Cassie is the only female firefighter in her firehouse and she loves everything about it! Then, all of a sudden, her mom, who she hasn't spoke to since she was 16, calls her up and wants her to uproot to Boston. She's very adamant about not going, but she encounters an issue that makes her decide to leave. She plans on going for a year until things blow over. At her new firehouse, she encounters all sorts of issues and has to "not act like a girl" in order to fit in. And especially, not fall in love. I think this is a pretty realistic look into what being a female in a "male's" world would really be like. I really enjoy Katherine Center's writing. She does a great job of writing a story that you can really believe in and provides you with hope. #thingsyousavebook
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    A great storyline, making this novel a very readable one.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    4.5 stars.

    Things You Save in a Fire by Katherine Center is a heartwarming novel of forgiveness, family and love.

    Twenty-six year old Cassie Hanwell loves being a firefighter and she is well on her to the next step in her career. But a chance meeting with a person from her past completely upends her life. Salvation lies in a fire station in Massachusetts but the move comes with a catch. Cassie's slightly estranged mother Diana has asked her to move in with her and help her as she navigates a health issue.  With plenty of resistance to letting down her emotional barriers, Cassie continues to avoid her Diana's overtures. She is also struggling at work due to her new co-workers' lack of enthusiasm about working with a woman.  Cassie is not at all thrilled to be continually paired with Owen Callaghan due to her shocking attraction to "The Rookie".  Will Cassie be able to forgive her mother for abandoning her ten years earlier? Can she continue to resist completely opening her heart to both her mom and Owen?

    Cassie is a hard worker who refuses to open herself to love. She holds everyone at arms' length and she finds it impossible to accept help. Cassie is not a girly girl and she has no difficulty holding her own with her male coworkers. Going from a tight-knit station to one that considers her an outsider is more difficult than she imagined, but Cassie works hard to prove herself.  Cassie is holding onto a lot of emotional pain but cracks begin to appear in her armor when she finally begins to deal with her hurt. But will she let down her guard enough to let Owen into her heart?

    Owen is a lovable sweetheart who is always smiling and trying to help everyone around him.  He is from a long line of firefighters so he ignores the fact that some aspects of the job bother him. Owen readily admits being a firefighter is not his dream career but family expectations are impossible for him to resist. Being thrown together with Cassie is not exactly a hardship and after she does him a favor,  will their relationship deepen into something more?

    With plenty of laugh out loud humor, Things You Save in a Fire is a poignant and thought-provoking novel that is quite captivating. Cassie is an absolutely delightful young woman and watching her overcome her pain is incredibly gratifying.  Owen is a charming young man who has unexpected depth and substance.  The storyline is well-written and engaging and the various issues are realistically depicted.  Katherine Center brings this  enchanting novel to a heartfelt conclusion. The epilogue is wonderful and a little bittersweet. Readers are sure to laugh and cry as they join Cassie on her incredible journey of healing and love.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Things You Save in a Fire is the story about a female firefighter named Cassie. Cassie is an experienced firefighter who has to move to a new unit. She is struggling with incidents in her past that have made her resistant to the idea of love. At the new fire station she meets Owen, the rookie, and has an instant attraction. Before there can be any chance for her and Owen, Cassie needs to learn about forgiveness and move on from the past. I truly enjoyed this story. I loved Cassie's sassy personality and watching her journey of self-discovery. This was not so much a romance book as it was a story of learning how to forgive not only other people, but yourself. Several characters in the books learn this lesson. I also loved the scenes in the fire house and the comraderie between the firefighters even though it took them too long to realize that Cassie was just a good a firefighter as the men.This is my first book by Katherine Center, and it will not be my last.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    My rating of this one is definitely impacted by how little I thought the book matched how its blurb markets it. The description led me to believe this would be more of an exploration of family and forgiveness and how you come to terms as an adult with the people your parents are versus the people you want them to be. What this book actually is: a fluffy romance. And not even a particularly stellar example of the genre. But, if I had gone in knowing I was getting a fluffy romance, I might have let some of the plot and character flaws slide more than I do below...so grain of salt.The good: Neither Cassie nor her love interest conform to traditional roles. Cassie is a tough badass firefighter who can take care of herself. Owen is a sweetheart who bakes in the middle of the night. Cassie is allowed to value her career without the implication that its the cause of her single status. She stands up to sexism without being a shrew.The bad: At about the 3/4 mark of this book the characters stop behaving like real people. The dastardly villain gets his comeuppance...but its OK because they forgive him! The sexist dudes are suddenly team Cassie! Her relationship with her mother is totally healed! A wedding and cute babies! I understand that Center clearly wanted to give her characters a happy ending but in order to do so she sacrifices any sense of realism or drama. Honestly, its not that I was rooting for bad things to happen to characters but it all just suddenly seemed to resolve itself effortlessly so that we could have our storybook ending. Real life and compelling drama rarely works that way.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Cassie is a firefighter in Austin, Texas who just received a promotion.She is driven and very professional. Everything is upset when she is contacted by her estranged mother asking her for help. At first she says no and later relents.So, she must relocate to another part of the country and start fro scratch.at a new fire department. She must prove herself over and over. With her they also hire a rookie name Owen.This is one of these Hallmark Channel novels where everything that you expect to happen does. A light, fluffy, enjoyable predictable book.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Lovely romance with an interesting backstory and readable likable characters
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Cassie Hanwell loves being a firefighter and she’s great at it. When she’s forced out of her fire station in Austin because of a confrontation with a councilman, she moves to Massachusetts to help her mom, who is having vision problems. While there, she faces a hostile work environment and a rocky relationship with her mother. Cassie has a lot to learn about forgiveness...and learning to love.

    I loved this book. I think the main character had good depth to her. She wasn’t stereotypical in any way. She is admirable but flawed. The men in her firehouse came off pretty realistically as well.

    The plot had some good, though a little predictable, complications. The ending was satisfying, if a little beat. The characters kept you engrossed and the plot was always interesting. I rarely reread, but I would reread this.

    If you liked this book, and haven’t already read it, try How to Walk Away by the same author.

    Thanks to Macmillan Publishing and NetGalley for each gifting me with a copy for review.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Things You Save In A Fire is a spin-off of author, Katherine Center’s book, How to Walk Away which sadly I have not read yet. This is the first of the author’s books I’ve read. However, it doesn’t matter if you read How to Walk Away because Things You Save In A Fire could be read as a stand-alone.

    How often do people dream of love but become bitter when the dating to get there doesn’t go beyond hundreds of duds or handsy men ruin the experience? This is how Cassie Hanwell’s dating life has been over the last decade, so she stops looking for love and does what she is made for- Saving people as an EMT and Firefighter. She is made to go into burning buildings, her common sense, the non-emotional mind makes her perfect for the job. However, life gets complicated and takes a turn that Cassie doesn’t see coming.

    Author, Katherine Center is a phenom as a writer. Her story is breezy, and yet, shows the strength of a protagonist who has life’s experiences come back to haunt her and still has a glimmer of hope that life can get better. The roles of the other characters in Things You Save In A Fire are rich fabrics of people you might know in your own lives. Ones you hate, ones you want to dislike and then come to love and then just those who are instantaneous kindred spirits. The Rookie especially will have you smiling throughout the whole book. Infectious, and sexy bundled into a Firefighter Calendar’s middle fold, he, of all the characters, help make this book not as emotionally dark as it could be. That my friends to me is a great writer, knowing when to lighten up and when to go serious without killing the desire to read her book or the message she wants you to get from the book. I cried, laughed, smiled and got pissed at a certain council member and understood the leeriness that people of a small town can have about newcomers that might excel at the same career you have yourself. The Feels were abound in this book. I’m just giving you a heads up…

    Now, I have to give some reality to my readers: if you are not into Chic Lit, this might not be for you. And yet, as I type that, I don’t usually read Chic Lit because most of the time the conflict and solution are so nicely bundled with a red ribbon that it makes me want to gag. This book might be viewed as such, however, I thoroughly enjoyed it which utterly surprised me. I attribute this to Ms. Center and her skill of weaving a story.

    I give this book 4 stars as I would read it again (starting with How to Walk Away) the next time.

    Thanks to St. Martin’s press for the chance to read this book in lieu of my honest review.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    2.5** From the publisher: Cassie Hanwell is a tough-as-nails firefighter who plays by the rules better than any man. As one of the only female firefighters in her Texas firehouse, she's seen her fair share of them, and she's excellent at dealing with other people's tragedies. But when her estranged and ailing mother asks her to uproot her life and move to Boston, it's an emergency of a kind Cassie never anticipated. My reactionsGoing into this I knew I was getting a “chick-lit” romance, with a flawed heroine hiding from her feelings due to an earlier trauma. Cassie is a (mostly) strong woman, working in a “man’s” job – even excelling at it. The opening scene pretty clearly outlines the trauma she’s buried but still carries with her (duh!). It also gives her little choice but to give in to her long-estranged mother’s request that Cassie come stay with her in a small Massachusetts town. I liked the way Cassie approached dealing with her mother – dutiful but not at all warm. It seemed genuine given their background. I also liked the way her mother didn’t demand a full-blown mother-daughter reunion and loving relationship, but accepted what Cassie was willing to give when she was willing to give it. I liked how Cassie prepared to go into this new firehouse, determined to perform (or outperform) this new crew and prove her worth as a dedicated firefighter / EMT. The new firehouse crew clearly doesn’t want her, and all her efforts to show them she can more than handle the job only serve to separate her further from the team. At least she’s not the only “newbie” subject to hazing. On her first day on the job she’s joined by a rookie straight out of the academy. And despite all her training, all the advice given to her by her female lieutenant back in Texas, all the vows she’s made to herself to avoid romance at all costs, she feels a spark that she cannot ignore. And that’s where Center lost me. It was a fast read and I was pulled into the story quickly. But I thought the past trauma was handled poorly, and Cassie’s weak-at-the-knees, head-over-heels, hit-by-a-truck reaction just doesn’t ring true to me. Despite its flaws, Center’s novel kept me turning pages, but it’s not a book I’d save in a fire.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Cassie Hanwell is a firefighter in Texas who must move to Massachusetts for family reasons, despite having a rocky relationship with her mother who now needs her aid. She finds herself in a firehouse that is not as accepting as her former house, but she does meet one firefighter, the newbie, who is loyal to her right from the beginning. While much of the tale is predictable, the actual descriptions of firefighting and medical rescues are credible, lending the tale much more weight. It was a nice, light read that provided a great deal of satisfaction at the end.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Once I started this one, I couldn't put it down. It's not that it was action packed, or edge of your seat, but it was so relatable, putting it aside was out of the question. I was so rooting for our leading lady when "the incident" happened. I mean, I know, what happened was unprofessional as heck and "image is everything" but he deserved that and FAR worse. The fallout though...just wow. I couldn't believe they were asking that of her, and yet I could...which make me OH SO SAD for the world, but my respect for her grew ten fold. Now, as for those rules of caution when changing stations, my mind was blown. In today's world...still?! That's insane! I couldn't fathom having to change pretty much everything about yourself in order to me yourself to a certain degree. In the end, I was stunned by some things that happened, shell shocked by others, and warmed to my soul still by other moments that I'm glad I was there for. It reminds us that progress has been made in areas formerly forbidden, but there's always room for growth. Oh and more importantly still, love is most definitely the right answer, every time. ♥


    **copy received for review; opinions are my own
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This novel explores feminism and forgiveness from the perspective of a strong female firefighter. Most of the secondary characters seem to lack nuance. However the protagonist is well realized. The story is well constructed but the writing often tends to be a little preachy and cringe-worthy. And the ending seems too pat and happy to be believed.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I’d seen so much praise for Things You Save In a Fire by Katherine Center on various blogs well in advance of its publication date that I was eager to get my hands on a copy. Cassie Hanwell is a firefighter in Austin, Texas who loves her job, and has worked hard to earn the respect of her crew. When a run in with a local councillor puts her career in jeopardy, Cassie reluctantly decides to move to small town Massachusetts, where she takes a position in a firehouse, and moves in with her estranged, ailing mother. Things You Save In a Fire is a contemporary romance that also explores the themes of family, courage, forgiveness, and redemption. Center does an impressive job of balancing the romance and humour with the more serious elements of the story.There is an emphasis on the complexities of relationships in Things You Save In a Fire, not only in the romance that develops between Cassie, and ‘rookie’ Owen, but also Cassie’s difficult relationship with her mother, and the relationships she needs to forge with her new colleagues in order to safely do her job.I enjoyed the romance between Cassie and Owen, it’s inevitable from the moment they meet, but there are good reasons for Cassie to be wary of their attraction. Owen is perhaps a little too good to be true, but I was willing to embrace the fantasy.Cassie’s resentment of her mother is tangled up with a traumatic incident she experienced on the same night her mother left the family, their relationship therefore is a complicated one. That her mother is ill adds another layer of strain to their interaction, and I liked the way the author navigated the issues between them.Not unexpectedly, Cassie has to prove herself to her fellow firefighters who aren’t really sure that a woman is capable of the job. For the most part, the crew are welcoming if somewhat bemused, and it was very entertaining to see her repeatedly exceed their expectations, but it soon becomes clear that at least one of them deeply resents her presence.Perhaps the most important relationship in Things You Save In a Fire is the one Cassie has with herself. She shut down emotionally at sixteen, fought to become hard, tough and strong, and struggles to relax the control she clings to. I appreciated the growth shown by her character as the story unfolded.“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.”Warm, witty, and casually subversive I really enjoyed Things You Save In a Fire, and ?I hope to read more of her work.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I love Katherine’s books. Her protagonists are women facing challenges on a number of fronts. In her latest Cassie is a female firefighter undergoing major transitions including caring for an ill mother and integrating into a formerly all male fire fighter cre. Cassie ha does all her challenges with as much strength as she can muster. Katherine’s characters are real flawed individuals trying to get along as best as they can. Katherine uses humor so well its hard to imagine a character who doesnt make you laugh at one point. Put this on your must read list now