Things You Save in a Fire
By: Katherine Center
Published Year: 2019
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Pages: 320
I received copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This in no way shape or form influenced my opinion of this book.
Summary (Provided by Goodreads): 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 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.
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 handsome rookie, who doesn't seem to mind having Cassie around. But she can't think about that. Because she doesn't fall in love. And because of the advice her old captain gave her: don't date firefighters. Cassie can feel her resolve slipping...but will she jeopardize her place in a career where she's worked so hard to be taken seriously?
First Impressions
Yay! Another Katherine Center book! I read How to Walk Away by Center last year and LOVED it. I finished it in January and it stuck as one of my favorite books of 2018, so I was very excited to see another book out so soon. I also love the bright and colorful cover. It is very me and it would grab my eye immediately.
What I thought
I devoured this book! Finished it in 24 hours, 2 ½ of which were on a plane ride home. I could not put this book down and loved it from beginning to end.
Cassie is a rising star firefighter in Austin, Texas. When her mom, who abandoned her on her 16th birthday, calls and asks her to move to Boston to help her out for the next year it’s the last thing she wants to do. Until a conflict forces her hand. All of a sudden, closed off all work Cassie is thrown into a new firehouse with a firefighter who makes her feel things she’s never felt before.
Cassie is a strong, independent, female character and I loved her. She is easily someone that other women could look up to and an example that things can happen to you and they can mold who you become but that you can change and continue to grow. Who you are is not set in stone and I loved that message.
There is a lot that goes on in this book but it never felt overwhelming. There were some slow reveals that I think only once I got irritated and wanted to have the reveal already, but for the most part it wasn’t annoyingly dragged out.
All of the characters were my favorites. Cassie, like I said, was great. Her mom was a lot of fun and even though she was greatly flawed she had so much to teach. The Rookie (I cannot refer to him as anything else) is 100% swoon-worthy. And the rest of the firehouse is handled so well. I don’t personally know much about firefighters besides what I’ve learned from watching Chicago Fire, but this made it so easy to picture and to understand.
While the main plot points aren’t necessarily mind-blowingly unique, I have never read a story about a female firefighter or a story that mostly takes place in a firehouse. Also, without giving too much away, I was very thankful that something I was scared was going to happen did not, so thank you for that!
I mean, what else can I give a book that I couldn’t put down? I loved this book. There is no other way to say it. If you are a fan of Chicago Fire, get your hands on this book now. If you’re a fan of Center’s previous novels, why aren’t you already reading this? If you’re just looking for a good book to read, I recommend this one. I for sure will be recommending this book left and right over the next few weeks and I hope that you will pick it up!