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Things You Save in a Fire
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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 fir ...more
The tough, old-school Boston fir ...more
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Hardcover, 320 pages
Published
August 13th 2019
by St. Martin's Press
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Just gonna jump right in and give my own book five beautiful stars. That's reasonable, right? ;)
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Five well-deserved, positive, hopeful, when you read it, this book gives you hope, joy, not only warm , definitely heat your heart, gives you tunes makes you dance and sing -at the end you feel like you’re watching Gosling and Stone’s favorite LaLaLand dance scene on your mind over and over again- stars!
What an inspirational, fantastic book with those beautiful characters, I wish they were real so I could give them a very big GROUP HUG and tell them I love you 3thousand !
I start to read this bo ...more
What an inspirational, fantastic book with those beautiful characters, I wish they were real so I could give them a very big GROUP HUG and tell them I love you 3thousand !
I start to read this bo ...more

My reviews can also be seen at: https://deesradreadsandreviews.wordpr...
“Saving lives was easy. Saving herself was another story”.
What a fantastic read!
Cassie Hanwell is a firefighter with the Austin Fire Department. She is a very busy and independent woman. Her co-workers think she's lonely, but she tells them she’s happy with the way things are.
Cassie is about to receive the Austin Fire Department’s Valor Award. She is the FIRST female to ever win this prestigious award. Cassie is anxio ...more
“Saving lives was easy. Saving herself was another story”.
What a fantastic read!
Cassie Hanwell is a firefighter with the Austin Fire Department. She is a very busy and independent woman. Her co-workers think she's lonely, but she tells them she’s happy with the way things are.
Cassie is about to receive the Austin Fire Department’s Valor Award. She is the FIRST female to ever win this prestigious award. Cassie is anxio ...more

5 Sappy Stars!
An Unputdownable, Funny, Fabulous and Sweet novel, that will end up on my Best of List for 2018!
How do I love Thee? Let me tell you the ways! “Things You Save in a Fire” turned me into a complete mush. Yes, it’s true and I admit it. I know, I know, it’s unbelievable right? Roll your eyes at me, go ahead - it seems utterly preposterous given what you all know of me, but it happened. I’ve been transformed into a schmoopy girl for real. And you have Katherine Center to thank.
Cass ...more
An Unputdownable, Funny, Fabulous and Sweet novel, that will end up on my Best of List for 2018!
How do I love Thee? Let me tell you the ways! “Things You Save in a Fire” turned me into a complete mush. Yes, it’s true and I admit it. I know, I know, it’s unbelievable right? Roll your eyes at me, go ahead - it seems utterly preposterous given what you all know of me, but it happened. I’ve been transformed into a schmoopy girl for real. And you have Katherine Center to thank.
Cass ...more

3.75 stars
Super sweet love story that made this cynic both cringe and smile!
Things You Save in a Fire is about a woman who must learn to forgive in order to love.
Cassie, a 26-year-old firefighter in Austin Texas, has faced a lot of adversity in her life. On her 16th birthday, her mother left her father and Cassie for another man, which led to further tragedy. Furthermore, being a woman in a male-dominated profession, she has had to fight her way to acceptance. So when her estranged mother ...more
Super sweet love story that made this cynic both cringe and smile!
Things You Save in a Fire is about a woman who must learn to forgive in order to love.
Cassie, a 26-year-old firefighter in Austin Texas, has faced a lot of adversity in her life. On her 16th birthday, her mother left her father and Cassie for another man, which led to further tragedy. Furthermore, being a woman in a male-dominated profession, she has had to fight her way to acceptance. So when her estranged mother ...more

2.5
Sad to say, but I wouldn’t save this book in a fire
Thought I’d like a light read, but man, this one took “light” to a whole new (low) level. Trite, predictable, and ultra-simplistic, I also found the book, in spots, embarrassing. Picture a Hallmark card that shows a female firefighter flexing her gigantic muscles while smiling and shouting, “Happy forgiveness”!
This is the story of a feisty and expert firefighter named Cassie who falls in love. Other crew members include a Mr. Wonderful, a mom ...more
Sad to say, but I wouldn’t save this book in a fire
Thought I’d like a light read, but man, this one took “light” to a whole new (low) level. Trite, predictable, and ultra-simplistic, I also found the book, in spots, embarrassing. Picture a Hallmark card that shows a female firefighter flexing her gigantic muscles while smiling and shouting, “Happy forgiveness”!
This is the story of a feisty and expert firefighter named Cassie who falls in love. Other crew members include a Mr. Wonderful, a mom ...more

4.5 Stars
Cassie Hanwell is one strong cookie! She must be - she is the only female firefighter at her station. To prove herself, she must be better, faster, and harder working than her male counterparts. She works in a male dominated field...how male dominated? I did some research and found that "There are 1.16 million firefighters in the United States, but only 7 percent are women according to the National Fire Protection Association." That's a big gap and Cassie feels it in this book!
Cassie i ...more
Cassie Hanwell is one strong cookie! She must be - she is the only female firefighter at her station. To prove herself, she must be better, faster, and harder working than her male counterparts. She works in a male dominated field...how male dominated? I did some research and found that "There are 1.16 million firefighters in the United States, but only 7 percent are women according to the National Fire Protection Association." That's a big gap and Cassie feels it in this book!
Cassie i ...more

5 stars
This is my second book by Katherine Center (the first was ‘Happiness for Beginners) and this one also blew me away. It’s safe to say Centers is an author that just does it for me. Her writing and storytelling has this ability to draw me in and her books become instant favorites for me. After reading this, my heart was so full and I couldn’t stop smiling. It wasn’t an easy read from start to finish. There wer ...more

““It’s not the easy moments that define who we are. It’s the hard ones.”
This is my second book by Katherine Center (the first was ‘Happiness for Beginners) and this one also blew me away. It’s safe to say Centers is an author that just does it for me. Her writing and storytelling has this ability to draw me in and her books become instant favorites for me. After reading this, my heart was so full and I couldn’t stop smiling. It wasn’t an easy read from start to finish. There wer ...more

***NOW AVAILABLE***
This is my first book by Ms. Center and it was like a breath of fresh air for me. I had been reading an extremely heartbreaking and soul searching type of book when I knew I needed something to lift me up. This book was just the ticket!
Cassie Hanwell had been settling in and working fine with the Austin fire department. She loved her job, she was finally getting the respect she deserved and the firefighters were a great group of guys. “Anyone who’d seen our rainbow flag flying ...more
This is my first book by Ms. Center and it was like a breath of fresh air for me. I had been reading an extremely heartbreaking and soul searching type of book when I knew I needed something to lift me up. This book was just the ticket!
Cassie Hanwell had been settling in and working fine with the Austin fire department. She loved her job, she was finally getting the respect she deserved and the firefighters were a great group of guys. “Anyone who’d seen our rainbow flag flying ...more

It’s all about forgiveness. Even when you tell yourself you can’t… life might just surprise you!
Occasionally, a book can reach deeply, touching you profoundly. The best part is you never see it coming!
This book had me smiling, crying then smiling once again through my tears.
Cassie is a tough-as-nails firefighter. She’s got to be. She’s working in a typically male dominated field, and they never let her forget it.
But hands down, Cassie is the best at what she does. So driven in fact, her private ...more
Occasionally, a book can reach deeply, touching you profoundly. The best part is you never see it coming!
This book had me smiling, crying then smiling once again through my tears.
Cassie is a tough-as-nails firefighter. She’s got to be. She’s working in a typically male dominated field, and they never let her forget it.
But hands down, Cassie is the best at what she does. So driven in fact, her private ...more

4 Solid Stars
"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."
This is my second Katherine Center book and I just love the way she writes her stories. Even though the narrator is the main character, they feel trustworthy and plausible. They tell their (and indirectly oth ...more
"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."
This is my second Katherine Center book and I just love the way she writes her stories. Even though the narrator is the main character, they feel trustworthy and plausible. They tell their (and indirectly oth ...more

4.5 stars, rounded up.
Add Katherine Center to the list of authors I've discovered this year whose work has utterly wowed me. Between her newest book and How to Walk Away , which I read earlier this year (see my review), I've become a big fan while becoming emotionally unglued. Because that's how I roll, y'all!
Cassie has always been tough as nails. As one of very few female firefighters at her Austin firehouse, she knows that she has to do everything better, be stronger, faster, and tougher, a ...more
Add Katherine Center to the list of authors I've discovered this year whose work has utterly wowed me. Between her newest book and How to Walk Away , which I read earlier this year (see my review), I've become a big fan while becoming emotionally unglued. Because that's how I roll, y'all!
Cassie has always been tough as nails. As one of very few female firefighters at her Austin firehouse, she knows that she has to do everything better, be stronger, faster, and tougher, a ...more

I have so many feelings about this book, I don't even know where to start. First and foremost, I loved every single minute of it. From the very first page until the very last page. Sometimes you pick up a book and the writers style just speaks to you. This is what I felt with this book. I wondered if it would live up to the hype, the answer is yes! This is one of my very favorites that I have read this year.
Things you Save in a Fire is a book that addresses so much. The struggles of a woman in a ...more
Things you Save in a Fire is a book that addresses so much. The struggles of a woman in a ...more

this book was not life changing
but it didn't need to be. i decided to read the 10 finalists in the 2019 goodreads choice awards for the category of romance. (reading the romance finalists for the 2019 goodreads choice awards
) i'm not gonna lie there were a lot of fcking stinkers. and this one by comparison, was not.
i went in with low expectations because from the cover and synopsis i thought this was going to be a really irritating chicklit novel but i was pleasantly surprised.
this reminded me ...more
but it didn't need to be. i decided to read the 10 finalists in the 2019 goodreads choice awards for the category of romance. (reading the romance finalists for the 2019 goodreads choice awards
) i'm not gonna lie there were a lot of fcking stinkers. and this one by comparison, was not.
i went in with low expectations because from the cover and synopsis i thought this was going to be a really irritating chicklit novel but i was pleasantly surprised.
this reminded me ...more

But that’s the life-changing thing about stories. We believe them anyway.
This was my last read of 2020, and I couldn't have asked for a better way to end the year.
I've always volunteered to be “the man” that my elementary, middle, and high school teachers always asked for when they said “I need a strong man to help with [insert object(s) here]”. Even though I was a girl, very small, and clearly not a man, I’d always volunteer to help. I’d raise my hand to help and see the eyes of the ...more

"It's amazing how brave you can be when you feel safe."
I'm not the type of person that will cry while reading a book but this changed when I started reading this. I don't know why I felt so emotional but this story moved me. Just thinking about it makes my heart squeeze.
While I absolutely loved the story between Cassie and Owen I think the really love story was between Cassie and her mom. Everything about their relationship is so beautiful and at the same time powerful. The way that the autho ...more
I'm not the type of person that will cry while reading a book but this changed when I started reading this. I don't know why I felt so emotional but this story moved me. Just thinking about it makes my heart squeeze.
While I absolutely loved the story between Cassie and Owen I think the really love story was between Cassie and her mom. Everything about their relationship is so beautiful and at the same time powerful. The way that the autho ...more

5 bold and fiery stars! 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥 (Now includes full review for pub day tomorrow 8/13!)
Cassie Hanwell is one of the few female firefighters in her firehouse, and she handles emergencies like a champ.
One day Cassie’s life is thrown off kilter when her mother asks her to leave Texas behind and move to Boston. Why? Because her mother she rarely sees or talks to needs care.
Being a good daughter, Cassie transfers to a Boston firehouse. The change is hard. She’s now the only female, and the firehous ...more
Cassie Hanwell is one of the few female firefighters in her firehouse, and she handles emergencies like a champ.
One day Cassie’s life is thrown off kilter when her mother asks her to leave Texas behind and move to Boston. Why? Because her mother she rarely sees or talks to needs care.
Being a good daughter, Cassie transfers to a Boston firehouse. The change is hard. She’s now the only female, and the firehous ...more

Ok, I’ll admit it. I requested this book purely because I loved the title. But as I read the first few pages, I was second guessing myself. Was this going to be some sort of romance fluff? The answer is unfortunately, yes. Now, if you’re into that, I guess this is a decent one.
The book blurb says it’s about family and forgiveness. And there is some of that. But it’s really mostly about romance, the head over heels infatuation kind. Cassie is a strong, no nonsense, firefighter who’s risen like a ...more
The book blurb says it’s about family and forgiveness. And there is some of that. But it’s really mostly about romance, the head over heels infatuation kind. Cassie is a strong, no nonsense, firefighter who’s risen like a ...more

Aug 05, 2019
MarilynW
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
netgalley,
netgalley-2019
I wouldn't mind living in this world that twenty six year old Cassie lives in, being a neighbor to her, her mother, and her mother's friend, Josie. But before firefighter Cassie goes to live with her mother in the Boston, she is living in Austin, TX with her dad and getting recognition for saving a busload of kids from drowning when a school bus overturns. When it turns out that the person presenting her the award is a person from her high school, a very very bad person, and he grabs her butt as
...more

This is a wonderful piece of contemporary fiction from Katherine Center, full of warmth, featuring the strong, independent, and extremely capable Cassie Hanwell. A firefighter extraordinaire, so brave and up for an award for valour at which all her crew from the modern and progressive Austin FD are present, both to support and prank her at the event. However, Cassie's night is knocked for six when the mayor is unable to present the award and in his place is a man from her nightmare past, council
...more

Things You Save in a Fire is the story of Cassie: badass firefighter, hard worker, and independent girl. When her estranged mother calls and asks Cassie move to Massachusetts and live with her for a year, she couldn't imagine uprooting her comfortable, if spartan, life in Texas to make the move. But doing so sets Cassie off on a journey that forces her to confront all that she's been hiding, and ultimately heals her heart and her relationship with her mother.
I have a love/hate relationship with ...more
I have a love/hate relationship with ...more

This was such a charming, humorous, and touching story. I didn't want it to end!
I found this author's writing style to be perfectly balanced in introducing the characters and making me instantly care about them. I wanted to learn more about what made them "who they are" and react the way they did. This author has such a "easy, breezy style" that made this book so easy to fall in love with.
Cassie is a female fire-firefighter working in an all male fire station, so you can probably imagin ...more
I found this author's writing style to be perfectly balanced in introducing the characters and making me instantly care about them. I wanted to learn more about what made them "who they are" and react the way they did. This author has such a "easy, breezy style" that made this book so easy to fall in love with.
Cassie is a female fire-firefighter working in an all male fire station, so you can probably imagin ...more

Ooooooooooooof. I genuinely thought I was going to love this one and I am so bummed to say that that was very much not the case :( While I was gripped by this and wanted to keep reading to know what was going to happen, I really did not like the way ANY of the characters were written. The main character was CONSTANTLY hitting us over the head with the fact that she's ~*not like other girls*~ and every other character was an over-written sexist stereotype and it just... did not work for me. Womp
...more

4.5 rounded to 5 stars
Are you in need of a fabulous reading boost? Perhaps you are looking to recover from a heavy-duty tome or trying your darnedest to break out of a reading slump. Or maybe you just in the mood for a nice feel good novel. If any of these scenarios apply to you, then this is the book you want to grab.
Things You Save in a Fire is about Cassie Hanwell, a young woman firefighter trying to break through some pretty steep emotional barriers she has tried to bury ever since a very tr ...more
Are you in need of a fabulous reading boost? Perhaps you are looking to recover from a heavy-duty tome or trying your darnedest to break out of a reading slump. Or maybe you just in the mood for a nice feel good novel. If any of these scenarios apply to you, then this is the book you want to grab.
Things You Save in a Fire is about Cassie Hanwell, a young woman firefighter trying to break through some pretty steep emotional barriers she has tried to bury ever since a very tr ...more

Wow! I loved this book! (Women's fiction with romantic elements.)
The protagonist, Cassie, is a firefighter in Austin, TX, at a progressive, modern station. She’s honored for her valor, but at the event, she gets herself into some trouble. When the mother she’s estranged from asks her to come to a small town outside of Boston to help her because she’s ill, Cassie wants no part of it. But between getting in trouble and her beloved father’s urging, she agrees to transfer to an old-school firehouse ...more
The protagonist, Cassie, is a firefighter in Austin, TX, at a progressive, modern station. She’s honored for her valor, but at the event, she gets herself into some trouble. When the mother she’s estranged from asks her to come to a small town outside of Boston to help her because she’s ill, Cassie wants no part of it. But between getting in trouble and her beloved father’s urging, she agrees to transfer to an old-school firehouse ...more

After reading a book that I love I usually always have a lull in reading. Who we kidding? The whole last two years has been a lull for me. I always just want something that is enjoyable and easy to read after that type of book. I just usually have a hard time finding it and end up one starring stuff.
This is that type book. And I liked it. I liked it a lot. I gave up sleep for this book. Sleep is one of my favorite things.
The book is centered on a female firefighter (Cassie) who gets in a bit ...more

This is that type book. And I liked it. I liked it a lot. I gave up sleep for this book. Sleep is one of my favorite things.
The book is centered on a female firefighter (Cassie) who gets in a bit ...more

Katherine Center is pretty near perfect in my opinion. Things You Save in a Fire deals with gender, family, ethics, trauma, and forgiveness. It's engaging and activates a number of emotions across the board. I loved the characters, and I loved this book. Check it out.
Thank you to the following for permitting me access to an advance reader's copy (ARC) of Things You Save in a Fire. This generosity did not impact my honesty when rating/reviewing.
Source: NetGalley
Author: Katherine Center
Publisher: ...more
Thank you to the following for permitting me access to an advance reader's copy (ARC) of Things You Save in a Fire. This generosity did not impact my honesty when rating/reviewing.
Source: NetGalley
Author: Katherine Center
Publisher: ...more

Some books leave you feeling better about the world and people in it. Either because their main message is that of love, hope, and forgiveness, or because they have amazing characters: strong, calm, caring. They put your feet a bit more firmly on the ground, because you recognize they are rooted in reality, and uplift you, help you raise your head and notice that despite everpresent tragedy and suffering, the world is full of beautiful souls, ready to lend a helping hand.
This is one of these boo ...more
This is one of these boo ...more

HOT DAMN! This book is on FIRE!!!🔥
Loved this engaging story from first word to last! The characters were wonderful, The romance was sweet, the friendships were strong, and I loved the firehouse setting! Cannot think of a better way to have kicked off my 2019 reads!
🔥 Full fiery review closer to pub day August 2019 👩🏻🚒❤️👨🏻🚒❤️
...more
Loved this engaging story from first word to last! The characters were wonderful, The romance was sweet, the friendships were strong, and I loved the firehouse setting! Cannot think of a better way to have kicked off my 2019 reads!
🔥 Full fiery review closer to pub day August 2019 👩🏻🚒❤️👨🏻🚒❤️



I do not like books that have strong female protagonists who are strong in spite of being female. I do not understand how this seems to be a hot take.
Like, I can kick someone right in the face regardless of whether I'm wearing makeup or a dress or my nails are painted. Probably it would be easier to face-kick in a dress, come to think of it. More kicking-around room.
This book is complicated, a little bit, because our protagonist is a firefighter and therefore femininity is perceived as a weaknes ...more
Like, I can kick someone right in the face regardless of whether I'm wearing makeup or a dress or my nails are painted. Probably it would be easier to face-kick in a dress, come to think of it. More kicking-around room.
This book is complicated, a little bit, because our protagonist is a firefighter and therefore femininity is perceived as a weaknes ...more
topics | posts | views | last activity | |
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Book Reco: Kick-ass Heroines and Good/Nice/Sweet Heroes | 1 | 2 | Dec 27, 2020 05:53AM | |
Goodreads Choice ...: Things You Save In A Fire - May 2020 | 30 | 144 | Oct 24, 2020 08:01AM | |
Book of The Month: Things You Save in a Fire | 2 | 34 | Oct 08, 2020 08:23AM | |
The Little Book t...:
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2 | 3 | Jan 07, 2020 02:57PM | |
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Katherine Center is the New York Times bestselling author of How to Walk Away, the upcoming Things You Save in a Fire (August 2019), and five other bittersweet comic novels. Six Foot Pictures is currently adapting her fourth novel, The Lost Husband, into a feature film starring Josh Duhamel, Leslie Bibb, and Nora Dunn. Katherine has been compared to both Nora Ephron and Jane Austen, and the Dallas
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Articles featuring this book
There's something great about a paperback book: They're perfect book club choices, you can throw them in your bag and go, and they've been out in...
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“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.”
—
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“It’s not the easy moments that define who we are. It’s the hard ones.”
—
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