From the Bookshelf of The Perks Of Being A Book Addict…

Things You Save in a Fire

Katherine Center

Start date: October 1, 2019

Finish date: October 31, 2019

Discussion: Group Books of the Month (BotM)

Why we're reading this: Chosen as our group BotM for October 2019.
[close] Chosen as our group BotM for October 2019.

Find A Copy At

Libraries

Group Discussions About This Book

Showing 2 of 23 topics — 702 comments total

Group Books of the Month (BotM)

* We All Live Here
By Perks Moderat… , Know-it-all · 2 posts · 45 views

last updated Nov 01, 2025 10:35AM

* James
By Perks Moderat… , Know-it-all · 9 posts · 67 views

last updated Nov 01, 2025 10:34AM

showing 10 of 19 topics view all »

What Members Thought

Mar 05, 2023 Christie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: audio

I could not stop listening. I loved this, Maybe it was the first responder angle, not sure, but I loved this book. It was a great story of love, hurt, forgiveness and just life. There are some triggers in this one, so read with caution. Overall, I loved it.

2 likes · Like · see review

May 03, 2023 Catsalive rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2023

I didn't realise this was a romance before taking it up but I surprised myself by enjoying it very much. It's fast-paced, narrative-driven, fun, & it also has the serious undertones of a firefighters life & job, sexism, sexual assault, grief & forgiveness.

Cassie Hanwell is an award-winning firefighter who is forced to relocate from Texas to Massachusetts when she publicly assaults a city councillor, deservedly, or not; & when her estranged mother asks for her help in Boston. Cassie takes a lower ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Dec 22, 2019 Meera rated it really liked it

Shelves: bought2019, romance, book-of-the-month

This book was not without flaws but I liked the strong female character, the sweet romance and the almost too perfect ending. It also had some surprising moments of depth for a romance. I’ve been reading a lot of mysteries and this was a nice break from that.

2 likes · Like · see review

Nov 07, 2019 Heather rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary-romance, favorites, suspense-thriller, womens-fiction, closed-door

Cassie had two really horrible things happen to her on her 16th birthday and she spent the next 10 years as a reaction to them. She taught herself to stay away from 'girly' feelings and became the best firefighter she could be. And almost machine-like.

This is the story of what happens after that. It's the story of Cassie's growth as a person who learns that opening up to love and forgiveness doesn't make you weaker, it actually makes you stronger.

Cassie's character was interesting and vulnerabl ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Dec 10, 2023 Gina rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2023

I adore this book. It's one of the top 5 books I read this year. Katherine Center yet again writes a beautiful, heartfelt story that will leaves characters embedded in your heart ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Sep 03, 2020 Leslie rated it liked it

This was a good book - fine for a weekend read or taking on a trip. The second half I felt IMO was much stronger than the first half. I enjoyed the back and forth between Cassie and The Rookie - there was obvious chemistry there! It was palatable page to page. My favorite scene was when they attended The Rookie’s family home for a special event. It was so fun to read. Plus, they were so cute together!

One thing that I questioned throughout the book was Cassie’s age. I think she is supposed to be This was a good book - fine for a weekend read or taking on a trip. The second half I felt IMO was much stronger than the first half. I enjoyed the back and forth between Cassie and The Rookie - there was obvious chemistry there! It was palatable page to page. My favorite scene was when they attended The Rookie’s family home for a special event. It was so fun to read. Plus, they were so cute together!

One thing that I questioned throughout the book was Cassie’s age. I think she is supposed to be mid- to late- twenties. In the beginning she acts without consequences and does not want to visit and or stay with her mother who needs her. It takes a call from her father for her to “see the light” and change her mind and actually go live with her mother. I find that a very immature way to act. The way she behaves at the banquet was bizarre too (we do find out the reason later for her actions) and we get a sneak peek into who that man at the banquet is much, much later on in the novel.

Along with age, I was surprised to find out she had never been kissed and that she told The Rookie — that was even more surprising. That is not something you would willingly reveal, am I right? Given her history maybe she hasn’t had very many or any suitors. But I think that needed more explanation. In all honesty, she acted 30s-early 40s. In our culture, you are seen as something “other than” if you are not kissed by a certain age. And believe me if she was a 20-something firefighter they really would have given her hell!

Back to Cassie & Owen... when the two finally have sex the author mentions her “virginal bed.” It honestly didn’t sound like the character at all. That term seems very Victorian or something? I don’t know. It just stopped me in my tracks. Like WHAT??

We have this Drew Barrymore-never-been-kissed character who ends up being a very inward thinker. She tells The Rookie that she can help him work on the act of forgiveness because she has been working so much on it herself. This is a huge jump in character from the beginning ( in Texas). It is almost like she got a character makeover. Twenty-year-olds are not too keen on working on themselves and making themselves better individuals - that’s not to say it doesn’t happen but normally that’s the case. Twenty-year-olds are too busy living, being themselves. It also depends on life experiences - what happens to a person at [a] certain time in his/her life that may make them grow up faster than their peers. Cassie had to deal with her mom’s illness and that was tough on her. I wish there was more with her mom in the book. I think that could have been a really neat ending too but it didn’t really have one. Back to age-I feel as though Cassie was more representative of a thirty-something woman than a twenty-something woman.

If she truly was scared by that other guy (in TX) wouldn’t she be freaked out being naked on a pole with another man - a man she barely knows? Yes, it is The Rookie but that could have been written to show how to make her more comfortable and at ease. She could have had a panic attack or something.

I listened to it on audio but I would not recommend it. I think reading it on a tablet or on the phone might be best. Actually... A real book is THE best. I liked The Rookie. He was a fun character. Cassie had her moments. The storyline was a bit predictable yet I still enjoyed it. I liked the camaraderie between the firefighters. The author captured that well.

Pull Quote:
“I was proud of myself. I was proud how I handled it all. I had brought him soup and gone to check on him and chosen over and over to be compassionate, to be human, and to do the right thing no matter if he [her firefighting co-worker] deserved it or not. I had risen above my anger. It wasn’t all gone yet but it didn’t have to be. I had forgiven him... or tried at least.” -Cassie Hanwell ...more

Like · see review

Mar 27, 2020 Jenifer Jacobs rated it liked it

I really disliked being inside the main character’s head. She “told” you she was tough but she “showed” the exact opposite. The chick-lit vibe was excruciating. The redeeming part was the therapeutic “parts work” at the end. Rings absolutely true to life.

Like · see review

Aug 11, 2020 Momruns5 rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2020

“I do it because I believe that human connection is the only thing that will save us. I do it because I believe we learn empathy when we listen to other people’s stories and feel their pain with them. I do it because I know for certain that our world has an empathy problem with women, and this is one brave thing I can do to help fix it.”

Very cheesy and VERY good!

Like · see review

Jul 12, 2020 Kristen rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, deep-will-not-forget, clean-and-good, 2020-want-to-read

Loved loved this book. I listened to it on audio and maybe that added to how great it was but I cried a few times and it was just such a feel good book. I loved the lesson on forgiveness and it was just really good. One of the best I have read/listened to this year.

Like · see review