Book Review: "Things You Save in a Fire" by Katherine Center
“Things You Save in a Fire” by Katherine Center
Synopsis: 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. - St. Martin’s Press
Rating: 4.75
Review: As you can tell by my rating above, I loved this book. Just adored everything about it - the storyline, the characters, the slow burn (pun intended) relationships, and the inside glimpse at what it’s like being a fireperson. I was hooked by page seven, easily, and it was a book that I didn’t want to end. I am so glad that I saw it floating around on bookstagram and that I added it to my August BOTM box.
Let’s start with Cassie. She’s amazing and complicated and strong — as a firefighter, but as a human, she’s a little bit of a mess. I love that, as I am also a mess most of the time. In Austin, she was a big deal — the first female firefighter to receive a big award for valor, in line for a big promotion — until her temper takes over and her mother calls, asking for help. Her leaving Austin (for multiple reasons) and moving to small town Massachusetts to her estranged mother and a new firehouse is the catalyst for the whole story.
In Lillian, she’s the first woman ever to work at the Fire Department, which comes with a lot of sexism, tbh. I don’t mind a bit of a “woman in a man’s world” misogyny — in fiction only — but it was hard to read about some of her hazing. I would like to fool myself into thinking that men don’t still treat women like that, but L O L am I fooling myself. It did seem realistic in this setting, so I was able to give it a bit of a mental pass; it didn’t ruin my enjoyment of the book. It just made me root for Cassie (and the rookie!) more.
This book felt mostly grounded in reality - Cassie is a human being with flaws, and so are her moms and her co-workers, especially “the rookie” that starts on the same day she does: Owen. Cassie claims that she doesn’t believe in love, at all, and a big portion of the book is about her learning how totally wrong she is in that regard. She’s helped along by Owen, to be sure, but also by her fellow firefighters in Lillian, her mom, and her mom’s BFF Josie.
I wouldn’t classify this as a light read, by any means, but there are moments of humor. The hazing, for example, is mostly in good fun, and Cassie’s mom is a treasure. While I loved the relationship between Cassie and Owen, I really adored the love story between Cassie and her mom. That’s the relationship, in my opinion, at the core of this book, and it would be a much less compelling story without it.
The last 50 pages flew by, and I found myself running the whole gamut of emotions with Cassie. The end wrapped things up in a nice little bow, and while I know that isn’t really realistic, sometimes that’s appreciated. It definitely gave me the warm fuzzies, and I would assume that anyone else would feel the same.
Trigger Warnings: hazing, drug addiction, fires, sexual assault, unrealistic expectations of romance and love
TL;DR: A story about fire, about the power of human beings to change and grow, about friendship and love, and about strong women.
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