finished reading

This story focuses on Cassie Hanwell, a glass-ceiling-shattering star in the Austin Fire Department who moves cross-country to live with her ailing, estranged mother. While Cassie is a rock star as a firefighter, she’s a bit of a dud on a personal level-stubbornly refusing to open herself up to the possibility of love or affection. Watching her character grow over the course of the story was incredibly satisfying.

The rigorous, intense life in a firehouse was much more than I expected. Firefighters are true heroes! The makeshift family Cassie builds among her initially reluctant coworkers feels completely genuine. Her healing process with her mother is equally realistic; it certainly didn't happen overnight.

Ultimately, the novel’s big themes are handled sensitively yet realistically. No character experiences a sudden, magical epiphany—the changes are earned, making the story all the more impactful.

From the publisher:

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?

Katherine Center's Things You Save in a Fire is a heartfelt, affecting novel about life, love, and the true meaning of courage.