Things You Save in a Fire by Katherine Center
(Format used for this book: Print–hardback)
This was our latest book club pick…
And just like last month unfortunately…
I was NOT a fan 😬
Here is a summary:
(BTW I had a friend ask me if my reviews were all my own words…just to protect me from weird copyright thingys I will let y’all know that this summary part of all my book reviews ARE NOT written by me…it’s usually straight up the official written book summary from the backcover or from Amazon…
but every thing else IS written by me.
Basically if anything is in quotation marks those are NOT thoughts and feelings of yours truly but taken from another source or person.
Every other bit of what I say here is alllll me.
Which will probably be quite evident with all of the incorrect grammar usage, laughing and heart emojis and use of the word y’all.
Now back to the summary)
“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.”
***WARNING: There are a few vague spoilers about the book, but not too many and not in super depth…so if you are reading this book now or plan to read it just know that before you keep going.
In my opinion though…don’t waste your time with it. Find another book.***
There are two words to describe why I did not like this book:
LIFETIME
MOVIE
Seriously y’all…that was all I could think every single chapter.
Everything was so predictable…and fit into the equation of plot development in certain they use over and over again.
Like these things:
-Unresolved trauma from past ✅
-Anger/bitter at world due to past trauma that results in no close relationships✅
-moves from “big city” to “smaller town”✅
-distant relationship with family member that becomes healed due to crisis ✅
-“unexpected” (and I say this with sarcasm DRIPPING OFF the word) romance that somehow is the missing link to all kinds of walls being torn down emotionally even though it’s been over a DECADE of the issues being unresolved and not acknowledged or handled in a healthy manner or with professional help ✅
(That piece of this book REALLLLLY pissed me off 🙄)
-all “bad guys” get what is coming to them somehow ✅
And that is just a FEW of the things, y’all.
So so predictable and trite.
I literally would be reading this in bed and I’d turn a page and say out loud to Troy “Oh my gosh SERIOUSLY…of course that is happening…”
Now if you are a fan of Lifetime movies…and I know plenty of people are or they wouldn’t keep making the things…then I can say with almost 100 percent certainty you will absolutely ADORE this book.
I do not judge you for that…you go ahead and like what you like my friend. We all got our things.
But it’s just not MY thing.
I did appreciate how the author tried to bring awareness and voice to issues affecting women (can’t be too specific here)
BUT
everything else….
Just nah.
Thankfully it wasn’t a long read 🤣