Reviews with content warning for Cancer - To, co bliskie sercu

This is my first book from Katherine Center. I'd seen it floating around on social media, and when my friends were discussing Center at the library, I scooched on over to the shelf and picked up this one. This didn't really land for me, and I'm not sure if it's the writing style or the tropes in this book being an absolute jumble of things I hate, so I'll have to try a different one after this.
I never really grew to love Cassie, and I especially never found any sympathy for Diana. Good grief, what a selfish woman. I did really like Owen (although I had to stop myself from gagging at the fact that Cassie didn't bother to learn his name until halfway through the book), but their romance felt very shallow. It was basically insta-love because he's hot and she's strong. They had very little foundation or growth and it felt ridiculous.
But Things You Save In A Fire was a quick and moderately enjoyable comfort read when I needed something light, so it has earned its three stars.

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cedardleland's review against another edition

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dark emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

1.0

Given the subject matter of the book, I was surprised how graphically horrible all of the practical jokes are in this book that we're supposed to think are endearing. Like a coworker asking the MC out of the blue to screw when he knows she's panicking and therefore might be trickable, with all of her other coworkers including her boss watching ready to laugh at her for taking too long to refuse. That's how the book opens, and then the next thing is sexual assault, and I really feel like the author doesn't understand that the first thing is actually workplace sexual harassment being enabled by the power structure over the MC, but she things beating someone unconscious is appropriate as soon as touching is involved. But then there's all these "pranks" when she's working that are also assault, just not sexual assault and those are also supposed to be fun and fine. Very uncomfortably mixed messages for me around consent, which undermined the core message of the book.

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chrissyou1's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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marchessaultd's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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catsandmetaphors's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated

2.75

Oh boy, where do I even begin? This book was not what I expected at all. Based on the blurb, I anticipated a black cat-golden retriever romance (the one aspect I did not end up disappointed by), thrown in with some casual firefighter misogyny and abandonment issues galore. Well, I got it all, but at what cost?

Cassie was insufferable. I tried really hard to empathize with her, but I really couldn't justify her coping mechanisms (i.e., her 'not like other girls' mentality). I hated almost every single character, with Owen, Josie, and Captain Harris being notable exceptions.

And all that waffle about forgiveness? Nope, some things are just what they are - unforgivable.

How this book has such high ratings is truly beyond me. I'm starting to suspect that I don't actually like Katherine Center's books as much as I had thought. She tends to throw in something sensational in her plots, something an ordinary reader will not necessarily be able to relate to in any way, shape or form.

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nikmahie's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book has it all. Absolutely enjoyed reading it. Love, family, friendship, hope… but also grief, betrayal, trauma.

Very easy written. Couldn’t lay it down.

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kerryamchugh's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

A thoughtful contemporary romance-ish about a female firefighter who is both a total badass and afraid of her own emotions.

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kariganspencil's review against another edition

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hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

I love Katherine Center. I’ll read whatever she’s writing. Some people are saying that she glosses over hard issues and makes them seem easy to overcome. This is true, but exactly what I expect from her and why I like her. She can add a bit of depth to the stories but it doesn’t leave me devastated and sad. If I want heavy topics, I’ll read literary fiction. With romance, I was substance but light and Center hits the spot for me.
This one lost a star because I didn’t feel the usual build up between the characters as I usually do. And the ending was a bit forced.

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