Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

Things You Save in a Fire by Katherine Center

29 reviews

ellacat11's review

challenging emotional reflective slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Misogyny, Fire/Fire injury, and Sexism

Moderate: Medical trauma, Death of parent, Medical content, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Child death, Suicide, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Terminal illness, Abandonment, Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, and Infidelity

Minor: Child death, Grief, and Car accident

cedardleland's review

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Fire/Fire injury, Terminal illness, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Addiction, Abandonment, Cancer, Sexual violence, and Sexual assault

jecollins's review

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Abandonment and Death of parent

Minor: Sexual assault, Bullying, and Stalking

marianic's review

emotional hopeful reflective fast-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Stalking, Death of parent, Abandonment, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual assault, and Addiction

jessica_stenstrom's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring medium-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? No

5.0

This book tells the story of Cassie, a female firefighter who has experienced trauma, loss and heartache as a 16 year old young woman. Without wanting to give away specifics so there are no spoilers, it was an inspiring story. There were moments tears sprang to my eyes and other moments my heart dropped as I sped read to see what would happen next and still other moments when I laughed out loud. This was worth the read. Katherine  Center is becoming a favorite author. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual assault, Death of parent, and Abandonment

kimib79's review

emotional funny hopeful sad 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

2.75

I listened to the audiobook and the narrator sounded like either Holly Hunter or Jodie Foster. I found it unpleasant, but that's a me issue. I didn't care for the excessive cussing either. All in all, Hello Stranger was MUCH better.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Addiction, Cursing, Rape, Sexism, and Abandonment

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Miscarriage, Infertility, and Suicide attempt

milesandmiles's review

1.0

While I've enjoyed other books by Center, this book made me so angry. The main character is a survivor of multiple traumas and has her life near ruined by misogyny multiple times.  Instead of getting any kind of support, she has parents who manipulate and bully her into living with her mother. 

Her mother is written as if we're supposed to believe she's caring, which is awful because at no point does she provide genuine emotional support. She doesn't value her daughter's incredibly successful career nor does she recognize the harassment at any point. Instead the mom pushes the self-serving advice that the main character needs to work on forgiveness. I kept yelling at the book that the mc needed to stop listening to mom and find a competent trauma therapist. 

I really wish she could have found one genuinely supportive friend connected to neither her mother nor work on all of those long runs around town to make this a slightly healthier story.  The bf provides a couple moments of support, but also trauma dumps on her and pressures her into breaking her boundaries because apparently he's incapable of managing his relationship with his parents. No one really listens or holds space for her. She ends up telling her trauma only to build rapport with someone her harassed and nearly killed her. 

This book says that giving empathy and forgiveness to others is more important than expecting respect and empathy for yourself and your experiences. Let people walk all over you or harm you! Forgiving them is good for you! 

Also, 4 out of 4 Center books I've read have featured romances where at least one character is at work. Can we all agree that romance in a workplace is so much more likely to be problematic and really shouldn't be a consistent theme??? 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism and Bullying

Moderate: Stalking, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Fatphobia, Rape, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, and Sexual harassment

catsandmetaphors's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Cancer, and Rape

Moderate: Abandonment

Minor: Death of parent

nikmahie's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Sexual assault, Stalking, Terminal illness, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, Medical content, Abandonment, Sexism, and Rape

Moderate: Vomit, Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, and Addiction

Minor: Pregnancy and Suicide attempt

kerryamchugh's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Abandonment, Sexual assault, Sexism, Addiction, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Cancer, and Drug abuse

Minor: Death of parent and Injury/Injury detail