Scan barcode
sarahangeline's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Rape, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Death, Sexism, Terminal illness, and Bullying
lrector's review against another edition
emotional
funny
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? No
4.0
I love Katherine Centers books. They are rom-coms but the characters deal with deeper issues than the normal & the heroine is typically in a male dominated job but totally kicks ass at it.
This read follows Cassie, a female fire fighter, who has never fully recovered from teenage trauma. As her life in Texas falls apart she heads to her moms. In Massachusetts, she faces a rough road to earn the respect of her colleges & figure out that crazy thing called love.
This read follows Cassie, a female fire fighter, who has never fully recovered from teenage trauma. As her life in Texas falls apart she heads to her moms. In Massachusetts, she faces a rough road to earn the respect of her colleges & figure out that crazy thing called love.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Stalking, Sexual harassment, Misogyny, and Rape
kriskelly's review
challenging
emotional
funny
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
4.75
Absolutely adore this book, but don’t go into it thinking its a romance - i’d argue its more fiction as you follow the journey of the main character more than the romance!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Sexual assault, Rape, and Addiction
hannahnthomas's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
A really hopeful, beautiful & unputdownable read about forgiveness, courage and relationships. I loved the premise of the book and the strength of the main character.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Bullying, and Sexual assault
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.
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
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???
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???
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
kamryn_grace_'s review
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? N/A
4.0
Mmmm, yes, I thoroughly enjoyed this. Not only was the main character so loveable and strong, but the author also gave hints of feminism.
Most of the time I would find the theme of forgiveness cloying but the author's way of spinning the story made it all the more thought-provoking. This is definitely a worthwhile read.
Most of the time I would find the theme of forgiveness cloying but the author's way of spinning the story made it all the more thought-provoking. This is definitely a worthwhile read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content
Moderate: Physical abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Sexism, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Terminal illness, Rape, Addiction, and Grief
jenniferbbookdragon's review
emotional
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
4.5
Center gives us a complex woman to root for, and she is a real heroine: a firefighter and EMT dealing with sexism in a very male dominated profession. When her family and personal history force her to move across the country and start over in a new fire department, Cassie discovers new ways to address her past and build a new future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Bullying, Fire/Fire injury, and Stalking
Moderate: Rape, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, and Misogyny
Minor: Cancer
jp_rex's review
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment
Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual harassment
cheypreston's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual harassment and Stalking
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, Cancer, Addiction, Miscarriage, and Death of parent