The Little Things that Kill

A Teen Friendship Afterlife Apology Tour

De: Annie Fox

Narrado por: Maria Marquis

A Kirkus Reviews' Best Books of 2025 selection

She thought dying would be the end. Turns out, it’s just the beginning.

Sixteen-year-old Nicole Benson wakes up on a floating platform surrounded by dead kids... only she doesn’t remember dying.

Everyone insists she killed herself, but Nicole knows that’s not true.

Now trapped in Substation Fifteen—the special afterlife realm for teens who ended their own lives—she’s got just thirty days to uncover the facts and piece together what happened. If she fails, her next stop could be really be the end.

But the truth is a tangled mess of secrets, lies, and betrayals. If Nicole’s not strong enough, the facts she finds might be harder to accept than death itself.

For fans of Before I Fall, We Were Liars, and A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder comes a haunting and heartfelt YA paranormal mystery about friendship, forgiveness, and the destructive lies we tell ourselves—even after death.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2024 Annie Fox (P)2024 Annie Fox

Reseñas de la Crítica

“A compassionate exploration of friendship and betrayal wrapped up in a true page-turning mystery.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

A thoughtful story that doesn’t always land cleanly—but feels real when it matters most.

The Little Things That Kill is a YA novel that blends mystery, grief, and an afterlife framework to explore what happens after a teenager’s death. Rather than focusing solely on the mystery of how Nicole died, the story leans into the emotional aftermath—especially for the people left behind. While the book has some pacing and clarity issues, its emotional core is strong and sincere.

What Worked Well: Emotional Weight & Character Impact
The strongest part of this book is how it handles the emotional fallout of Nicole’s death—particularly through her father, Isabel, and Cassie. Their grief feels grounded and personal rather than dramatic for the sake of drama. Nicole herself also felt very real as a character, which made the ripple effects of her absence more impactful.

Isabel stood out as especially well-developed, while Nicole’s voice anchored the story emotionally. Even when the plot wandered, the characters kept me invested.

Mixed Execution: Afterlife Concept & Structure
The afterlife setting is unique and interesting, but it can also be confusing, especially early on. The idea itself is compelling, but the rules and mechanics aren’t always clear, which occasionally pulled me out of the story.

The use of multiple POVs was a strength overall, but the timeline jumps within each POV weren’t always clear, which added to the confusion. At times, I had to stop and reorient myself, which disrupted the reading flow.

Where It Fell Short: Pacing & Resolution
The pacing felt uneven. The first half moved slowly, almost cautiously, while the second half sped up quickly, which left me a bit off-balance. Interestingly, that imbalance mirrors the ending itself.

The resolution felt anticlimactic, but also… real. It didn’t deliver a big, dramatic payoff; instead, it settled into something quieter and more reflective. Whether that works will depend on the reader—but for me, it made sense emotionally even if it didn’t fully satisfy narratively.
Cassie’s characterization also felt less organic than the others; her “bad girl” persona came across as a bit forced compared to the more nuanced portrayals elsewhere.

This is a thoughtful, emotionally grounded YA novel that handles heavy themes with care—sometimes at the expense of its own integrity. It feels age-appropriate but also a bit restrained, especially for readers who want deeper complexity or sharper narrative clarity.

I’d recommend this to readers who value emotional realism over plot twists, and who don’t mind some structural messiness in exchange for sincerity. It’s not a perfect book, but it’s a meaningful one—and I appreciated what it was trying to do, even when it didn’t fully get there.

An intriguing perspective on what happens after

Maria Marquis narrated this book beautifully. This book takes place "within the in between." The space between life, and whatever comes after life. We are on a journey with Nicole, while she has to learn how she died, and what led her there. This 'in between,' is where she is supposed to learn from the actions she took in her life. As a trigger warning, this book focuses on the apparent suicide of Nicole; although she does not believe that she completed suicide. This was a fascinating mystery to uncover the all of the little things that led to the fateful day. There are bits of "magic," Wiccan beliefs, and an intriguing perspective on what happens after, well, life. I would recommend for those interested in paranormal beliefs, supernatural beliefs, and those that are ok with the topic of suicide.

Makes you think!

This books was amazing and brings another side to death and the afterlife! I hope this book will help people see there is always another option! I will recommend this to anyone and everyone I can! It kept my attention and made me want to keep listening to see how it ended and desperately made me want to be able to change Nicky’s story!

Second chances

Narrated by Maria Marquis, and wow! This audiobook was a wild ride.
Forget your typical afterlife! Substation Fifteen is a one-of-a-kind purgatory for teen suicides, and the snarky FMC-Nicole, is convinced she doesn't belong there. She has 30 days to prove she wasn't murdered and unravel the secrets surrounding her death.

The mystery surrounding Nicole’s death kept me guessing, and I loved how Nicole grew as a character throughout the story. Maria Marquis did a fantastic job bringing the characters to life, especially Nicole's attitude.

This one is perfect for fans of Before I Fall, 13 Reasons Why, and themes that explore friendship, grief, and second chances.

Powerful story

This was such a beautifully written story. Many of us struggle with mental health, especially at Nicole's age. Personally, I did. This story follows Nicole and Cassie after Nicole's dies.
Both struggle with the truth and learning where to go from there.
I was so invested in this story story the author created. The characters are so real and that, especially in a story like this, is so powerful.