All the Little Things

About this book

"...the author tells her story with such intimacy and compassion that readers will not only understand the intricacies of the protagonist's pain, fear, and sense of powerlessness, they will feel it as well." -IndieReader "Told with warmth and compassion... All the Little Things truthfully depicts the havoc that anxiety, fear, and panic can create." Breathe. Caroline always tells herself when the panic sets in as her chest tightens, her throat closes, and her hands and feet begin to tingle. Fix it. You're alone. You're going to die. Ever since her mother died alone after taking pills that caused her to have an allergic reaction, Caroline can't be away from people she knows without her emotions spiraling out of control. Her only solace is in writing lists. Lists about why her dream college isn't the right one for her, or about dying alone. Lists won't save her, though. Her grandparents want her to go to her dream college (thousands of miles away), but she can't risk leaving without falling apart.Caroline hides her pain from everyone: she won't let her therapist in and refuses to take her meds in fear of dying like her mother. When Bennett Williams comes back to town, though, Caroline grows closer to him and the healing that he has seemingly found after his brother's suicide. He understands why she can't leave. But Bennett doesn't let her hide behind her darkness. As Caroline becomes caught between being comfortable and being happy, she must choose if she is willing to face her darkness and chase her dreams, or if she'll push her darkness back, staying only in places that don't make her think: Breathe. Fix it. You're alone. You're going to die.