Never Less

by Geoffrey Wells

The day Mindy and Pablo stumble across a Prohibition tunnel leading to an old mill, now being used to smuggle opioids, is the day they start to save Mindy’s dad. But Pablo, a Dreamer kid, has his own dad issues; his family is always one step away from deportation. Drawn by their love of soccer the twelve-year-olds know they must stop the counterfeit drugs without approval of their families—or the authorities.
However, an octogenarian neighbor becomes their mentor. He knows about the mill’s nefarious past and warns them to stay away. Will the kids become victims of the drug gang if Pablo risks his life to save Mindy’s dad? Can Mindy give Pablo’s family hope for a better future?

The pair uncover a callous scheme to yank the safety net away from drug users by lacing recovery pills with fentanyl. Now they must kill the plan.

Never Less is a timely and empowering thrill ride that is seriously fun, adventurous and relatable about two middle grade friends that outsmart a tough, opioid-addicted problem parent. This cross-generational novel about addiction, loyalty and an undying friendship will keep young readers turning the pages.

Genres: Young Adult

192 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 2022

About the author

Geoffrey Wells writes suspense novels that explore the intersection of personal freedom and the environmental crisis.

Published Works:

Wells is the author of four suspense novels spanning ecological thrillers and middle-grade mysteries. His latest, Never Less (2022), is a middle-grade thriller that confronts the fentanyl crisis through the lens of friendship and loyalty. His eco-thriller The Drowning Bay (2021) examines freedom and belonging against the backdrop of climate change and water crisis. Atone for the Ivory Cloud (2016), inspired by his Kilimanjaro ascent and concern for elephant conservation, tackles ivory poaching. His debut, A Fado for the River (2011), draws from his experiences in Mozambique during the Portuguese colonial revolution and explores liberation, both personal and national

Current Project:

Wells is currently working on Never Ending Earth, an eco-thriller featuring renewable energy innovation and regenerative systems versus extractive capitalism.

Career Journey:

Active in the Anti-Apartheid movement in South Africa Wells immigrated to the U.S. in 1980. He studied film producing at the American Film Institute while working room service at a Beverly Hills hotel, serving everyone from Richard Burton to The Rolling Stones. His path led him from advertising art director to Hollywood location scout, and eventually to technology leadership as Vice President and CIO for two major U.S. broadcasters. Throughout, he maintained his creative pursuits, writing and producing the award-winning animated film The Shadow of Doubt with his wife, filmmaker Cynthia Wells.

Life on Long Island:

From his home on Long Island’s North Fork, Wells has pursued environmental interests including oyster farming with Cornell Cooperative Extension and producing videos for the Peconic Land Trust’s Long Island Grown lecture series, which connects farmers and chefs. He participates in triathlons and swims the open waters of Peconic Bay with his wife Cynthia and their dog Luciano, drawing inspiration from the ecosystems his novels champion.

Reviews

[Linda Frank]

REVIEW GEOFFREY WELLS NEVER LESS
I was given this book to review.
Plot that keeps you turning the pages, setting with a history, and characters you care about. NEVER LESS has it all. This refreshing book for young readers brings two characters from different worlds together to face serious problems that most American communities are grappling with, the opioid problem and the perennial problem immigrants face regarding their citizenship status.
Mindy comes from a well-healed family, the father a doctor but also an addict. Pablo is a child of immigrants who could be deported at any time.
When the two friends discover suspicious goings-on at an old mill on the Long Island Sound, they decide to investigate with the help of an old timer who knows the history of the place. They face heart-stopping danger, keeping those pages turning.
NEVER LESS treats the young reader as if they have the brains to face the problems in their world. The main characters, Mindy, and Pablo are relatable, an essential in a good book for this readership.
Don’t miss this one. You will want to hear more about Mindy and Pablo.

[Helene · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a very engaging mystery story about two kids from very different backgrounds who bond over living through many adventures, set on the North Fork of Long Island. The story is told through the eyes of the kids, who alternate by telling their versions of the story. Aimed at middle schoolers, the book tackles two problems that children face today in their world: the opioid epidemic and illegal immigration. Both threaten to tear the world of the protagonists apart. But despite their different upbringings, they find common ground, and their resilience and mutual support help them to overcome not just the dangers of coming across some dangerous people in a forgotten tunnel but also seeing their families torn apart.
Wells wraps serious messages in entertaining fiction, but he is committed to his subject by adding resource guides at the end of the book and encouraging a debate on the topics.
This book would be a great addition in every middle school library.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Geoffrey Wells touts his latest mystery/thriller as a book for middle grade readers, but there’s plenty here to entertain readers well past school age. Mindy and Pablo are smart and capable, and they need to be. The pair work together to help each other out of some serious problems. The writing is well paced and Mindy and Pablo are immediately likable. The plot had some twists that kept me surprised to the end. Parents: read this book with your middle grade children, and have some important discussions about drug dependence and the dangers of fentanyl. Highly recommend this book!

[Pamela Burford · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading Geoffrey Wells’s terrific Trilogy for Freedom, I was eager to read his new novel Never Less, a mystery centered around the opioid crisis and written for middle-school readers. Never Less explores themes of family, friendship, and criminal activity from the perspective of two wonderfully crafted young characters, Pablo and Mindy. You don’t have to be in middle school to love this thoroughly engaging novel.

[Andrea Stoeckel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read Geoffrey Wells' adult novels in the past so of course I agreed to read this one as well. I wish I'd read it sooner! Many people have said it's suggesting Louis Sacher' s *Holes". However it also deals with lies, secrets and silence in today's world involving Dreamers and drugs.

Why do these kids need to "save" their fathers?They have enough difficulty caring for themselves! This is a great book for any age even if it's listed as YA. I do recommend however that a parent or guardian possibly read it first. Highly Recommended 5/5

[Disclaimer: I received this book from the author and voluntarily read and reviewed it]

[PAR · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author mentioned that this was a novel that might appeal to youth who connected with the movie Holes. I have a daughter who loved that movie, so I thought lets read this novel as a "family project" and I found it was. IN this novel with have two teens who are trying to save their fathers. Pablo, a Dreamer kid, whose father is always one step away from being deported, and Mandy whose father. a doctor is addicted to opioids. You put this all together you have two kids, friends, who are trying to rescue your father. As they reach out to help each other they find out that the pills are being laced with fentanyl, a killer dose, and they find they somehow have to stop this drug shipment before it gets in the hands of their friends and Mindy's Dad. Can they, two twelve year olds, accomplish this? Will they survive? will their fathers? What will happen next.
I found this to be a unique book. allowing our family to look at the opioid epidemic. a safe way for our kids to discuss what was happening in their schools. I cannot rate this novel high enough. We all need to look at this epidemic, and what our parts are in this. If we join together like these two kids did can we help to curb it? This is my true and honest review.

[Laurie Robertson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nicely paced with a few unexpected twists which kept the momentum going. I comfortably read it in one session. It has an interesting take on the drug scene, personally I think taking out the dealers is probably the best deterrent as the current slap on the wrist approach is not working so a more permanent meaningful solution is required. I thought of Mindy’s father as an anti-hero, someone who was trying to solve the problem but going about it the wrong way. However, having said that, what other choices did he have? He certainly wasn’t equipped to track where the drugs came from.
It’s one of the few things we have failed to address as a society, and as suggested in the story appears to be getting worse with the advent of Covid and it’s derivatives.
It is certainly a thought provoking novel.

[Steven Ramirez · Rating 4 out of 5]

The opioid crisis in America used to dominate the news. Everywhere, it seemed, families were destroyed when someone, usually through no fault of their own, became addicted to painkillers. And I have to believe that the children suffered the most.

In Never Less, author Geoffrey Wells uses this crisis as a backdrop for a thrilling story of two friends, Mindy and Pablo, who stumble on an illegal drug operation and decide to do something about it. Both have fathers who are in trouble. Mindy’s dad is a doctor addicted to painkillers. And Pablo’s father is an illegal alien. Then there are the criminals—a nasty bunch.

What I liked best about this story is how much these kids value their friendship. Though they are from different backgrounds, they are, in every sense of the word, simpatico. In an ideal world, young people shouldn’t have to deal with adult problems. But we know better. Sometimes, they have no choice. And in Never Less, they do not shy away from their responsibility.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deep topics

The main characters are 12 year olds Mindy and Pablo. They have to deal with difficult issues. DACA, immigration issues, and racism are struggles for Pablo. Both kids have to deal with Mindy's dad's addiction and drug business. This is listed as a middle grade book, I would say if your child is dealing with these issues it would be ok to read in 6th grade, but if they haven't been exposed then probably 8th grade would be more appropriate.

[Susan Wells · Rating 4 out of 5]

Never Less is a challenging story about real life events made accessible to young people by the engaging ‘superhero’ main characters Mindy and Pablo. Their slightly implausible exploits take the edge off the wrenching themes of fentanyl, immigration and social justice so that these issues can be discussed (or not) and understood. The action is fast paced with positive themes of family loyalty and friendship.

[Nicholas Auletti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Never Less is a pleasant novel from start to finish. Pablo and Mindy stand out as heroes in their way. There's a great deal of adventure in this book that I particularly like. It reminds me of Robinson Crusoe mixed with the temperature politics of today. This book's pace is keen on ensuring the reader understands the plot points thoroughly and tugs on the heartstrings lightly. Overall, I would read more of this series and see what other adventures Pablo and Mindy find themselves in.

[Victoria Stiger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Worth the read

I really enjoyed this book. I won it off of #goodreadsgiveaways. I liked this book for the most part. Kept me interested and able to finish the book.

[Malgorzata · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy reading this mystery. The plot is not obvious, characters are authentic and interesting. It is good book for young people.

[Joy Rosales]

DNF @ 30% I received a copy of this ebook in a Goodreads giveaway. I felt like this book wasn’t really about anything.

[RICARDO · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this for my teenage daughter who enjoyed it. The author promised a follow-up book which should be also fun.

[Dave James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Local author Geoffrey Wells is telling a story that takes place on the North Fork of Long Island of two kids who face very adult problems. Their struggle to overcome them forges a strong friendship.
A lovely book to read for teens and adults

[Geoffrey Wells · Rating 5 out of 5]

My middle grade thriller is a story of hope. It’s not about an aimless, vague hope, it’s about sacred hope—not sacred in the religious sense, but hope that fronts a single-minded fever of purpose. It’s about two twelve-year-olds who see through parental obfuscation; and realize they must save their dads.

Over 71,000 people in the U.S. died from fentanyl-involved overdoses in 2021, according to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC). And, over the last few years the COVID pandemic has exacerbated those fatalities. It’s a silent pandemic made worse by the evil production of candy laced with fentanyl to lure kids into addiction.

I choose to write thrillers on tough subjects—third-world revolution, ivory smuggling, and poisoned wetlands—and opioid crime research is the most devastating I have ever embarked on. There are wonderful books and institutions for adults on how to manage opioid addiction, however, there are very few books written for kids on how to manage an addicted parent.

What sort of agony must a child endure when seeing a parent become an opioid addict? And so I wrote Never Less in the first person entirely from a middle school point of view because they are so vulnerable. However, by empowering them—and perhaps even their parents—they discover a sacred hope. And their humble achievements make them believers. For Pablo it’s as close to him as his mother’s name, Sachia Esperanza.

Never Less shows readers how sacred hope can be—no matter what age they are. My own hope is that you enjoy the book. Geoffrey Wells - Author.