Timmy's Review of Poz by Christopher Koehler

This book was a very interesting look into a teenage mind. I really liked how realistic it was. Remy was just a great character. He made mistakes and he did stupid things. He also rationalizes everything he did to make logical sense in the mind of a teen boy. That is what makes him so believable. He doesn’t understand how bad what he was doing was until he finds himself HIV positive. I have never read a book that had an HIV positive character in it. It’s a sad thing, and the truth is that this book taught me more about HIV in terms of LGBT relationships than I would ever learn in school. In school, they only teach about HIV in terms of M/F relationships. How are we LGBT kids supposed to learn about it?

I have to say, I really loved Poz. There were a few things I didn’t love, but in the end, this book did something very important. If not only taught why safe sex for gay men is important, but also taught some key terms. “Safer sex,” “negotiated risk,” and “statutory rape” just to name a few. I have heard the last one, but the others were new to me. As an avid reader, it pleasantly surprises me when I learn things that I have never heard before. Why is this not taught in Sex Ed?

So the few things I didn’t like as much. I had trouble understanding some of the terms about rowing. I really would have liked a bit more explanation on these terms. Also, it bugged me that Remy made such a big deal about Mikey being like a brother. Then like snap, he was not! It made my head spin a bit. I would like to point out that neither of these things stopped me from enjoying this book.

One more point I would like to make. Though HIV is very serious and should not be taken lightly, this author really helped to show that with all the medical advancements, if treated seriously by the person who has the disease, it can be controlled and they can still have a happy life.

I love books that promote hope, and this book did that for me. I give Poz 5 Marbles. ~Timmy

Poz is available in ebook and print at 

Harmony Ink Press, Amazon, 

Amazon U.K. and OmniLit/ARe

About Poz

Remy Babcock and Mikey Castelreigh are stalwart members of the Capital City Rowing Club’s junior crew, pulling their hardest to earn scholarships to rowing powerhouses like California Pacific. Just a couple of all-American boys, they face the usual pressures of life in an academic hothouse and playing a varsity sport. Add to that the stifling confines of the closet, and sometimes life isn’t always easy, even in the golden bubble of their accepting community. Because Remy and Mikey have a secret: they're both gay. While Mikey has never hidden it, Remy is a parka and a pair of mittens away from Narnia. 

Mikey has always been open about wanting more than friendship, but Remy is as uncomfortable in his own skin as he is a demon on the water. After their signals cross, and a man mistakes Remy for a college student, Remy takes the plunge and hooks up with him. After a furious Mikey cuts Remy off, Remy falls to the pressure of teenage life, wanting to be more and needing it now. In his innocence and naiveté, Remy makes mistakes that have life-long consequences. When Remy falls in the midst of the most important regatta of his life, he can only hope Mikey will be there to catch him when he needs it most. 

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