BURIED FEELINGS

Queer teens in San Francisco try to solve a historical puzzle.

There was a time, before everything changed between them, when white high schoolers Ivy Wethington and Cam Leonardo were close. When Cam found his late uncle Brian’s book, Gay Treasures, which mapped the history of the gay rights movement, they lost their minds over the thrill of the adventure. But that was before rising sophomore Ivy came out as lesbian to Cam—and Cam stopped talking to her. Ivy was devastated; she’d lost her best friend without knowing why. Now it’s junior year, and loner Cam has come out as transgender and suddenly become popular. Cam joins their school’s Genders & Sexualities Alliance—a place where Ivy has found solace—and soon maneuvers his way into becoming her co-chair, which leaves Ivy even more confused. Ivy is also the editor in chief of the yearbook, and she’s decided that this year’s theme will be “tying Sunset High’s present to the neighborhood’s past,” specifically 1970s queer history. While working on the layout, Ivy recalls the final clue in Gay Treasures—one that she and Cam never solved. Eventually, her unresolved feelings about him click into place. Friendship forms the heart of this story, which is filled with intriguing clues and ciphers. The incorporation of rich LGBTQ+ history, including giants like Harvey Milk and Gilbert Baker, is a bonus prize in this whirlwind of a story.

Intricate and delightful.