Bucharest, Romania 1989
Who can you trust in a world where secrets could get you killed? Who do you turn to when the wrong word can send you to prison?
The Iron Curtain is beginning to fall. Unrest is rising in Eastern Europe. Will Romania follow the lead of its neighboring countries and rise in revolution?
I Must Betray You is told from the perspective of 17 year old Cristian living in Bucharest before and during the Romanian Revolution of 1989. Not much is known about the communist era in Romania because the leaders were so determined to keep the pain and suffering of their people a secret.
One day at school, Cristian is approached and threatened into becoming an informer for the Securitate, the Romanian secret police.
His target… the American foreign ministers son.
This book was so eye opening in so many way. I value any book that can open my eyes to something I previously did not know. I have not read a book by Ruta Sepetys that has not done that. Not only are her books well researched, they touch you in a way you’d never expect. I wanted to cry over the injustices that were being done to these people just 33 years ago. I wanted to rejoice with them reading about the revolution and their desire for freedom.
I highly recommend reading this book if you value history.
5 heartbreaking, eye opening stars for this one …

Thank you to NetGalley and. the publisher for an e-ARC of this book, though I did read a finished copy since this review is coming 2+ years too late, for which I apologize.

I Must Betray You is an incredible story of young people and their families living in Communist Romania in 1989. Cristian is a hopeful dreamer who winds up being blackmailed into informing for the government. The story is engaging and powerful from page one and is perfect for teen readers who are interested in recent history.

Honestly, YA novels aren't my go-to genre, but I can learn so much from Sepetys' historical fiction novels. They are very well written and thoroughly researched. Usually, she focuses on less-known parts of history.

Ruta Sepetys is always a must buy for me personally and many of my students love reading her books. This was one of my favorites! It was fast pace and very educational. I was not knowledgeable about the Romanian Revolution. This book peeled back the layers and let the reader experience the tension and suspicions of that time period. Excellent!

Cover: Extremely catching. Students in middle and high school will have no problem picking it up.

Thank you to Penguin Teen for sending me a copy of this one after its paperback release! I have high expectations for Sepetys so I admit to feeling let down here. Was the book engaging and informative? Yes! I didn't know anything about the Romanian revolution before reading it, and all of the details about the daily lives of those under this communist regime were eye-opening. But was I invested in any of the characters and their fates? Not really... Something just wasn't clicking here and I felt like I was watching the events unfold from a distance. The last third of the book was rushed and messy; while I know some of that was probably a narrative choice, I can't help but be critical of the outcome. Again, I'd recommend Sepetys' previous works to just about anyone, so maybe I'm being harsher than I would be of another author! In all fairness, this was a quick, well-researched read that taught me quite a bit about this particular period in history.

Salt to the Sea is one of my absolute favorite books and I knew I had to read another Ruta Sepetys book!

Of course I cried.

I didn't know much about Romania in the 1980s but this was a wonderful book to learn more about the history there while the communist regimes were crumbling.

This is a book about survival and family and friendship and how everything is affected by war.

I loved it.

This book was haunting. It starts on the eve of the Romanian Revolution. I was 7 years old when this occurred so I really did not know much about it. It definitely sent me down the rabbit hole of research after reading. I think this is the best thing about historical fiction. It puts a real, if fictional, face on history and causes you to find out more about it. You can tell even before you get to the extensive notes and resources at the end that this book was heavily researched. Highly recommend this book for any adult or young adult.

Sepetys is a master! I love everything she has written, and this book is no different. I learned a lot about a time. history that I thought I knew enough about. What a fun way to learn more — through compelling characters and a fast-paced plot. I loved this book.

I truly loved this book that was full of twists and turns and unexpected revolutionaries. Set in Romania in 1989 during the Communist regime, 17 yo Cristian is compelled to join a spy network and use his writing skills to give voice to other Romanians who are being unfairly punished and penalized by the government. It is a powerful thriller that taught me a lot about a period of recent history that I knew little about. I highly recommend this to teens who love historical fiction that reads like an action/adventure page-turner.

Fantastic historical fiction about a completely unknown event to me. The fact that I was completely unaware of something that happened fairly recently, shocked me. I consider myself a history buff, but will admit to never learning about this tumultuous time in Romania. I was completely invested in our character, Cristian, and how he would end up. I cannot even fathom being forced to turn informer on my loved ones and close friends. Ruta Septys's writing was vivid and painted a bleak and hopeless scene when necessary. I really loved that even in his darkest moments, Cristian still possessed a positive mindset to help propel Romania forward.

Heartbreaking and heart pounding YA historical fiction set in 1989 communist Romania .

Composed of short chapters (with very cool Romanian language chapter count headings) we follow young Cristian as he is pulled to spy (become an informer) on an American ambassador that his mom cleans for and reports back to the regime, but someone close to him is also an informer. He doesn't know who but it's warned to trust no one.

I felt throughout the story the plight of this people. I cheered those that stood against their country's Communism. I felt the fear the students rallied against and decided to stand up and fight for their freedom.

Well researched and expertly woven fact and fiction made this a very insightful read.

Ruta Sepetys is an auto-buy for my library, Her books are usually the first to go out when students are working on historical fiction books. It doesn't hurt that her books are all really well written and researched too.

It took me forever to pick this book up, bit two things happened. One I kicked myself for waiting so long to read it, but two I'm also glad I waited so long. I think it made me appreciate it more! Ruta is such am incredible Author, her books need to be slowly devoured.

As always, Ruta Sepetys delivers a history lesson we all need wrapped in a compelling, heartbreaking story of love, family, fear, and hope. Her characters and their lives are beautifully written and gut-wrenching. Another must read from the master of YA historical fiction!

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin for sending e a copy of this book! All opinions are my own!

Well my girl Ruta has done it again! She has such a way of immersing you in history and making you feel as though your heart should be racing right alongside the characters'. This story starts out slow and really hits you all at once, and I think that was such a beautiful parallel to how tyranny can creep up on you. It's a story that really tugs at your heart and makes you wonder how the world can turn a blind eye to so many human rights violations and so much suffering. I love that she told the story of a people that is rarely told (at least in America).

This story was extremely relatable despite how far away the events feel like they are. That it's just any other family and any other high school kid makes it really hit home how widespread and personal all the suffering was. The writing really instills the fear and secrecy within you, and it all builds up to some of the most emotional revolution known to man.

If you are looking for a historical book to learn from, definitely pick this one up!

I loved the story, the world building and meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it.

This is an amazing story of what happens when you are out in tough situations and shows how tyranny divides people. Love learning about this aspect of history

This book was wonderful. It really did a great job illustrating the fear and suspicion that people lived with in communist Romania. I didn't know much about this time period and it is refreshing to find a historical novel that is captivating and not about WWII.

I received this egalley as part of the ALAN conference and it is kept on a kindle in my classroom. My rating is based on the fact that my students have enjoyed this and I think it is a very well done and impactful book.

I have greatly enjoyed every book I have read so far by Ruta Sepetys and this book is no exception. I would highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in history. Her books put you right in the moment of historical events that are not as widely heard about today and they should be.