THIS BOOK. Gosh darn, friends. Do you ever read a book that just leaves you with your jaw on the floor? This is one of those books.

I Must Betray You follows Cristian on the eve of the Romanian Revolution. 1989 Romania is ruled by a tyrannical dictatorship. Cristian’s life is filled with fear, hunger, and lots of waiting in lines for rations.

When Cristian is blackmailed by the secret police into becoming an informer, his morals are put into jeopardy as is his life.

Told in short, fast-paced chapters, this book is about learning who you are and what’s right. It’s about learning to stand up for what you believe in. It’s about revolution.

I’ll admit, parts of the book happened very quickly, but I wasn’t bothered by it at all. I loved learning about a time and place in history I knew nothing about, and I really enjoyed the cast of characters.

If you’re looking to get out of a slump, or just a fabulous book, pick this one up!

Book: I Must Betray You
Author: Ruta Sepetys

Review: Upfront, historical fiction isn’t something I gravitate toward, however I was interested in the synopsis. I felt that Ruta wrote this in a way that made the book exciting and all the characters were engaging.

Not gonna lie, as a historical fiction novel, I only added this to my TBR for 2 reasons. I am doing the Popsugar Challenge and one of the prompts is to read something set in the 1980’s. The second reason is because I was born in 1988 and this book is set in 1989 and it’s already considered historical fiction, and LAWD is that really what we’re doing now? WTF. But I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.

The Communists are failing all across Europe in 1989. There is a Romanian boy, Cristian who is living without any hopes of achiving his dreams. Instead he’s blackmailed into becoming an informer to tell on those around him. But can he do it?

I went into this blind about the subject. I hadn’t heard of the events that were happening in Romania in 89, so several times while reading it I went and Googled it to try to learn even more about it. Sepetys does a wonderful job with setting the feel for this book also, so I was melancholy and scared the whole time I was listening. I kept thinking he would be caught at every turn.

Unfortunately, with a premise like this, there’s only so much you can do. The entire thing was repetitive. He kept ensuring it would end well. He narcced on something. And then he realized someone else had also narcced on something. And then he realized that they they were all narccing on each other. It was really just a big book of mess.

Unfortunately I read this right as the mess with Ukraine and R_ssia started. I was watching the news and I remember thinking, I went from one global crisis to another. I finished before I started spiraling, but please be kind to yourself while reading this one right now.

The narration was good. I did not know before looking it up for this review that Sepetys herself was one of the narrators. That just made the experience even better. Idk, its just something about when the authors narrate their own stuff. They know when they want to the emphasis and they know when they want the pauses and stuff, so they always do it better than anyone else can. It’s always great.

The mystery was great tho. I was able to guess who it was, but when I tell you I didn’t get close to the extent that it was carried out. It really just goes to show you, in a time like this, don’t trust anyone. He let his guard down, but then when things in Romania started ramping up, he could definitely tell things weren’t as they thought.

This wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great. I don’t want to say too much about it because I know this is a me thing and not a it thing, because I didn’t exactly read this for pleasure. I know that Sepetys has A LOT of fans and I didn’t want them coming for me lol Having the mystery aspect helped alot, but it still wasn’t enough for me to rate this as high as Between Shades of Grey or The Fountains of Silence. But if you like his fic, you will love this one. Don’t let me and my review bring you down!

I really enjoy Ruta Sepetys' books. I like how she covers a historical event or time period that is often overlooked in history and shares it with the world through the eyes of young people. The characters are very engaging and she allows the readers to develop a relationship with the characters. She is a must read.

Thank you to Penguin, Netgalley, and Libro.fm for an early print copy and audio version of this book. It was amazing.

Ruta Sepetys has a true talent for writing historical fiction in a way that keeps the reader on the edge of their seat the entire time. I could not stop reading this book and I was annoyed when life got in the way of my reading time. She also provides a tremendous breadth of research that leaves me far more knowledgeable about these events in history, and for that, I am incredibly grateful.

I Must Betray You is set in Communist Romania in 1989. The main character, Cristian, is caught in the center of swirling betrayal as the government, ruled by a ruthless dictator, begins to unravel. No one can be trusted, everyone is being blackmailed, and there are spies everywhere, including Cristian. Where will he draw the line? Does he have a choice? Or is this the only way he can protect those he loves?

Another historical fiction home run for Ruta Sepetys. If you haven't read her other historical fiction books, queue those up next!

3.5/5 Stars

This book takes place in Romania in 1989, when the Russians were under communist law. They are governed by fear and isolation. After being found with an illegal American dollar bill, a 17 year old boy named Christian is blackmailed into becoming an informer for the secret police. He is told that he must spy and report on his friends and family in exchange for medicine for his sick grandfather. Christian believes he can outwit the police, but will he make it out alive?

I must admit, I had no idea about any of this history, but it was fascinating to learn more through Christian's eyes. I read this during the start of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and it made this story all the more devastating as history repeats itself. I liked the addition of the secret police reports, I thought that gave an interesting insight to the story. Especially because Christian believed he was getting away with a lot of the things he was doing behind the police's back. I really enjoyed Christian's relationship with his grandfather, and loved reading about them together. I thought the plot was nicely paced, and I liked how short the chapters were. I listened to this on audio, and I think the narrator did a really great job with this story. You could really hear the fear and uncertainty in his voice as he read Christian's story, and I loved that touch. Although a difficult subject, I flew through this book. I also really enjoyed the inclusion of Sepetys research in the back, I think that showed the reader that she truly cared about portraying the history well.

I'm not typically into historical fiction, but this book was soooo good! The story was very well researched and left me so emotional. This book made me feel like I was truly there and the characters were written so beautifully.

What usually turns me off from historical fiction is the complex writing and the slow pace, but this book pulled me in right away. This book felt so easy to read, and the short chapters made it so that I was unable to put it down. Serious chills in so many moments while reading this book. Definitely would recommend!

How does one sit back and watch another's life crumble before them? Is it your fault? No, but it does feel like you had some part it in. It feels like you could've stopped the suffering of thousands, even millions if you had just known. However, people are really good at playing Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Cristian made me feel powerful. He also made me feel cowardly. He embodied so many things that I wish I was in the face of adversity and despair--brave, courageous, unmoving, defiant. He fought for himself, his family, and his friends. He fought for life.

I was always told that communism looks good on paper but, in practice, it rears its ugly head. This book opened my eyes more to the injustices and cruelties that occur under these regimes. In America, we tend to be so far removed from these things that we never realize that peoples' lives are in constant danger every day under these totalitarian regimes and dictatorships. They try to disguise it as wanting all citizens to be equal and to have a fair society but it always ends with citizens suffering and dying without regard while the regime lives on without so much as a grumble for food. Sepetys truly immersed the reader in 1989 communist Romania. She made the reader question everyone as Cristian did. How can anyone be trusted? How does one live in a society where every turn is a trap. A wrong play in a long game of chess. In the end, trust became of fickle thing. Answers only raised more questions and truths become lies. The only thing left to hold on to was hope. Hope always wins.

This was a heart wrenching look inside a crisis I never learned about as a student. The fight for Romanian freedom and the oppression of the Ceaușescu regime was eye-opening to learn about and I'll definitely be reading more on this historical event! Rita Sepetys has absolutely enthralled me, once again. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this title!

This was a fast-paced, suspenseful and very informative YA historical fiction about communist Romania. I definitely learned a lot while reading this, and would read more by this author! It felt pretty timely and heavy, but definitely worth the read.

Wow, this one is heavy and hit me like a ton of bricks, but it was amazing. I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect from this book because I had very high expectations of Sepetys’s last book, The Fountains of Silence, and ended up being a bit disappointed by it – though it’s still a good read for sure.

I Must Betray You starts off a bit slow, but once it picks up around the 40-50% mark, things unfold very quickly. The characters are complex. They make mistakes and make choices you might not agree with but that is understandable and realistic. I found some of the secondary characters more interesting, and I wish we could get a companion novel or something about Cici, Cristian’s sister, but I also think that Cristian ended up being the best narrator for the book. I Must Betray You offers a look into what it might be like for children, teens, and young adults during conflicts, revolutions, etc. As I said, you might not agree with all of Cristian’s choices, but they make sense for a teen and in a situation where there is no easy or right choice – you don’t know what kind of choices you would make until you’re put in the same situation. Similarly, for much of the novel, I wasn’t sure how I felt about the romance subplot and the way it’s so central to Cristian, but again, it’s real that it would matter that much to a teen, even as you see it lead to devastating consequences.

The book really captured the feeling of fear and silence, of never knowing who to trust, even within your own family. It so clearly and viscerally makes you, the reader, feel the tight grip the Romanian communist regime had over the people, of the suffering and fear they must have felt. The structure of the book also lends itself well to this, even as it’s a bit too heavy-handed with the foreshadowing at times. Cristian constantly says things like “if only I knew then what was about to happen,” even when I don’t think it was needed. But it does build up the story and heightens the suspense and suspicion and uncertainty because you know something bad is going to happen, but you don’t know exactly how. It helps to build that uneasy feeling/atmosphere, which is part of what makes the book so good and so powerful.

I Must Betray You really shows the complexity of conflict and revolution. There are no clear black and white sides. There are no easy choices. Trying to survive can lead you to make bad decisions. The ending of the book really underscores this complexity. As Sepetys notes in her author’s note, while the somewhat open-ended ending might be frustrating, there are no neat and final answers. We can want a clear answer about what happened to Cici, but just as in real life, so many families never get that closure, never get those answers, or it might take decades for the truth to be uncovered. This reality is even more devastating but cemented for me the brilliance of Sepetys and her writing. I’ve been thinking about this book long after I finished it, and despite being one of the last books I read in 2021, it easily made it into my favorites of the year list.

Incredibly crafted story about a lesser-known period of history in a country that isn't well known to Western readers. It felt especially poignant with current events in Ukraine. I was invested from the very first page and found it difficult to put the book down. The intrigue made for an engrossing read that had me on the edge of my seat.

Holy cow, this book was so good. Ruta Sepetys is a little hit or miss for me but this one was a major hit. Planning to include this in my summer reading guide this year.

Historical fiction is traditionally not a popular genre for my students to read, but Ruta Sepetys is still a staple author in my library because she writes such interesting stories. And this newest one is no exception! The short chapters were refreshing, but also really helped to keep me engaged in the story--wondering what will happen next. The fact that I had never learned about this in school also added to the intrigue. And considering current events, this story was even more eerie. I hope many of my students pick up this book and learn a bit more about this part of the world.

WHY DID I LISTEN TO I MUST BETRAY YOU BY RUTA SEPETYS?
Ruta Sepetys is one of my MUST READ authors. I love historical fiction and her books are just top tier in the YA historical fiction genre. I Must Betray You is another book from Sepetys set during a historical era that I really don’t know a lot about. This was my first time reading a Sepetys book via audio rather than straight up reading it. Overall, it was a good experience — one that I might repeat on a re-read of Sepetys’s other books to see if they hold up.

WHAT’S THE STORY HERE?
Set in Romania 1989, I Must Betray You is about Cristian Florescu, a seventeen year old boy who wants to be a writer someday. Only, that isn’t possible in Romania under Nicolae Ceaușescu who is a dictator. The general atmosphere is one where people inform on each other just to survive and no one trusts anyone. Cristian gets forced into informing on his friend, the son of an American diplomat when he is caught with an American stamp. He is told that if he provides information he will receive medicine for his ailing grandfather. Honestly, life is really bleak at this point. He finds himself writing about what life is like, but this could also really backfire on him. Revolution is also in the air.

WHAT DID I THINK OF I MUST BETRAY YOU?
Well, I feel like I have more context for the Ceausescu era in Romanian history. That is, any context because I do not really remember learning about this in any of my history classes. I think probably one of the best things about Sepetys is that she is bringing to light historical events that aren’t covered extensively in American schools. This book was moving with a real conflict with Cristian’s decisions to be made. There is one part that I felt was hard to read involving a stroller and stray dogs. I wish I could have fast forwarded that part. OH and also, there’s definitely a connection to The Fountains Of Silence in I Must Betray You.

HOW’S THE NARRATION?
The audiobook of I Must Betray You is narrated by Edoardo Ballerini. Ballerini is a new to me audiobook narrator. I thought his narration came across with a note of gravitas. He made the story feel believable. This book was not a struggle to listen to. I found it very moving and emotionally tough in certain spots. The audiobook is 7 hours and 9 minutes — so a quick way to learn a little bit about recent history.

I always trust Ruta Sepetys to give us a wonderful YA historical fiction and this didn't disappoint. We follow Christian growing up in communist Romania who is blackmailed by the regime to become an informer and his grappling with how to get away with not doing so while not accidentally getting himself or his family hurt in the process. Ruta also provides resources in the author's note where you can learn more about the Romanian communist history and their freedom from dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu only after 1989. NINETY EIGHTY NINE. That seems so current when it comes to stories like this. While Christian and his family are fictional characters, Ruta explains in her author's note that she did extensive research and asked people to tell their stories of growing up during the regime in order to create this story.

Highly recommend this and all of Ruta Sepetys' work.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing an eARC of this novel.

I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys, 336 pages. Philomel (Penguin), 2022. $19
Language: PG (17 swears, 0 ‘f’); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG-13 (beatings, murder, war crimes)

BUYING ADVISORY: MS, HS - ESSENTIAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

17yo Cristian and his family are barely keeping life together. Living under Ceausescu’s Communist dictatorial regime in 1989 Romania is degrading to body and soul. Then one day he is summoned to an office and given a choice – start informing on the American ambassador where your mother works as a cleaner, or be prosecuted for the crimes that others have revealed about you. Eyes are always watching everywhere in Romania, and Cristian decides his voice will be heard in a positive way. As other communist countries start falling, Cristian decides to sneak his journal to the American ambassador and hopefully word will get out. Then the revolution starts in Romania – Cristian may die if he joins, but how can he not?

OMG – While I knew in giant strokes the story of the Romanian Revolution – it is history of my own life time – I had absolutely no idea the extent of Ceausescu’s villainy. Sepetys includes many pages of resources of source material and information about her conversations with Romanians who lived this history – including the very famous gymnast, Nadia Comaneci, who manage to cross the border just before the revolution exploded. Will students embrace this? If they’ve read Refugee by Gratz, they can certainly be pointed towards this as a next step. And bring this to the attention of your history and geography teachers who can certainly suggest it to their students. Intense, powerful, tearful.

Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS

Well that was amazing and completely heartbreaking. I will admit that I know almost nothing about Romania and their history and this shed a small, but important light on such a horrible time for the Romanian people living under tyranny. I'm so glad to have read this book and will be seeking out more accounts of Romania in this time and it's history. It was astounding the conditions people were forced to live under and taught were the norm. This story proves that you can do anything to try and break people, but there will always be those who will fight back no matter what the cost. To see how the government used fear to not only harm the citizens physically, but almost emotionally by threatening their family members was heartbreaking. To see into Cristian 's mind and the inter turmoil he faced was so sad, but also eye opening. The strength and resilience of the Romanian people at this time was incredible and I just felt so devastated for them and proud of their resistance to remove this tyrannical rule.  This book will always stick with me and has fueled my need to learn more about not only this country, but other countries and stories that are rarely told.

Well researched and masterfully told, this story of teenager Cristian Florescu, draws us into relatively recent Romanian history where its people are ruled with fear and force by depraved communist dictator, Nicolae Ceausescu. Cristian, afraid of what could be done to his loved ones, unwillingly becomes an informant for the secret police. When revolution begins to take hold in the surrounding countries in Eastern Europe, Cristian is faced with difficult choices that could lead to deadly consequences.

Ruta Sepetys has the ability to bring little known history to life in a way that makes the reader feel as if they have fallen right into the book. What an informative and powerful read!

Thank you to netgalley for providing an e-galley for review. I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys is a historical fiction book about the Cold War in Romania. At the time of this writing, Russia is attempting to invade the Ukraine so this book is particularly timely. This book tells the tale of a teenage boy living through Cold War Romania, when you don't know who is an informer, who is a friend and how to just survive the night. This incredible story was put together from first hand accounts from people who lived through these atrocities.