Historical

I Must Betray You

I Must Betray You

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  • Create Date：2022-01-11 07:19:23
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Ruta Sepetys
  • ISBN：198483603X
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Summary

Romania， 1989。 Communist regimes are crumbling across Europe。 Seventeen-year-old Cristian Florescu dreams of becoming a writer， but Romanians aren’t free to dream; they are bound by rules and force。

Amidst the tyrannical dictatorship of Nicolae Ceaușescu in a country governed by isolation and fear， Cristian is blackmailed by the secret police to become an informer。 He’s left with only two choices: betray everyone and everything he loves—or use his position to creatively undermine the most notoriously evil dictator in Eastern Europe。

Cristian risks everything to unmask the truth behind the regime， give voice to fellow Romanians， and expose to the world what is happening in his country。 He eagerly joins the revolution to fight for change when the time arrives。 But what is the cost of freedom？

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Reviews

Andy ，

Thank you to Penguin Teen and Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review。 All opinions are my own。Damn Sepetys did it again。 Her writing and books are phenomenal。 Rep: All Romanian cast， male side character who loses an arm， chronically ill elderly male side character， Roma male side character。 CWs: Blood， confinement， death， death of parent， emotional and physical abuse （government to its people）， genocide， grief， injury/injury detail， murder， police brutality， stalking， violence。 M Thank you to Penguin Teen and Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review。 All opinions are my own。Damn Sepetys did it again。 Her writing and books are phenomenal。 Rep: All Romanian cast， male side character who loses an arm， chronically ill elderly male side character， Roma male side character。 CWs: Blood， confinement， death， death of parent， emotional and physical abuse （government to its people）， genocide， grief， injury/injury detail， murder， police brutality， stalking， violence。 Moderate: torture， gun violence， chronic illness， war。 Minor: cancer。 。。。more

Gigi ，

I will read anything Ruta Sepetys writes so of course I jumped at the chance to read this！ I'm sure this reveals much about my schooling and my general knowledge of history but I always love how she writes from events and POVs I almost never see in other historical fiction or have ever heard of。 I thought I Must Betray You was such a fascinating story and I found Christian's pov to be so engaging。 His thoughts about life under communism/totalitarianism were heartbreaking but so poetic as well。 T I will read anything Ruta Sepetys writes so of course I jumped at the chance to read this！ I'm sure this reveals much about my schooling and my general knowledge of history but I always love how she writes from events and POVs I almost never see in other historical fiction or have ever heard of。 I thought I Must Betray You was such a fascinating story and I found Christian's pov to be so engaging。 His thoughts about life under communism/totalitarianism were heartbreaking but so poetic as well。 The only sort of thing I didn't care for was how quick the ending was， some of the emotional punches felt kind of flat and also I KNOW that some of the glamorisation of America and American media was meant to highlight the differences but like。。。 maybe let's not glamorize capitalism， hm？ 。。。more

adithi ，

OH MY GOD， HELLO HEARTBREAK！！！ FINALLY A NEW RUTA SEPETYS BOOK！！！

Samantha Taylor ，

Ruta Sepetys did it again！ Another great historical novel that gripped me and go through so many emotions。 You are following a young Romanian 17 year old boy who has been inspired by his grandfather and wants his country to be free。 But he has learned so much secrets and lies and has to decide who to trust and who to betray， even his own family。 This novel was heartbreaking and I always learn so much from her novels。 I definitely recommend this read。 Thank you penguin teen for an E-arc！

Maureen ，

Absolutely one of the best novels I have ever read。 My heart was in my throat much of the time as I worried about Cristian， Lilliana， Luca， Bunu and the rest。 This takes place in communist Romania。 No one could be trusted and families and friends often turned against each other。 This was a heartbreaking time in history that I didn’t know much about。 Thank you to Edelweiss and the publisher for allowing me to be an early reader in exchange for my review。

Mads ，

*Thank you Edelweiss for providing an ARC of this novel！*I have always been moved by Ruta Sepetys’ writing and her ability to shine a light on difficult and often untold stories。 She delivers again with a beautiful and heartbreaking story told through the eyes of young Cristian Florescu set in Communist Romania in 1989。 Cristian’s courage and conviction to reveal the truth of the horrific adversities his country has endured create a gripping and emotional narrative。 Sepetys succeeds in creating *Thank you Edelweiss for providing an ARC of this novel！*I have always been moved by Ruta Sepetys’ writing and her ability to shine a light on difficult and often untold stories。 She delivers again with a beautiful and heartbreaking story told through the eyes of young Cristian Florescu set in Communist Romania in 1989。 Cristian’s courage and conviction to reveal the truth of the horrific adversities his country has endured create a gripping and emotional narrative。 Sepetys succeeds in creating a nuanced character who is imperfect but also admired as he ultimately strives to protect those he loves。 Overall， an amazing story that everyone should pick up and read！ 。。。more

Atlanta Bushnell ，

Wow…this book。 Review coming soon。

Cait | GoodeyReads ，

Somehow slow and fast？I learned a lot about this period of history though。Full review to come soon！

jackie ，

Review to come closer to the publication day

Savannah （forest_reader） ，

I always know going into a Ruta Sepetys novel that I'm going to learn about a part of history I previously knew nothing about。 I Must Betray You was no exception！ Learning about communist Romania in 1989 was truly eye-opening。 Sepetys paints a detailed picture about what life was like living there with all the betrayals and poverty。 Unfortunately， I feel like painting this picture got in the way of deep character development and the plot in the first half of the book。 While it was interesting le I always know going into a Ruta Sepetys novel that I'm going to learn about a part of history I previously knew nothing about。 I Must Betray You was no exception！ Learning about communist Romania in 1989 was truly eye-opening。 Sepetys paints a detailed picture about what life was like living there with all the betrayals and poverty。 Unfortunately， I feel like painting this picture got in the way of deep character development and the plot in the first half of the book。 While it was interesting learning about Romanian life， it felt very much like going through the motions for too long。 The second half picked up a lot though， and it lived up to my expectations of lots of action and revolution！ So while this wasn't my favorite Ruta Sepetys novel， it was still inspiring and taught me a lot about this little-known part of history。 I really appreciated the author's note going deeper into the history as well as pictures from that time。 An interesting historical fiction！Writing Aesthetic/Style: 5Plot/Movement: 3Character Development: 4Overall: 4Thank you， Penguin Teen， for the ARC！ 。。。more

Nursebookie ，

Rita Sepetys may have outdone herself this time with this Historical Fiction YA Thriller， I Must Betray You。 The writing was so fast paced and so thrilling - my heart is racing。 I love the use of the la gauge identifying the chapter numbers as well。 I really enjoyed the immersive world building where there is a lot of tension between the government and the people。 the picture painted about the suffering， fear， and the oppression was so visual， visceral and very well written。 My heart yearns for Rita Sepetys may have outdone herself this time with this Historical Fiction YA Thriller， I Must Betray You。 The writing was so fast paced and so thrilling - my heart is racing。 I love the use of the la gauge identifying the chapter numbers as well。 I really enjoyed the immersive world building where there is a lot of tension between the government and the people。 the picture painted about the suffering， fear， and the oppression was so visual， visceral and very well written。 My heart yearns for the people who are given no choice but to succumb and to follow the dictators。 I find the short chapters really moving the story line very quickly giving a sense of tension and atmospheric read that really paints the picture well for what the country is going through。 I am really excited to read the rest of this unbelievably touching and heart breaking story！ 。。。more

Erin ，

Thank you to Penguin Teen， Yallfest 2021， and Ruta Sepetys for the ARC of I Must Betray You。First of all， I have enjoyed and gotten a lot out of each Ruta Sepetys book I have read。 She does an amazing job of both engaging the reader and telling a piece of history that many might not be familiar with。 And I Must Betray You is no different。 This book tells the story of Romania in 1989 from the perspective of Cristian， a seventeen year old who dreams of becoming a writer in a country where freedoms Thank you to Penguin Teen， Yallfest 2021， and Ruta Sepetys for the ARC of I Must Betray You。First of all， I have enjoyed and gotten a lot out of each Ruta Sepetys book I have read。 She does an amazing job of both engaging the reader and telling a piece of history that many might not be familiar with。 And I Must Betray You is no different。 This book tells the story of Romania in 1989 from the perspective of Cristian， a seventeen year old who dreams of becoming a writer in a country where freedoms， including that of speech， don't exist。 I Must Betray You is a relatively short and quick read unlike its predecessor， The Fountains of Silence。 I liked that Sepetys incorporated （fictional） reports within the novel and included （real） photos from the era at the end。 Also， the story itself was pretty easy to follow along and I found Cristian to be a good main character and also enjoyed the secondary characters as well。 I really only have two complaints about I Must Betray You and truthfully they really aren't complaints。 First， I think some readers will feel like Sepetys should have used a different character as the main character since their story would have been more intriguing。 However， I personally liked that we see what happens in Romania from the perspective of an average teenager。 With that said， Sepetys does drop some twists in the epilogue that definitely left me wishing for more。 I understood the point of those twists but it was a little unfair （？） that they were just handed to the reader without any depth to them。My second non-complaint complaint is that having also gotten an ARC of This Rebel Heart （which covers the 1956 Hungarian revolution in post-WWII Communist Budapest and is written by Katherine Locke） I could not help but compare the two since they are so so similar in terms of topic/history covered despite the difference in eras。 And in my opinion， This Rebel Heart， is a better book。 As a result， I do kind of worry/am curious to see how the two novels stack up against each other once they are both out in the world。 I do think together they could make for an interesting classroom assignment。 All in all， I'm glad I got a chance to read I Must Betray You and I thought it was a really good book。 Perhaps not as good as some Sepetys books but definitely worth reading。 。。。more

Renee Hale ，

Wow， wow， wow！ I received an e-ARC from the publisher。 This could be my new favorite by her。

Michelle Lindsey ，

I read this in exactly 4 hours and 28 minutes。 I couldn't stop。 No one could talk to me， I couldn't cook， I couldn't sleep。 I had to keep going。 I read this in exactly 4 hours and 28 minutes。 I couldn't stop。 No one could talk to me， I couldn't cook， I couldn't sleep。 I had to keep going。 。。。more

Tori ，

This book is the definition of a page turner。 I kept thinking it was going to be slow， and too introspective but then it would pivot and you would be like "damn"She does such a good job of bringing you into the culture in scene and the isolation these people feel。 You keep thinking its like the 40's or 50's with how primitive things are， but then they have the scene with the video camera and your like "oh crap， this is in the late 80's， oh my gosh"。 Run dont walk and get this book。 You won't be This book is the definition of a page turner。 I kept thinking it was going to be slow， and too introspective but then it would pivot and you would be like "damn"She does such a good job of bringing you into the culture in scene and the isolation these people feel。 You keep thinking its like the 40's or 50's with how primitive things are， but then they have the scene with the video camera and your like "oh crap， this is in the late 80's， oh my gosh"。 Run dont walk and get this book。 You won't be sorry。 I immensely enjo this book。 。。。more

Nicole ，

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review。2022 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge: A book set in the 1980s4。5 stars rounded up。Can Ruta Sepetys just write all of the historical fiction forever and ever？ Because yes， please。This book grips you from the first page and just doesn't let you go。 This is the compelling story of Cristian who lives in Romania in 1989。 Communism is failing （and falling） everywhere around them， yet the Romanians are stuck。 They are living in fear: f I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review。2022 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge: A book set in the 1980s4。5 stars rounded up。Can Ruta Sepetys just write all of the historical fiction forever and ever？ Because yes， please。This book grips you from the first page and just doesn't let you go。 This is the compelling story of Cristian who lives in Romania in 1989。 Communism is failing （and falling） everywhere around them， yet the Romanians are stuck。 They are living in fear: fear of their government， fear of each other， fear of everything。 However， Cristian knows that times are changing - but what he doesn't know is who is betraying his family。 This is a solid read。 I have to hand it Sepetys - she has a talent for picking areas in history that aren't well known and just thrusting you into the lives of the people who lived them。 Her stories are compelling， they feel real， and they immerse you completely。 I'm also happy that this one was shorter than her last one - this will definitely keep YA audiences invested。 The text is just the right length to tell a satisfying story。 If historical fiction is your jam - definitely pick this one up。 。。。more

Kim McGee ，

Another riveting and powerful story of oppressed teens forced to make sacrifices and decisions few in the world would ever have to make。 Romania in 1989 under Communist rule by a dictator who has bled the country and its people dry both in withholding their freedom， fuel and food replacing them with fear。 Young Cristian sees his parent's lives spent at work or in lines for supplies， his older sister growing old before her time and his grandfather who is a vocal rebel but is dying because of a la Another riveting and powerful story of oppressed teens forced to make sacrifices and decisions few in the world would ever have to make。 Romania in 1989 under Communist rule by a dictator who has bled the country and its people dry both in withholding their freedom， fuel and food replacing them with fear。 Young Cristian sees his parent's lives spent at work or in lines for supplies， his older sister growing old before her time and his grandfather who is a vocal rebel but is dying because of a lack of medicine。 Family， loyalty and the struggle to obtain something we have always taken for granted - freedom。 Young adult that pulls no punches and is the perfect crossover for adults and older middle grade readers。 My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy。 。。。more

Brad Sells ，

I Must Betray You is another heartbreaking， yet hopeful Ruta Sepetys novel that taught me about one of the darkest times in history I had no clue about and the resilience of so many brave people。 I can always count on Ruta Sepetys to bring forth a novel with beautiful writing， incredible characters， and phenomenal storytelling - and I Must Betray You is another breathtaking addition to her collection。

Jessica S ，

W O W。 Full review to come

Mark ，

I spent 4 days in Romania around the time this novel was set in 1989 and this is an illuminating look at what a totalitarian state looks like。 The author once again successfully brings to life how a young person might deal with oppression and terror on a daily basis。 Great book of historical fiction。

Laura Jones ，

I Must Betray You is a captivating yet sobering， well-researched， and heart-wrenching story of courage， hope， and the undeniable bond of love， set in Romania， a country run by an evil， tyrannical dictatorship in the 1980s。 Ruta Sepetys novels are truly masterful examples of historical fiction， and I love them all。 She expertly spotlights a lesser known portion of history and tells the story of extreme bravery during impossibly dangerous and devastating atrocity。 As an adult， I have learned so mu I Must Betray You is a captivating yet sobering， well-researched， and heart-wrenching story of courage， hope， and the undeniable bond of love， set in Romania， a country run by an evil， tyrannical dictatorship in the 1980s。 Ruta Sepetys novels are truly masterful examples of historical fiction， and I love them all。 She expertly spotlights a lesser known portion of history and tells the story of extreme bravery during impossibly dangerous and devastating atrocity。 As an adult， I have learned so much from her stories。 My favorite book of hers and one of my favorite books of all time is Salt to the Sea。 If you haven't read it， I would highly encourage you to try it。 It is wonderful。 。。。more

Jamie （The Perpetual Page-Turner） ，

Ruta Sepetys has been making me cry since that fateful day in 2011 when I decided to listen to Between Shades of Grey on audiobook during a short solo road trip。 She's been serving up tears and some of the best historical fiction ever since！ Ready to be destroyed and taken on a dive into a slice of history I probably didn't know much about before。 Ruta Sepetys has been making me cry since that fateful day in 2011 when I decided to listen to Between Shades of Grey on audiobook during a short solo road trip。 She's been serving up tears and some of the best historical fiction ever since！ Ready to be destroyed and taken on a dive into a slice of history I probably didn't know much about before。 。。。more

Rachel ，

ARC

Jill booksandescape ，

I received an advance ebook copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for review。I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys is a novel of historical fiction。 It takes place in the communist era of Romania。 The main character is Cristian， a seventeen-year-old who dreams of being a writer。 Cristian gets blackmailed into informing for the authorities。 He decides to use his position to his advantage to undermine the dictator。 He plans to help expose to the rest of the world what is happening in Romani I received an advance ebook copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for review。I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys is a novel of historical fiction。 It takes place in the communist era of Romania。 The main character is Cristian， a seventeen-year-old who dreams of being a writer。 Cristian gets blackmailed into informing for the authorities。 He decides to use his position to his advantage to undermine the dictator。 He plans to help expose to the rest of the world what is happening in Romania and help give voice to his fellow Romanians。 Cristian eagerly joins the revolution。This is a powerful book that is so heartbreaking and scary。 Ruta Sepetys has written a spectacular story that takes place in such a little-known part of world history。 I am eager to go back and read more from Ruta Sepetys。 。。。more

Amanda Johnston ，

My goodness！ Ruta Sepetys is so talented。 Her books always draw me in to the places and lives she writes about， and this was no exception。 She beautifully brings to life people and shares their heartache and sorrow。 This book brings humanity to history。 On another note， this is the first historical fiction book I’ve read that takes place in my lifetime。 It was strange to have flashes of memory from my childhood as I read the names of places and landmark events。

Stay Fetters ，

"How could we expect others to feel our pain or hear our cries for help when all we could do was whisper？"Nineteen eighty-nine was the year we welcomed a new president into the White House， the World Wide Web was invented， the Berlin Wall came tumbling down， and the game boy made its first appearance。 People only knew what the tv and radio told them， no one knew of the true horrors that were happening in Romania。 No one knew until the citizens stuck up for themselves and started a revolution。 Ev "How could we expect others to feel our pain or hear our cries for help when all we could do was whisper？"Nineteen eighty-nine was the year we welcomed a new president into the White House， the World Wide Web was invented， the Berlin Wall came tumbling down， and the game boy made its first appearance。 People only knew what the tv and radio told them， no one knew of the true horrors that were happening in Romania。 No one knew until the citizens stuck up for themselves and started a revolution。 Even though I was young at the time， I remember hearing about these events。 Romania has been a place that I've always wanted to visit。 It has such a rich history that I'm fascinated by it。 This book brought forth so many things that people around the world didn't know were happening at the time。 The events that were taking place in the late eighties were things we all read about in the history books that took place forty-plus years ago。 It's devastating。 Ruta takes us back to those times and shares a special story from the perspective of a teenage boy named Nicolae。We are all ones to judge how Nicolae handled certain situations。 He was smart， brave， and a teenager in a time of anguish。 We make comments on how we would have handled things。 It's one thing to say what you would do but you don't know how you would handle this until you're actually faced with these issues。 Here， actions definitely speak louder than words， and Nicolae and his friends stepped up to the plate。 Ruta makes you feel for the choices that they have to make in order to survive。 She also lets you know that these are teenagers trying to survive and that they make mistakes。 This book is so well researched and she stayed true to the horrors that Romanians faced。 She also adds a touching and breaking story about a teenager trying to live and break free from communist control。 This book certainly hits you like a ton of bricks and I enjoyed this a lot。 The story， the history， and the revolt were so amazing。 I loved how the author added in actual photos from that time with a little history describing what was going on。 It all played out perfectly。I Must Betray You was an amazing and emotional read。 Ruta gives you an experience that you have never witnessed before and I can't believe what I read。 It was powerful and gives you lots of hope for the future。 This is a masterpiece from a powerhouse author。 I can't recommend this enough。 。。。more

Dorothy Minor ，

Ruta Sepetys writes mesmerizing prose。 Her stories capture the readers and keep them glued to the pages to discover what happens next。 She often takes on little-known subjects and provides readers with historical background on the subject。 That is the case with I Must Betray You， her latest novel。 The story is set in Romania in 1989 and features Cristian Florescu， who dreams of becoming a writer。 Sadly， in a Communist country， people are not free to dream; they must adhere to strict rules。 As he Ruta Sepetys writes mesmerizing prose。 Her stories capture the readers and keep them glued to the pages to discover what happens next。 She often takes on little-known subjects and provides readers with historical background on the subject。 That is the case with I Must Betray You， her latest novel。 The story is set in Romania in 1989 and features Cristian Florescu， who dreams of becoming a writer。 Sadly， in a Communist country， people are not free to dream; they must adhere to strict rules。 As he becomes， through no choice of his own， an informer for the secret police， Cristian finds himself between the proverbial rock and hard place。 How will he overcome his problems？ And what risks will Cristian take？ How do we readers learn Cristian’s story？ In the beginning pages， readers find that “A metal box。 Found next to a grave。 Inside was a manuscript。 This is how one boy told the story” of hardship， tyranny， and terror。Sepetys has developed a thriller in I Must Betray You。 It is a must read。 。。。more

Jada ，

I love the cover and the name

Lindsay （pawsomereads） ，

4。5⭐️Ruta Sepetys is well-known for capturing and highlighting the moments in history that aren’t commonly taught in educational curricula。 She has such a talent for drawing you into a story and making you feel all the things these fictional characters are feeling while also including subtle reminders that the devastation and heartbreak included in her books unfortunately aren’t all fiction。 I only started reading her books this year and she’s quickly become one of my favorite authors。 I’m so ex 4。5⭐️Ruta Sepetys is well-known for capturing and highlighting the moments in history that aren’t commonly taught in educational curricula。 She has such a talent for drawing you into a story and making you feel all the things these fictional characters are feeling while also including subtle reminders that the devastation and heartbreak included in her books unfortunately aren’t all fiction。 I only started reading her books this year and she’s quickly become one of my favorite authors。 I’m so excited to be able to talk about how much I thoroughly enjoyed another work of hers。 I Must Betray You takes place in communist Romania only a few decades ago when the country was under the dictatorial rule of Nicolae Ceausescu。 The story follows Cristian， a boy who dreams of becoming a writer but must put these dreams on hold for the safety of himself and his family。 When he is blackmailed by Romania’s secret police to become an informant and report on his fellow Romanians as well as the son of a U。S。 diplomat， Cristian struggles with deciding between doing what is safe for those he loves and what is right for his country。 This book had such a dystopian feel to it， very similar to the sentiments expressed in 1984， but this is drawing from a piece of reality。 I was so immersed through the writing and the internal conflict of the characters。 I can’t imagine being forced to live in such a paranoid state all the time。 Cristian， his family and friends all had to live by the motto of trust no one in order to avoid punishment from the Securitate， or the secret police。 As with all books by this author， I was left with a lasting impression and she has again accomplished her goal of not letting the suffering or the triumphs of these people go forgotten。 。。。more

Melissa ，

Ruta Sepetys is an author that I will read over and over again。 She knows how to take a true story that not many people have heard about and write it in such a way that you can feel the desperation and fear coming from the main characters。 I Must Betray You takes place in 1980s Romania， which is under the Communist regime of Nicolae Ceausescu。 The people live In constant fear， whispering in corners， not knowing who they can trust。 They are all under surveillance by the government with neighbors， Ruta Sepetys is an author that I will read over and over again。 She knows how to take a true story that not many people have heard about and write it in such a way that you can feel the desperation and fear coming from the main characters。 I Must Betray You takes place in 1980s Romania， which is under the Communist regime of Nicolae Ceausescu。 The people live In constant fear， whispering in corners， not knowing who they can trust。 They are all under surveillance by the government with neighbors， friends， and/or family members reporting on them which leads them to mistrust everyone。 In the middle of all this， we have Cristian， a high school student who gets blackmailed into becoming an informer， but he still dreams of living in a free Romania。 The fast pacing and short chapters keep the reader engaged while the setting and characters make you feel a part of the story。 This is a powerful and well-researched story and I highly recommend it。 Thank you to Edelweiss， NetGalley， and the publisher for a digital arc in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=I Must Betray You

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=I Must Betray You&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,I Must Betray You&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0