Book Review: I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys

Title: I Must Betray You

Author: Ruta Sepetys

Series/Standalone: Standalone
Genre: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Fiction

Pages: 321

Publisher: Penguin

Year Published: 2022

Format: Hardcover (Own it)

"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?

A gut-wrenching, startling window into communist Romania and the citizen spy network that devastated a nation, from the number one New York Times best-selling, award-winning author of Salt to the Sea and Between Shades of Gray."

My Rating: 4/5

It's been a while since I've read a Ruta Sepetys book. This story follows our main character, Cristian, a teen who dreams of a world he's not even sure exists. In communist Romania, human rights are unheard of, and so is trust. Trust in your neighbours, friends and family. Isolation is king, well, that and their leader, Nicolae. But what happens when this teen is recruited to inform and begins to get a deeper look at what his country may lack? 

This was a book my husband and I read together. He chose this one because it wasn't something that either of us knew a lot about. One thing about this author is that she doesn't shy away from reality; she paints it in all its unforgivable light. Which was eye-opening. That being said, I had some issues with the pacing of the book. I felt a lot of the book was a lead-up, and then the main "action" was quick and not even fully over before the epilogue. I was hoping for a little more information in the revolution section of the book. I look forward to reading more from this author and seeing what else I've yet to explore from her. 

Thanks for reading,

Sidny