I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys is a book that really tugs on your heartstrings. It follows Cristian Florescu, a 17-year-old boy who lives in Romania when it was still behind the iron curtain. He lives in a Romania where you have no privacy and your loved ones could be spying on you and reporting back to higher authorities. A Romania where if you step out of line or break a single rule, you could be sent away forever. One day, he’s called on to report on an American ambassador’s kid, and in doing so, he starts to suspect more and more that other people are reporting on him and the people he loves. But, he has to keep reporting on the American kid, because the government is providing medicine for his sick grandfather. He has to betray the ones he loves to provide for them.
I don’t cry over many books, but I Must Betray You was so bitter-sweet that I cried over it multiple times. It truly was a beautiful book to read, and I loved every page of it. I’d rate it five out of five stars! I would recommend I Must Betray You to anyone ages 12+ who like historical fiction.