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Ruta Sepetys doesn't freaking miss! I don't think they'll ever be a book by her that disappoints me because she's so brilliant. If you're look for YA historical fiction that explores periods of times, perspectives, experiences, cultures, countries that often are left out of the narrative look no further than this author. I loved this book to pieces and honestly I can't wait to read it again. I received this book for review, but all thoughts are my own.

I Must Betray You is set against the backdrop of the rule of communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu. Romanians are living in constant fear of the government and each other. Without adequate food, electricity, medical care, clothing, connections to the global community, Ceausescu and his followers were able to commit some of the worst human atrocities. The story itself is told from the perspective of Christian who is forced to become of an informant after he is found with illegal currency (an American dollar). Readers follow Christian day to day as he describes what life is like in Romania and how complicated his life becomes as an informant.

The story is told in short chapters which makes the book more digestible. It's not by any means an easy read. After all, this book covers the Romanian Revolution which takes place in 1989 which isn't even forty years ago. The simple things that I take for granted sometimes like having access to electricity at night, having access to a grocery store are some of the most difficult things for Christian and his family. Things get even more complex when the book begins to address the beginnings of the Romanian Revolution. It is truly heartbreaking to watch people who have suffered so much rise up to end a dictatorship only to find themselves back in a similar situation. I couldn't imagine living in world where I couldn't trust anyone. Friends, families, lovers, teachers, classmates---everyone had potential to be an informant. Speaking of informants, there are some really interesting chapters which are the reports of someone in the book who is an informant that's not Christian and the twist that comes at the end is rather mind-blowing.

One of my favorite parts of any Sepetys book is the writing It's always so lyrical and does a heck of a job capturing the emotions behind the characters. This book was no different. Readers will feel Christian's anguish, his longing to be somewhere else, his struggles trying to navigate first love while trying to survive. I soaked up every single world and connected with Christian in a way that I didn't expect. Overall, this was a heartbreakingly beautiful story and I recommend it to anyone who is in to historical fiction.