I am writing this months after having read I Must Betray You which only proves that Ruta Sepetys’s work is so profound and rich and haunting that I am able to speak of it with such clarity after so long.

I Must Betray You is an absolute gem of a book. It is a living and breathing tome of palpable description, gripping internal and external conflicts, jaw-dropping betrayals and plot twists that will leave your fingers burning as you try turn the pages quicker. Its fast pace and high tension will have the hair on the back of your neck standing upright and you will not be able to put it down.

I Must Betray You a truly heartbreaking story based on real events in recent history, before and during the Romanian Revolution of 1989. It is a story of the realities of oppression, highlighting the lengths wicked people are willing to go to break others, and it proves that people working together and supporting each other are not only the strengths of humankind but integral to living lives of peace and freedom.

Ruta Sepetys has a mesmerising way of immersing a reader into her work. From the first page I was invested, unable to look away and at times struggling to not dart my eyes a little further ahead to find the answers sooner. Her tone and utilisation of the senses to bring the reader into this world are incomparable. You can taste the fear, hear the anxiety, feel the intensity, smell the misery and see the breaking of human beings as social people, as a people who need community to live.

This is by far my favourite book of Ruta’s and it has cemented her as not only my favourite historical fiction writer but as one of my favourite writers overall. I beg of you – pick up this book. It is the best modern historical fiction book you will read this year and you will not regret it one bit. You may only regret that you didn’t pick it up sooner.