The Hidalgo family is back in the long-awaited sequel to Through My Window, book one in the Hidalgo series by Ariana Godoy. Through You, the English translation of A través de ti takes us back to the Hidalgo family’s life. This time the story is told through the point of view of the oldest brother Artemis Hidalgo and his love interest Claudia, who happens to be the housekeeper for the Hidalgo family.
Claudia knows the wealthy, gorgeous Hidalgo brothers better than most people: she lives with them, after all. Once she was just the housekeeper’s daughter, but now she looks after the whole household. At one time, she shared a spark with the eldest brother, Artemis, since they grew up side by side. Yet there’s no world where they could be together.
Now Artemis is back from university, in the house, in the pool, in her mind—invading all Claudia’s safe spaces, and behaving hot and cold towards her. Where there once was tentative friendship, something more ignites. Claudia must protect her future and her heart as things become more serious with the man set to take over the Hidalgo family business.
As Claudia and Artemis realize that they connect completely in so many ways, they won’t let anything—family obligations, social prejudices or personal history—keep them apart.
Although Through You is the sequel to Through My Window, it reads like a stand-alone. I say this because it’s all Claudia and Artemis’s story. While there are some moments where we get a few mentions of Ares and Raquel, it’s in passing. So, if you were looking for more Ares and Raquel, that’s not what this story is about. Based on everything in the story, it seems to indicate that everything happening in Through You is happening simultaneously with the events we read in Through My Window. This is its own story, and that’s good for the characters.
Through You is a friends-to-lovers romance, one of my favorite tropes. It also shifts a little bit and turns into enemies to lovers with the way that Claudia and Artemis fight with one another. That is not unheard of in friends-to-lovers romances, however. Godoy does a good job of showcasing that rift in their relationship and making it at all points relatable. Particularly because Artemis and Claudia are similar in many ways. The two have been taking care of their family and never really putting themselves first.
Artemis felt like he had to stick with the family business to support his father and his brothers after his mother and father’s relationship was drastically changed. Claudia is going to school while caring for her sick mother, with whom she spent part of her childhood homeless. Because of everything they have both gone through, they put up walls around their heart. Especially Artemis.
When Artemis gave his heart to Claudia, he was rejected, and after five years, he still felt the sting of that rejection. What he didn’t know was why Claudia had to leave him. As you read the story, Godoy makes it clear to the reader exactly why they were torn apart, which feels like being in on the secret. She also does a wonderful job of showcasing Claudia and Artemis’s vulnerability about re-opening their hearts to each other.
Once they start trying to re-develop their relationship, it’s not without obstacles. No great love story is. As their story continues, though, you really want them to stop being stubborn and finally admit how they feel. When they finally do, it’s heartwarming. The journey there is worth it
While I enjoyed Through You, I must admit that Through My Window is still my favorite book in this series. I think it’s because of how much I liked Raquel and Ares. This is not to say I didn’t like Artemis and Claudia, I did. But I still loved Raquel and Ares more. Nonetheless, I recommend giving this one a read if you want to know more about Artemis Hidalgo. It’s also an excellent way to prepare yourself for A traves del Mar, the second film, which releases sometime later this year on Netflix.
Through You is available now, wherever books are sold.