Book Review: "Secret Summer Dreams" ("Holly's Heart", No. 2) by Beverly Lewis

IMPORTANT: Starting with this review, I will no longer be doing an assessment of "moral content" in my reviews of Christian media such as this, unless it has a concern I find significant enough to mention.  I have also changed the format a bit; look at this post compared to the others, and you'll see.  Now, on with the review:

Synopsis: Holly Meredith wants nothing more than to visit her father, whom she hasn't seen since her parents divorced years ago.  Unfortunately, her mother isn't too keen on the idea, and neither is her best friend Andie.  Worse yet, Holly's mom now seems to be romantically involved with a guy named Mr. Tate, whose son Zachary is continually blowing chowder.  Will Holly get to visit Daddy-O? What's wrong with little Zachary? And, more importantly, will Holly-Heart have to get used to a new stepfather?

Story: 4/5
As she did in the first Holly's Heart book, Beverly Lewis spins a good tween-centric yarn about a preteen's struggles.  It's so short that it feels like a television episode, but, as someone who grew up watching more sitcoms than movies, it's right up my alley.

Writing: 4/5
Again, this is right on par with the premiere novel in the series, which isn't a bad thing.  It's easy to read, easy to follow, easy to understand, and appropriate for its audience; those are all the signs of good writing.

Conclusion: As a twenty-four-year-old kid at heart, I am really enjoying this series.  Fans of "tween" entertainment such as Lizzie McGuire or iCarly will definitely find plenty to love about Holly-Heart and her friends and family.

Score: 4/5