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Holly's Heart #2
Secret Summer Dreams
Despite her mother's objections, thirteen-year-old Holly wants to visit her long-unseen father in California, not only to renew their relationship, but to talk to him about the Lord
141 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 1993
About the author
Beverly Lewis
258 books3,049 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Beverly Lewis, raised in Pennsylvania Amish country and both a schoolteacher and an accomplished musician, has been an award-winning author for over a dozen years. Her acclaimed novel, The Preacher's Daughter, was a 2006 Quill Book Award finalist in the romance category. Her books have appeared on numerous bestseller lists, including USA Today and The New York Times. She and her husband, David, live in Colorado."
Beverly Lewis, raised in Pennsylvania Amish country and both a schoolteacher and an accomplished musician, has been an award-winning author for over a dozen years. Her acclaimed novel, The Preacher's Daughter, was a 2006 Quill Book Award finalist in the romance category. Her books have appeared on numerous bestseller lists, including USA Today and The New York Times. She and her husband, David, live in Colorado."
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
April 24, 2022
About this book:
“Holly Meredith has the perfect summer planned. Her dad has asked her to stay with him in California for a few weeks, and Holly is super excited. She's looking forward to getting to know her dad better, and she knows this is the perfect opportunity to witness to him about God's love. Besides, this will be a great way to try to forget about Jared, her two-timing first crush. The problem is that no one wants Holly to go-not her mom or her younger sister or her best friend, Andie. Holly's summer dreams seem to be disappearing, and she's really bummed that she'll be stuck in boring Dressel Hills for another summer, putting up with her mom's bossy new boyfriend and his constantly sick kid. But when a family emergency sends Holly's mom to Denver, Holly feels worse than ever. What will become of the summer now?”
Series: Book #2 in the “Holly’s Heart” series. (review of Book #1 Here!)
Spiritual Content- A few Scriptures are read, mentioned, quoted, & prayed; Talks about God & talking to Him; ‘H’s are capitalized when referring to God; Prayers (Holly does what she calls “selfish prayers” but sees that’s wrong and starts praying for those who need it); Mentions of God, Jesus, & forgiveness; Mentions of prayers, praying, & blessings over food; Mentions of churches, church going, Sunday school, youth group, a church choir, hymns, & pastors; Mentions of Christians & someone not being one; Mentions of witnessing to others; A few mentions of God’s creation; A couple mentions of reading devotionals; A mention of a blessing.
Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘stupid’ and two ‘dumb’s; Some eye rolling & sass; Holly has rude & mean thoughts about a young child who’s sick because of who his dad is (*Spoiler* ); Many mentions of Holly’s parents’ divorce & Holly now getting to re-know her dad after he left (barely-above-not-detailed); Holly talks back to her mom & can be sass to her; Mentions of throwing up due to a medicine (*Spoiler* ); A couple mentions of someone dying from cancer; A couple mentions of a man that could have been a serial killer or a bank robber (he is neither); A couple mentions of eavesdropping; A mention of blackmail;
*Note: Mentions of going to Disneyland & characters; A few mentions of brand names (Stove Top, CorningWare, & Nike); A couple mentions of McDonald’s; A mention of a car brand.
Sexual Content- When her fingers touch a boy’s, Holly gets a strange, giddy feeling; Butterflies & Blushes; Holly is a bit boy crazy; Holly’s mom has started dating and Holly is uncomfortable with it; Mentions of dates, dating, break-ups, & boyfriends/girlfriends; Mentions of a boy from the first book that almost ruined Holly & Andie’s friendship (they haven’t forgiven him and are pretty rude to him); Mentions of Holly & Andie not being allowed to date; Mentions of boys, cute boys, & crushes; Mentions of a two-timer & flirting; A few mentions of jealousy; A few mentions of blushes; A couple mentions of kisses & kissing;
*Note: Holly says that no boy showed interested in her before Jared (she figured it was because she is “as flat as Kansas and skinnier than the Oklahoma panhandle”); Holly & Andie discuss that Holly is developing/blossoming & that it could happen soon (becoming a woman); A few mentions of curves & other girls’ figures.
-Holly Meredith, age 13
1st person P.O.V. of Holly
144 pages
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Pre Teens- Two Stars
New Teens- Three Stars
Early High School Teens- Three Stars
Older High School Teens- Three Stars
My personal Rating- Two Stars
{Add a full star for girls in Public or Private school.}
While I found this book to be more enjoyable than the first book in this series, this book still deals with boys and Holly’s attitude. I’m not satisfied by the ending, really, because of her attitude and how things were dealt with, but hopefully there will be better character develop in the next book.
Link to review:
https://booksforchristiangirls.blogsp...
*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.
“Holly Meredith has the perfect summer planned. Her dad has asked her to stay with him in California for a few weeks, and Holly is super excited. She's looking forward to getting to know her dad better, and she knows this is the perfect opportunity to witness to him about God's love. Besides, this will be a great way to try to forget about Jared, her two-timing first crush. The problem is that no one wants Holly to go-not her mom or her younger sister or her best friend, Andie. Holly's summer dreams seem to be disappearing, and she's really bummed that she'll be stuck in boring Dressel Hills for another summer, putting up with her mom's bossy new boyfriend and his constantly sick kid. But when a family emergency sends Holly's mom to Denver, Holly feels worse than ever. What will become of the summer now?”
Series: Book #2 in the “Holly’s Heart” series. (review of Book #1 Here!)
Spiritual Content- A few Scriptures are read, mentioned, quoted, & prayed; Talks about God & talking to Him; ‘H’s are capitalized when referring to God; Prayers (Holly does what she calls “selfish prayers” but sees that’s wrong and starts praying for those who need it); Mentions of God, Jesus, & forgiveness; Mentions of prayers, praying, & blessings over food; Mentions of churches, church going, Sunday school, youth group, a church choir, hymns, & pastors; Mentions of Christians & someone not being one; Mentions of witnessing to others; A few mentions of God’s creation; A couple mentions of reading devotionals; A mention of a blessing.
Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘stupid’ and two ‘dumb’s; Some eye rolling & sass; Holly has rude & mean thoughts about a young child who’s sick because of who his dad is (*Spoiler* ); Many mentions of Holly’s parents’ divorce & Holly now getting to re-know her dad after he left (barely-above-not-detailed); Holly talks back to her mom & can be sass to her; Mentions of throwing up due to a medicine (*Spoiler* ); A couple mentions of someone dying from cancer; A couple mentions of a man that could have been a serial killer or a bank robber (he is neither); A couple mentions of eavesdropping; A mention of blackmail;
*Note: Mentions of going to Disneyland & characters; A few mentions of brand names (Stove Top, CorningWare, & Nike); A couple mentions of McDonald’s; A mention of a car brand.
Sexual Content- When her fingers touch a boy’s, Holly gets a strange, giddy feeling; Butterflies & Blushes; Holly is a bit boy crazy; Holly’s mom has started dating and Holly is uncomfortable with it; Mentions of dates, dating, break-ups, & boyfriends/girlfriends; Mentions of a boy from the first book that almost ruined Holly & Andie’s friendship (they haven’t forgiven him and are pretty rude to him); Mentions of Holly & Andie not being allowed to date; Mentions of boys, cute boys, & crushes; Mentions of a two-timer & flirting; A few mentions of jealousy; A few mentions of blushes; A couple mentions of kisses & kissing;
*Note: Holly says that no boy showed interested in her before Jared (she figured it was because she is “as flat as Kansas and skinnier than the Oklahoma panhandle”); Holly & Andie discuss that Holly is developing/blossoming & that it could happen soon (becoming a woman); A few mentions of curves & other girls’ figures.
-Holly Meredith, age 13
1st person P.O.V. of Holly
144 pages
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Pre Teens- Two Stars
New Teens- Three Stars
Early High School Teens- Three Stars
Older High School Teens- Three Stars
My personal Rating- Two Stars
{Add a full star for girls in Public or Private school.}
While I found this book to be more enjoyable than the first book in this series, this book still deals with boys and Holly’s attitude. I’m not satisfied by the ending, really, because of her attitude and how things were dealt with, but hopefully there will be better character develop in the next book.
Link to review:
https://booksforchristiangirls.blogsp...
*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.
September 15, 2024
Read in 2004, 2009, 2014, 2019 and 2024.
Rating: 5 Stars!!
Review:
Even tho this was only the 5th time I've read this book and series it's still my favorite.
The Characters are still so fun and enjoyable to read about. Holly and Andie are still my favorites.
The Setting was beautifully described which made me feel like I was actually in Colorado, The Grand Canyon and California while reading especially when the scenery was described.
Overall a Good Book 2 in this YA Christian Fiction Series!!
Rating: 5 Stars!!
Review:
Even tho this was only the 5th time I've read this book and series it's still my favorite.
The Characters are still so fun and enjoyable to read about. Holly and Andie are still my favorites.
The Setting was beautifully described which made me feel like I was actually in Colorado, The Grand Canyon and California while reading especially when the scenery was described.
Overall a Good Book 2 in this YA Christian Fiction Series!!
July 4, 2022
Thoughts
It had a good storyline and I liked how it all worked out in the end.
Characters
Holly kind of got on my nerves with the way she only wanted her way and got upset with every one who didn’t agree
Andie was a much more likable character in this book
Danny was a way better man than Jared and I personally really like him and hope he’s in the next book
Overall
I think this was a good book I would read it again just not right away.🙂
It had a good storyline and I liked how it all worked out in the end.
Characters
Holly kind of got on my nerves with the way she only wanted her way and got upset with every one who didn’t agree
Andie was a much more likable character in this book
Danny was a way better man than Jared and I personally really like him and hope he’s in the next book
Overall
I think this was a good book I would read it again just not right away.🙂
May 16, 2021
Read with 10.5 year old niece. It was almost too old for her to hold interest. I enjoyed observing Beverly Lewis's writing style including a novel written from a first person perspective.
June 5, 2025
"I like this book because even though Holly doesn't get to see her dad, she still tries to keep a happy Holly personality." -Cadee, age 13
January 15, 2013
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
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
April 21, 2008
In this book the main character is Holly and she goes to California with her dad and his family. No one wants her to go including her mom, litle sister, and her best friend andie. This book is a prety good book. Um She wants to go to california to foreget about jared who was her first crush. I think mostly any girl would enjoy this book. I read it last year and i know i enjoyed it.
Read
April 6, 2009this was a super good book,didnt learn much though :D
August 26, 2009
Holly's Heart is one of my favorite book series ever!
Read
April 5, 2010F LEW hh bk.2
September 20, 2012
Torn between staying home and visiting her dad in Cali, Holly has to learn about how what God wants is not always what you want. and that all things truly do work together for good. Good story!
December 22, 2015
Sad, funny, and everything I love in a book! I love Beverly lewis
January 18, 2016
Holly makes her plans and then expects everyone to fall into line with them and feels hurt when they don't.
October 13, 2011
Previewing for my granddaughter. Don't know if she'll like it or not.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews