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Holly's Heart Collection One: Books 1-5 (2008)

by Beverly Lewis(Favorite Author)

4.18 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

1585586668 (ISBN13: 9781585586660)

languge

English

genre

Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction

publisher

Bethany House Publishers

review 1: best friend, worst enemy: holly struggles when trying to recover her friendship with andie and to show her that jared, the boy both andie and holly liked,is just a waste of timesecret summer dreams: holly's mom plans to get remaried to mr tate. holly wants to go to california see her dad but she doesn't want to leave her mom alone with mr tate.sealed with a kiss: holly is desperate to let her secret pen pal publish her story "love times two" in his teen magazine "sealed with a kiss"the trouble with weddings: holly's mom has moved on from mr tate and is now planing to marry HER UNCLE! good thing there not related.:)secret summer dreams: holly's hoping to spend the holidays with her dad in california, but she doesn't want to spend it with her stepmom.my favorite story was "t... morehe trouble with weddings" and "best friend worst enemy" because they both showed a great amount of excitement.
review 2: Holly's Heart, Collection 1 has several books in it. I'm going to review the separate books and then do an overview.Best Friend, Worst Enemy--Holly is a kind-hearted, young girl who quickly learns that she and her best friend, Andie, have a crush on the same guy. Only Jared seems to like Holly instead of Andie. Holly and Andie soon learn that being friends is a whole lot harder when a guy is in the picture. Besides Holly's troubled friendship, she also has to deal with her dad suddenly back in her life again, along with a new wife and step-son. This isn't the first time I've read Beverly Lewis' work, but I am stunned at how good the writing actually is. It's so realistic that I feel like I am right there with Holly. I like that this is a somewhat spiritual book--that Holly prays and is a Christian--and so far I like all of the characters except for Jared and Andie. I liked the book overall, but the one thing that kind of bothered me was how quickly Holly and Andie seemed to make up at the end. I know younger people forgive a lot easier, but it just seems too quick after how long it took Andie to actually believe in Holly. Then again, maybe seeing proof for herself is what she needed. Secret Summer Dreams--In this book, Holly has a new and better love interest than Jared--a very nice guy named Danny. I like Danny a whole lot better than Jared, who is now pretty annoying. Holly also really wants to visit her dad over the summer, but her mother doesn't seem to want her to go. Her little sister, Carrie, and best friend, Andie, also make it clear that they don't agree with her leaving for the summer. Things get even worse when Holly realizes that her mother is dating--and the man has a spoiled little boy who also seems sick all the time. Holly struggles as she prays to God in the hopes that her answers of seeing her dad will be answered when she learns that there is something more important going on.I kind of anticipated that something would happen with Holly and Danny from the last book, and I am glad. They are cute together and I like Danny. I still don't care much for Holly's best friend, Andie, because she is often selfish. I know she is still a kid but it annoys me that Andie is rarely ever happy for Holly. I didn't much care for her mother in this book. She seemed a bit harsh and should have told Holly the truth about her boyfriend and his sick little boy. I don't like the boyfriend very much but Zachary was adorable. I like how Holly realized that Zachary's needs were more important than her own and she still got what she wanted in the end. You can really see Holly growing as a character in this book.Sealed with a Kiss--I am disappointed that this book isn't about Holly's visit with her dad. I was really looking forward to that. However, I did like the book better as it went on, but I would have liked to see one dealing with the visit to her dad. In this book, Holly learns that her mom and Mr. Tate are beginning to talk marriage plans. Meanwhile her mother has been getting strangely romantic secret admirer letters--someone who obviously knows her well. Holly is trying to figure out what is up with her and Danny--does he like her like that or what?--and also finds herself trying to impress an older boy who is her pen-pal.I liked this book pretty well. I am very relieved that Holly's mom did not marry Mr. Tate because I thought he was a controlling butt. I do feel bad for Zachary, though. I think Holly's mom can also be a bit selfish, and I still don't like Andie. I like the relationship between Holly and Danny a lot, even if he sometimes doesn't agree with her--no relationship is perfect! I also thought it was pretty cool that Holly got to meet her favorite author. Holly definitely grows in this chapter.The Trouble With Weddings--Holly's mother is getting married and Holly is determined to make her mother's wedding the best thing ever, even when her mother states she doesn't want a flashy wedding. She is also getting annoyed with Danny, who has been very preachy and controlling lately. When she discovers her first crush, Jared, still likes her, she can't help but be suspicious. So suspicious that she decides to test him.I liked how Holly wanted to make her mother's wedding beautiful. I loved that her uncle wanted to include the cat in the wedding as well. As much as I liked Danny before, he was very preachy and controlling in this book and it got on my nerves almost as much as it got on Holly's. I was cautious about Jared but glad to see how caring he is. Holly continues to grow. I didn't care too much for Stan until toward the end, though.California Crazy--It's almost Christmas time and Holly is about to go crazy with the current living arrangements. Since her mother re-married, there are more people living in the house, forcing Holly to room with her nosy little sister and cousin! Holly and Jared are doing well together but Holly begins to suspect that he is back to his old two-timing ways again. At least she can look forward to this Christmas since she and Carrie are spending two weeks of it with their dad in California.Holly's bathroom scene was hilarious. It's totally something I would do if I ever tried what she did. I liked Stan much better in this book, and I even liked Andie a bit better. I am very glad that Jared was not actually doing anything wrong, but I can't say I wasn't curious about Sean either. I like how the relationship between Holly and her stepmother changes. Her dad reading the classic Christmas story--Jesus' birth--was also a nice addition. Overall, I have genuinely enjoyed this collection. Holly is a very interesting, realistic character, and has a great family and friends. I like that this book doesn't focus on perfection, but rather on mistakes--it's very realistic. Holly's emotions felt very real to me, and even though this book is not exactly meant for my age group, I enjoyed it none-the-less. So far this is my favorite Beverly Lewis book, although I enjoyed the ones about Annie's people very much! I will definitely be checking out the next two books--I have to see how Holly continues to grow. 4 stars because I really liked this. less

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