You're right about how Haruhi values Kyon's opinion a lot. It comes across much more clearly here than it does in the anime. However, she can also be very cold and harsh towards him - trying to burn him by having Mikuru deliberately spill hot tea on him doesn't strike me as very loving.
Haruhi's feelings towards Kyon has always been a bit... mysterious, overall, to me. To be brutally frank, the way Haruhi treats Kyon kind of makes me think of how a man treats an inseparable pet dog - I mean, she values him a lot, but she gets him to do all sorts of menial chores for her that she doesn't expect of other SOS Brigade members. That really comes across in this volume.
Mind you, this is just based on what I've read so far.
As for Kyon... wow, his snark is really thick here, even for him.
A lot of anti-Haruhi snark, too - you'd almost think he hates her. Meanwhile,
a lot of pro-Mikuru sentiment. Kyon has a
massive crush on Mikuru; even thicker than what I thought. Makes me wonder if Kyon/Mikuru is the true pairing of the source material.
Overall, it's a fairly enjoyable read. I definitely think it's the sort of story that's better in a visual medium, though, as setting descriptions can be a bit lacking at times. Also, it's sometimes hard to follow who's talking, as you'll have quotation marks with out 'said Character A' or 'stated Character B' after it.
Still, the back-and-forth between Haruhi and Kyon is typically hilarious, and the novel
does do a very good job of describing what people are wearing, and conveying their expressions and moods.