Getting ready for my second season

Cleaning the flue is important, but I don't think it is necessary to clean the inside of the stove. It is nice to inspect the inside to look for damage, cracks, etc., but it is going to get ashy as soon as you use it, so no need to vacuum in my opinion. I have never removed my bricks.

As long as the chimney is clean and the firebox isn't stuffed with ash, it should be ready to rock.
Even though I have a decent amount of experience with wood heat, I just recently passed the one year mark with my own stove in my own house. I cleaned the chimney last spring, burned some junk mail in it a few times during the summer, and have a decent fire going now.
Between your avatar and your signature, it looks like we have hobbies and stove manufacturers in common.

I only ever remove my bricks if I'm replacing a brick. The ash that gets in-between the bricks helps keep them tight together, and seals the firebox even better IMHO. I do, however, take out the baffles several times each season to clean the fly ash that gets on top of them. The big thing I do on my stove is take off any shields to inspect the firebox for cracks, etc. I also take off the blower motor, take it outside and blow all the dust out of it with the compressor, and lube the bearings with a drop of oil. This year, for the first time in 5 years, I did blow out the primary and secondary tubes with a compressor (shop vac in the other hand), MAN WERE THEY EVER FULL OF ASH!) I'm sure that will help the secondaries balance out, they weren't working as good as they used to, and I'm glad I cleaned them out.

I'm also getting ready to start my fall readiness to start my second season. I am going to remove the baffles and brush the flue and inspect everything while I'm at it. Also plan to clean the blower motor

Never hurts to do the dollar bill test to check the door gasket.

I would have cleaned the Chimney first, then the inside of the stove. Got mine all set, and decided I'm not burning questionable wood this year, if I have to, I'll burn Bio-Bricks till next year, then I'm set. We just sweep our stove out, haven't had a need to replace any bricks, did you have some that we're damaged ???....or is this something that needs to be done periodically and I'm missing out ???