Stepping Into Sunlight

Sharon is an amazing author. This novel is different from the others I have read. Penny is suffering from PTSD after witnessing a violent crime. Along her road to healing Penny struggles to leave her home and be the mother her son needs while her husband is away in the military. The theme surrounds a young mother who feels God has left her during her struggles. This a one will stay on my Keep Shelf.

This book had me hooked from the first sentence. As someone who suffers from PTSD and panic attacks brought on by it, I could relate to the character of Penny in a way that I have never related to any fictional character before. I thought this book was beautifully written by someone who can truly understand what a person suffering with these afflictions goes through. Sharon Hinck truly has a gift for storytelling and this is my favorite book by her so far. The book was able to articulate things that I have experienced but have been unable to share. I had my husband read passages of it so that he could get an understanding of what I battle. It is a tale of hope for those of us who suffer and one a great insight for those who may not but either way, it is a beautiful story!

This book is frankly Sharon's best to date -- and I adored her Restorer series! Stepping into Sunlight is a departure from her other books, but an absolutely gripping tale. Penny is trying to pull her life back together after witnessing an event that leaves her with PTSD. To make matters worse, her husband has shipped out on his first tour of duty as a Navy chaplain. Penny is determined to get better on her own...but she can't. This book is the poignant tale of her journey back to wholeness. It will be much harder for me to tell people to just move on after getting inside Penny's head and experiencing the pains and joys. I was also challenged by Penny's project. It's one I'd like to make my own! This book is wonderful and has joined my keeper pile.

After turning the last page of Stepping Into Sunlight, my heart was full, and I was reminded again that God does indeed use broken people to pour forth His grace. Sharon Hinck gives voice to the broken and shows how beautiful we are in God's eyes. Penny Sullivan's journey of healing is real and poignant and a clarion call to those of us who have and haven't experienced mental illness. To those who intimately know Penny's journey, Sharon offers hope and lights a path of healing. To those who may not understand Penny or family and friends like her, Stepping Into Sunlight offers an inside look that I pray ignites compassion and care toward the hurting. Stepping Into Sunlight is not a manual for mental health, it's a beautiful story of one woman's journey that impacts all those around her in everyday amazing ways. It's a story to savor and ponder for weeks and months to come.

Author Sharon Hinck has penned a novel that will touch the hearts of everyone who reads it. Penny, the character who is struggling after witnessing a violent crime and trying to be strong for her husband who is deployed and her son who needs her, is not a super mom. She's just trying to hold life together. Sharon shows the real world of post traumatic stress syndrome and the slow healing. No sugar coating. But there is hope, and Penny finds it, by showing kindness to others, and by finally facing her own demons. Beautifully written. Highly recommended. It took me only a few days to read this book. I was rooting for Penny and had to see her through her journey. A book I literally could not put down. Cindy Thomson, author of Brigid of Ireland Brigid of Ireland: A Historical Novel