Interesting story! I enjoyed Leah’s character and the setting of the book. I felt the other characters were one dimensional.

This was a touching story about loss in so many ways.
Set in 1935 Carolina, Leah shows her true grit, determination and honor to her father when she is take to a wealthy family as a slave or otherwise known as a help mate. Not only was she uprooted from the only place she knew, but was thrust into a family in which the matriarch has no plans of being kind to her.
Jessie, her best friend is also affected deeply by her leaving and does all he can do to stay in touch with her.
Will she ever find a way out of the black hole she’s in both literally and emotionally or will she sink deeper into the pits of despair?
I enjoyed the story and loved the characters. This was my first by this author and was given a complimentary copy of an audiobook via Netgalley. My opinion is my own.

If you like Where the Crawdads Sing, then you’ll have to read this one.
Reading the story about Leah, a bright and cheerful young girl who went through a lot of stuff really breaks my heart to pieces, knowing that all she ever wanted was a family and a home.

Throughout the story it was filled with Leah’s longing to a life she used to know before her father had an accident at work. I can’t help but cry while listening to the audio book. The narrator did a very great job of delivering this story, her voice capture every emotions in the story.

While most of the story is heart-breaking, there are some parts that shows love and hope. Like Leah’s friend Jesse who never stop sending her letters, Mary Ann and Michael Henry that befriend her despite their wicked evil mother – Mrs. Griffin (I was so angry with her ever since she came into Leah's life, I wish I could slap Mrs. Griffin).
Then there’s that surprising twist near the ending which was totally unexpected!

I didn’t know anything about the eugenics movement before reading this one and to know it actually happen in our reality was horrifying.

Overall, this is a powerful debut novel!
This is a story that will stick with me for a long time. It’s an emotional roller coaster story filled with longing, loss and hope.
I highly recommend for you to read this book and with a tissue box beside you!

⚠️ 𝐓𝐖: Child abuse, Medical trauma, Death of parent

I received an advanced review copy for free through Netgalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Huge thank you to RB Media and the author!

Leah Payne is a young girl living with her father in a small town in the Carolinas. Father and daughter live a simple life in a small shack on the grounds belonging to the family that employ the father. And despite the poverty that they endure, they both get on very well with the wealthy employers.
Leah lives a happy life until one day a freak accident kills her beloved father, leaving her an orphan, and due to laws and regulations, Leah is not allowed to stay with her fathers employers. Shipped off to a new town, and a new wealthy family, Leah is used as a 'help mate' for the woman of the house, a woman that does everything in her power to make Leah suffer.
I listened to this on audio, and loved the story and the narrator. Yes, its sad at times, but its beautifully written and had me engrossed from the start. It had me invested in a few of the characters, not least of all the main protagonist, Leah.
Well worth reading.

audio was well produced, and the story was enjoyable. Found my self excited to pick up the book. very reminiscent of Where The Crawdads Sing.

I absolutely loved every WORD in this book!! I am always a sucker for a great Southern fiction novel and Meagan Church does not disappoint with The Last Carolina Girl.

Leah Payne never knew her mother but she always felt a twinge of guilt that she died while giving birth. Leah's father Harley kept memories alive with his stories as he raises Leah alone. They live a quiet, meager life in Brunswick County, NC. Leah has never known another life until the day she is forced to move away. When Harley dies in a logging accident social services places Leah with a foster family, a family she believes will take her in and love her as one of their own.

Leah soon discovers nothing could be further from the truth. Tragedy follows Leah every where in this new and strange situation. As she fights for survival she longs to make it back to her beloved town where she knows people who will help her and care for her. Will she make it back home or will the horror of her situation drag her under never to return?

A captivating novel that will tug at every emotion. Get some tissues!

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark Publishing for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This Historical Fiction based in 1935 North Carolina is a power and heart wrenching story of a girls strength surviving the loss of her parents, her home, her friends, her education, and a forced sterilization.
Leah is a 14 year old girl who is placed in a home for care after the death of her father and quickly finds out that she is meant to be the family's helpmate.
Fans of southern historical fiction will enjoy this book. While this isn't my preferred type of story the author wrote this story of hardship beautifully and kept me engaged throughout the whole story. I couldn't wait for my next chance to listen to find out what would happen to Leah next. I was amazed at how much pain Leah had been through but she is a strong girl and wouldn't let anything get her down with hope of returning back to her home by the coast.
I enjoyed listening to a copy of this audiobook thanks to #netgalley

I think it has officially come to the point where I can no longer say I don’t like historical fiction because here’s another HF book that I really enjoyed! I was enchanted by this heartbreakingly beautiful story about Leah, a fourteen-year old girl who is suddenly orphaned and must go to live with a new family. There Leah is treated as anything but family and becomes the victim of prejudice and tragedy.

Master storyteller Meagan Church will blow you away with her highly impressive emotional, and compelling debut, THE LAST CAROLINA GIRL —a young girl caught in a tale of dark family secrets and Eugenics—forced to fight for survival, herself, her body, and her future. Southern fiction at its finest!

I loved this book!

At the heart of this novel is a shattering loss that irrevocably changes the lives of many young women. The author expertly unveils the truths and lies that drive this gripping, powerful tale of a dark part of our history.

Set in 1935 in Holden Beach, NC, we meet Leah Payne (age fourteen years old) who lives with her lumberjack father, Harley Payne—he calls her Mouse. She is a smart, vibrant, carefree teen who loves life. Her mom died when she was born, and she loves her dad, a wise man.

She loves living on the coastal shores of NC, surrounded by nature. They are happy in a little shack on Mr. Barna's property and she is dear friends with his son Jesse and their maid, Tulla.

Then a tragedy, her dad is killed in a logging accident. Everything she knows is being taken away from her—her home, her father, and her friends.

She is sent to live with a foster family in Matthews, NC (Mecklenburg County, near Charlotte, NC). She thinks if she is good and works hard, they will like her and be better than living in a group home.

She is supposed to be a helpmate. However, the Griffin family treats her like their slave, especially Mrs. Griffin. She is not a part of this family in any way.

She is mistreated by the woman, embarrassing her in front of everyone. She is a smart girl and this woman is very manipulative.

Mr. Griffin, the daughters, and the son Michael Henry, Eva Jane, and Mary Ann (so sweet) seem to be afraid of their mom. They are nice to Leah. The mom tries to be well-to-do and put on appearances in front of her friends and entertains, but there is something off about her. She is evil, full of hatred and jealousy.

No matter how hard Leah works cooking, cleaning, and serving her master's friends, nothing she does is good enough. She does not even allow her to attend school, so she is stuck in a small bedroom like a closet and treated like a slave.

Mrs. Griffin has a manipulative plan in mind. She goes behind her back with a local Dr. Moses, heading up the Eugenics and sterilization program for young women in North Carolina.

Leah is distraught when she learns what happened to her without her knowledge or consent. Her letters are kept from her, and she cannot communicate with Jesse.

And then, the final family secret is revealed, which is a shocker. Will Leah escape this horrible family and return to the beach and the people she loves? How can anyone ever compensate for the damage to a vibrant young woman.? Forgiveness and forgetting are two different things.

WOW! A haunting tale of how the actions of government agencies ruined the innocent lives of women and their future. A searing and ultimately hopeful novel about the injustices and the importance of learning from history.

Transporting, heartfelt, and atmospheric.

Beautifully rendered, a powerful and unforgettable novel that will linger long after you finish reading. With well-developed characters, I enjoyed the conclusion of Holden Beach, 2006, brimming with hope after tragedy.

What a resilient, strong, and powerful young woman full of heart and love. A spellbinding coming-of-age tale of loss, hope, and perseverance. Leah will steal your heart with strength and courage, gripping you from page one to the end.

AUDIOBOOK: Susan Bennett, the audiobook narrator, is utterly captivating, delivering an award-winning performance. You will want to listen more than once. Highly recommend the audiobook!

One of my "TOP Books of 2023" and a contender for debut of the year! As a North Carolina native, I adore novels set in NC with its idyllic coastal and mountain areas—and some of the "best authors" reside in the famous Tarheel state. The author has quickly been added to my favorite author list.

The writing is stunning, and I was utterly captivated by the lush descriptions and the author's lyrical prose. A heart-wrenching page-turner, I read in two sittings. I loved Leah/Jesse. You will be outraged at the devastation of these young women. Thank you for giving these women a voice for often a forgotten untold part of our history.

Meticulously researched, it is heartbreaking the number of useless sterilizations completed - 7,000 in NC and in Mecklenburg county 485, which is 3 times of any other NC county. Very sad when a love of the sea is a reason to question one's sanity.

Inspired by the author's family history, an ideal book club pick. I thoroughly enjoyed the Conversation with the Author and the Reading Group Guide (included). A wealth of information is included.

THE LAST CAROLINA GIRL is perfect for fans of Diane Chamberlain's Necessary Lies, Dolen Perkins-Valdez's Take My Hand(two favorites), Where the Crawdads Sing, and The Girls in the Stilt House.

Thanks to #SourcebooksLandmark #RecordedBooks and #Netgalley for a gifted ARC and ALC in exchange for an honest review. Also pre-ordered the hardcover copy.

Stay tuned for my upcoming #AuthorElevatorSeries Interview with Meagan where we go behind the scenes of the book and this talented author, on pub date, March 28, 2023.

Blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
Pub Date: March 28, 2023
My Rating: 5 STARS ++
March 2023 Must-Read Books
Top Books of 2023

Thank you to RB Media and NetGalley for an ARC of this audio book in exchange for an honest review.

I was unfamiliar with this author, but when I read the description of the story, I knew I wanted to read it. I was pleasantly surprised on how much I loved this book and will follow the author in the future. I listened to the audio version of this book, read by the very talented Susan Bennett. I have listened to other books by Ms. Bennett and am never disappointed. She is able to instantly engage the reader in the story and did a wonderful job helping the reader really feel the anguish and heartache that the main character, Leah goes through. This is a book where I was instantly engaged with the story and had a hard time putting down. Often times hard to read because of the many challenges that Leah goes through after her father dies, it is a story of survival and the power of love and friendship.

This is a must read! Southern fiction with grit is my favorite genre. This story left me completely crushed and heartbroken. Set during the 1930's along the Carolina coast. Leah is a thirteen year old girl who lives with her father, a lumberjack. She loves nature and likes things just fine the way they are. Not having money doesn't really bother her at all. When her father dies from an accident Leah stays with her best friend next door but the state steps in and Leah must go live with strangers away from her beloved coastal town. They tell her it's for the best. That maybe it's an opportunity for a better life. Leah thinks maybe she will be part of a loving family but all hopes are gone when she finds she isn't going to be part of the family, she is there to be their servant. The lady of the house is a wicked cruel woman who doesn't like Leah and has secrets she never wants to come to light. This left me in pieces, I was talking out loud and wishing I could crawl into the pages and bring this girl home. I won't give it away but many things happen. There is deception, secrets come to light and horrific events happen that change Leah's life forever. Surely this is one of the best books this year. I can't recommend it enough. We picked it as a book club read and I can't wait to discuss it.

Dawnny Ruby
Novels N Latte
Hudson Valley NY

Thanks #netgalley for this book in exchange for an honest review. I listened to the audiobook. Unfortunately the narration was distracting. As someone from North Carolina, I was disappointed in the attempt by the narrator to fake a Southern accent that was only present part of the time. The story was good and I enjoyed it but the narration left me unable to give a five star. But the book and not the audio.

The Last Carolina Girl is a beautiful and haunting story of Leah Payne, a 14 year old girl in 1935. Leah lives on the North Carolina coast with her father. Having lost her mother in childbirth, Leah shares a special bond with her father. She is growing up wild and free on the coast when tragically her father dies in an accident at work.

Leah is sent to live in Matthews, NC with a foster family. Expecting to be treated as part of the family, Leah is shocked and saddened to be forced to be a helpmate- essentially a servant. The well to do family is focused on climbing the ranks in society, as Matthews plans its first ball. During her rare outings, Leah learns about the surging eugenics movement. When her foster mother is displeased with her personality and her spells (silent seizures), Leah learns just how deep resentment can run and the long term impacts of this terrible time in our history.

If you enjoyed Take My Hand, this book is told from the perspective of a young girl impacted by the same hateful movement. I found this book moving, beautiful, and incredibly sad. North Carolina's eugenics board was one of the last to be disbanded in the 1970s. One book about this topic is not enough, and I treasured that this book showed the upper and middle class white women who made the movement stronger. Church did not shy away from telling how it was marketed to polite society. I would have liked more depth and detail at the end, but it was still well written and heartfelt.

Thank you to Netgalley and RB Media for an ALC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.

Well that was heartbreaking, but a beautiful read. Well written and well developed characters, and the story line definitely pulls you in. The narrator was good as well.

Leah lives with her father in a very small town in North Carolina. A tragedy takes her father, and she is taken in by friends in the short term. Soon she is sent to live with a foster family still in North Carolina, but far away. She goes in thinking that maybe it will be ok, the foster family takes her in and they seem to be well off. Almost immediately, Leah is treated like the help. Not allowed to go to school, forced to cook the families meals, clean and much more. Even with this treatment, Leah befriends the three kids in this family. This was a heartbreaking coming-of-age story. There were some similarities to Where The Crawdads Sing. This was a well written book and had some twists that I was not expecting. The characters were well developed and realistic. The story was a slow-burn, but I appreciated the build up to the more intense parts. If you are a fan of sad, coming-of-age, tragic stories, then this one is for you.

I started this as a physical book and felt nostalgic reading about Holden Beach, NC where my grandmother still has a beach house.

The story moves from the shores of Holden Beach to the surrounding city of Charlotte, as tragedy strikes and a young girl named Leah is dealt many hardships.

I really enjoyed this story and loved the narrator, Susan Bennett, who does a great job as narration for southern fiction, but for me, the pacing of the story towards the end was a bit rushed. Leah was a great character and I loved the strength and fire that she had as she fights for herself and a hope for the future.

*many thanks to Sourcebooks and Recorded Books and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

Title: The Last Carolina Girl
By: Meagan Church

Red Flags:
Eugenics, Sterilization, Abuse

Summary/Review:

Welcome to coastal Carolina in the early 1930’s, where fourteen-year-old Leah calls home. The protagonist, Leah is the daughter of a lumberjack and a mother who was taken too soon. Leah loves living the country Carolina life among the trees, near the ocean and enjoying the peace of star gazing. As tragedy strikes, Leah’s life is uprooted and she’s thrown into unfamiliar territory. Leah handles the unexpected with courage, resilience, and grit. Church’s debut novel is powerfully strong, captivating, and a heart wrenching tale of family secrets, blind obedience, and the elusive feeling of belonging. Church touches on the horrific circumstances of the eugenics program, a devastating part of our American Culture. If you are a fan of Where the Crawdads Sing or Where the Forest Meets the Stars, this is your next best read! Highly Recommended! A new personal favorite of 2023!!!

***I did listen to the audiobook and the narrator was fabulous!

Thank you to Meagan Church, Recorded Books, and NetGalley for the Advanced Readers Copy for free, I am leaving this review voluntarily.

#reluctantreaderreads #netgalley #thelastcarlolinagirl #meaganchurch

The Last Carolina Girl

Fourteen year old Leah Payne lives a simple life with her daddy in a small coastal town. It’s just the two of them, in their tiny house, and although they don’t have much it’s more than enough for Leah. When an accident takes her fathers life Leah’s world as she knows is ripped from her when she is forced to leave the only home she has ever known to move hours away to live with a new family, who have agreed to care for her.

But all is not as it seems with this new family. Leah is expected to sleep in a small room attached to the outside of the house, and be the house holds “help mate”. While to the outside the family seem to be perfect and commendable for taking on someone in need they hold secrets that they never want exposed. It doesn’t take Leah long to realize that she can’t live this way, and she will do whatever it takes to find her way back to the place she once called home.

This was a great read. It really highlighted class inequality and also other social issues and beliefs held in the 1930s. I found the historical aspect interesting and terrifying at times. The book reminded me a lot of Where The Crawdads Sing, with its focus being on a young female protagonist trying to make it on her own, and repeatedly coming up against obstacles and prejudices due to their age, sex and social status.

Leah, the protagonist, was a likable character and at times her nativity was hard to read. But it wasn’t unbelievable, it was just intense understanding the world around her better than she did and wishing she would realize things that could be about to happen.

Overall a great novel, very engaging, well written and thought provoking. I’d recommend to anyone who enjoys historical fiction.

Leah has a beautiful life living with her father on the beautiful North Carolina coast in the 1930's. Life isn't about what you do and don't have, but about the love that exists, love of the land, the sea, friendships and family. All of that comes to an abrupt halt due to a logging accident involving her father. She is ripped from all that she knows and loves to live with a not so favorable foster family where she isn't treated well, but expected to behave and perform much of the household chores.

The narrator, Susan Bennett, also narrates many of Diane Chamberlain books, so I was quickly whisked away to my memories of many of her books, but this was a good fit for her! If you enjoy historical fiction, family dynamics, and social justice points, I think you'll appreciate this book.

The book was easy to read, interesting in the plot with twists and turns that felt realistic and important.

Thank you to NetGalley and RB Media for the advance complimentary audiobook along with Sourcebooks Landmark for the pairing of the physical book with my listening.

This book destroyed me. 😭 Historically, things written in this book happened all the time, and unfortunately, can still happen.

Don't let this keep you from going on a journey with Leah, the Last Carolina Girl. She's a wonderfully curious girl, full of awe, and despite the whispers around her, she knows her worth. She holds on to that knowledge throughout it, and finds her truth, even though it was hiding in plain sight.

(Even with the heavy nature of this book, this could make for a great book club book. Put this in the same category of Before We Were Yours.)