I haven’t read too many historical fictions, but I really enjoyed this one! The writing was amazing to me and I loved the entire storyline. It was different than my usual reads and it got me out of my reading slump. Definitely need to read more of this author’s work.

3 distant and predictable stars

From the publisher: “When an accident takes her father's life, fourteen-year-old Leah is wrenched from her small community and cast into a family of strangers. Separated from her only home, Leah is kept apart from the family and forced to act as a helpmate. When a moment of violence and prejudice thrusts Leah into the center of the state's shameful darkness, she must fight for her own future against a world that doesn't always value the wild spirit of a Carolina girl.”

“I can tell my story. I tell it as if relaying the account of someone else, not someone I know too well cause then there’s emotions that want to get involved.” Unfortunately, everything felt very surface to this reader, and I did not relate to any of the characters. The author tends to do more telling of the story from a distance, and not enough experiencing and feeling emotions. Secondary characters are stereotyped as either very good or very bad. The evil Mrs. Griffin, who takes Leah in as an unpaid servant, is just mean and nasty. Her youngest child, often the brunt of her cruelty remains a sweet soul. No subtlety here. There is even a bit of a Cinderella element with a ball where Leah must serve the other debutantes punch while wearing a hand-me-down dress.

The narration by Susan Bennett really made the story come alive. Characters were easy to differentiate. The slight Southern drawl was easy to understand and coaxed the story along.

Don’t skip the excellent Author’s Notes. (They were not included in the ARC audiobook.) Church shares how her aunt inspired her to write the story. She presents some fascinating history of the American eugenics movement and forced sterilization.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

In 1935, Leah’s lumberjack father died during a logging accident—her mother passed away when Leah was born. Suddenly without parents and homeless, Leah is forced to leave the wild yet peaceful coastal Carolina town to live with strangers in the city - the Griffins, a wealthy family with a terrible secret. Here, at the age of 14, she’s forced to be a helpmate instead of a member of the family. But as secrets come to light, Leah must fight for her own future.

I enjoyed Leah’s coming-of-age story. Her love for nature is her one constant as she loses everything: her family, her home, her friends, her pet, her education. Yet, her spirit will not break. Leah constantly strives to be part of her new surroundings even though she deeply longs for home: the ocean. I appreciate the historical thread of eugenics woven into the last part of the story, but I wish eugenics history played a more prominent role. Also, I would have loved Leah’s journey even more if the book was longer, experiencing more of Leah’s perseverance rather than simply an epilogue as a sneak peek into Leah’s future.

Meagan Church is a talented writer. Leah is a well-developed character, and the vivid setting descriptions fill my imagination. Don’t miss the author’s note which includes her inspiration, research, and eugenics data. I might even suggest reading it first. I recommend this book, especially to book clubs who enjoy historical fiction, since there’s a wealth of discussion material!

Readers of Southern Fiction will love this debut! It is well researched and well written! The audiobook narrator is really great and kept me engage all the way to the end. Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for a chance to read and review this book. All opinions are entirely my own and I am voluntarily writing this review.

Thank you to NetGalley and SourceBooks Landmark for this eARC of 'The Last Carolina Girl'.

A beautifully crafted glimpse into the past, 'The Last Carolina Girl' offers a work of historical fiction that can be enjoyed by anyone, in or outside a classroom setting- I can easily see this book integrated into an American History curriculum, or an English one. While I enjoyed it greatly, I felt the last third was rush and weak, as though there wasn't a 'good' way to end the story. One of the core concepts is also glossed over, and I wish it had been explored more.

Overall, an easy and enjoyable read with likable characters, well-written and with good pacing. I will be recommending it to friends.

Thank you Sourcebooks Landmark for the complimentary copy.

This was an enjoyable and very quick read, but I was left wanting more. The synopsis describes Leah as a wild Carolina, I didn't see that. Strong, yes... but wild? Not really. Unless a connection to nature counts her as wild?

I expected a lot more of the eugenics side of the story, but that was just a mention here and there in the story, with one real appearance and then it was gone.

I also felt like 80% of the book was just build up, then there was a brief conflict and then the book was over. I needed that part to be much more fleshed out than it was.

Overall, a good book and I would pick up another by this author.

The Last Carolina Girl is a coming of age story set in North Carolina in 1935. Fourteen year old Leah lives with her father in a one room workhouse on the property of her father’s employer. One day, a tragic accident occurs and Leah becomes an orphan. She’s eventually sent off to lives with another family expecting to be apart of the family only to be classified as the help. Traumatic experiences happen to Leah and yet somehow she endured and survived despite the odds stacked against her.

I’m conflicted with this story- it’s heartbreaking and upsetting but it also speaks to the strength and resilience of others and what they endure. I was absolutely appalled by what Mrs Griffin did and how she acted and I hope karma came for her. But sadly her actions weren’t that uncommon and my heart hurts for the real life people who went through that.

I wish some of the loose ends would have been wrapped up better in the epilogue cause I would have liked to know what happened to the Griffin children and if Leah ever got the justice/closer she deserved. If you don’t mind a tough hitting coming of age, historical fiction read then definitely pick up this book. Just be prepared to experience an array of emotions and definitely makes sure to read the author’s notes and discussion.

Rating 3.75 stars


Thank you @bookmarked and @netgalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

📖 Book review 📖
Genre: historical fiction, fiction
Pages: 233
Arc: Yes
⭐️: 2.5/5

Synopsis: Leah is a girl of limited means, living with her father on the beaches of North Carolina. When her father unexpectedly dies, Leah is given to another family hours away from her home and she is forced to discover her place in this cruel world.

💭 my thoughts 💭

This book just wasn’t for me. I think the writing was beautiful and was pretty similar to Where The Crawdads Sing in that it was a coming of age of a poor country girl. I was pretty bored during most of it, the ending was anticlimactic and I felt like the characters were slightly flat.

This review is my unbiased opinion in exchange for the ARC of this book

The Last Carolina Girl by Meagan Church was a beautiful, but heartbreaking novel.

This book is the story of Leah, a young girl growing up on the shores of the ocean in North Carolina. When her father dies in a tragic accident, newly orphaned Leah is taken in as a “helpmate” by a family in another town. Leaving behind everything she has ever known, Leah does her best to impress this new family, but it always seems that she is never enough for them and that they will see her as a low-class, simple-minded country girl. When the mother of the household becomes acquainted with a doctor practicing eugenics, she allows him to perform an operation on Leah to make her sterile in hopes of preventing another generation of “inferior” and “problematic” people.

This book was absolutely heart-breaking to read. It was saddening to read how the foster family treated Leah. It was horrific some of the things the foster mom put Leah though. However, I’m glad that she was able to have a mostly happy ending thanks to an old friend.

It was also sad to learn that this book was loosely based on the author’s great aunts. While the events were tragic, I am glad the author wrote this book because it sheds light on a part of U.S history that isn’t really talked about and should not be forgotten so that we can prevent the sterilization of women against their will.

Overall, this was a memorable and worthwhile read.

This coming of age story really focuses on all the hardships that Leah had to go through. The poor girl didn't get to meet her mom and loses her dad in a tragic accident. Of course if things couldn't get any worse, she is sent to live with the Griffins and she is treated as a help mate.

I enjoyed hearing Leah's perspective, story, and voice. She was strong through a lot and just wanted to get back to childhood friend Jesse and what she knew. Mrs. Griffin was just utterly despicable and shouldn't treat anyone the way she did. I got major Cinderella vibes, but the Griffin children were at least friendly with Leah.

I wasn't sure what to think about the Eugenics portion. It was pretty disturbing, but I am not sure how some of the main points would have been portrayed if it had been left out.

This book definitely makes you stop and think about people should care about and treat others.

Thank you to Sourcebooks and Netgalley for providing me a copy of this ARC for my honest review.

Outstanding! I fell in love with Leah and couldn't rest until I knew how her story turned out.

I just wanted to hug this poor girl who came from a dirt poor family, her mother died giving birth to her and her father was a beautiful man who did his best. She ends up living with a family and the mother has some serious issues. This is a sad, heartwrenching, beautiful story.

I bought a physical copy of this book because I loved it so much.

"The Last Carolina Girl" by Megan Church is a thoughtful, at times, disturbing story about Leah Payne, a fourteen year old who is forced to leave her beloved coastal Carolina town when her father tragically dies. She moves in with a foster family, where she experiences horrifying emotional and physical abuse that makes her question who she is and where she truly comes from.

It is a well-written, at times chilling, story that leads us to ask questions about how we define a family and what makes a place truly feel like home. It can lead to thoughtful discussions about medical ethics and the meaning of forgiveness.

I would definitely encourage a book club to review this book. Thank you Netgalley and Sourcebooks for an ARC.

I think my want to like this was significantly greater than the quality of the story allowed, not a necessary purchase for most libraries.

Thank you to Netgalley, SOURCEBOOKS Landmark, and Meagan Church for allowing me to read an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this book for an honest review.

Readers who enjoyed Where the Crawdads Sing, The Girls in the Stilt House, and Where the Forest Meets the Stars will absolutely fall in love with The Last Carolina Girl. You’ll be sopping up each and every chapter like the gravy that accompanies your favorite relative’s biscuits.

The main character is Leah Payne, just a child, faced with so much adversity that she was required to grow up and mature way too early. Leah lost both her mother and father at an early age forcing her to go live with a foster family. During this transition, she also lost the love of a best friend, her love of freedom, her wild spirit, and her country life.

Leah’s foster parents did not accept her from day one due to the drastic differences in their upbringing. She tried so hard to please them but never could. She began to wonder if it’s because she was more alike her foster family than they’d originally led on.

Favorite quotes:
“Sometimes family’s not who you’ve been given. It’s who you choose.”

“I chose to walk out of the house, to walk away from this family that I didn’t know I had. But of course I knew they were never meant to be mine.”

“I guess that’s the thing about coming home; it’s not the home that’s changed, it’s the person coming back who has.”

What I loved:
💕 The setting. Two small towns in NC. North Carolina is the state that I was Born and Raised.
💕 Leah’s determination, especially when faced with adversity or a good challenge.
💕 The innate goodness and sunshine that Leah exudes.
💕 How Leah sticks every lesson she was taught from her mother and father into every fiber of her being. She never forgets them!
💕 How much Mary Ann loved Leah.
💕 That true joy for Leah was found outside with nature, in the lush trees, in the garden, with her cat.
💕 The sweet, sincere connection between Leah and Jesse.
💕 Never losing the desire to find family. Being reconnected with those she chose as family.
💕 Seeing Leah’s one true dream come to fruition.

Beautifully written, The Last Carolina Girl is Meagan Church’s debut novel. It takes place in North Carolina in the 1930’s. Fourteen-year-old Leah lives in a ramshackle house with her father on the Barna family’s property. Leah’s mother died in childbirth and Leah’s father is a lumberjack who works for Mr. Barna. Leah and her father live in extreme poverty, but Leah has a happy existence caring for a stray cat, spending time with her father, and exploring the woods near their home. The ocean is not too far away and Leah loves going there. She is the happiest being outside in nature. Leah does not have any friends at school, but at home, there is Jesse Barna, a boy she has known her entire life, and the Barna’s kind and loving maid, Tulla.

Unfortunately, Leah’s happy life is upended when a tragic accident takes her father’s life. Now an orphan, it is up to the state to decide Leah’s fate. She is sent to live with a foster family across the state. Saddened that she will be leaving the only home she has ever known, the Barnas assure her that she will be part of a loving family with three children. Upon arrival at the Griffins, Leah is dismayed to find out that she will be living in a small closet on the back porch, will no longer be attending school, and will be Mrs. Griffin’s “helpmate” or maid. Leah, resolving to make the best of it, tries to please Mrs. Griffin to no avail. However, it gets worse for Leah – much, much worse…

This heartbreaking story was inspired by the life of Meagan Church’s own great-aunt, an orphan who was a victim of eugenics. I had heard of forced sterilizations, but I had no idea that it had been a serious scientific movement in the early twentieth century and that forced sterilization was legal for decades. Church includes a lengthy author’s note which tells of her great-aunt and gives background information on the American eugenics movement. A reading group guide and an interview with the author are also included. I encourage readers to read this supplemental material.

This is a powerful novel focusing on a dark period of American history. It is an emotional read. Told in the first person, the reader really gets to know Leah. The author has a way with words, creating images that put the reader right there at the beach, or in woods, or at the Griffin’s house. Leah’s voice was very authentic and I felt like she was telling me her story.

This is a must-read historical fiction novel. This is a topic that should not be forgotten and that should never be repeated. Book clubs will find much to discuss with The Last Carolina Girl.

Thank you to Netgalley and to the publisher for providing me with an advanced review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the advanced digital copy of The Last Carolina Girl.

This was a quick read for me, and very enjoyable. Taking place in the 1930’s in North Carolina, we follow Leah’s heartbreaking childhood… growing up she did not have much, but had the constant love of her father. But through a heartbreaking loss, her whole world changes. My heart just ached for Leah. And yet, her warmth, hopefulness, and loving nature always shined above all else.

This was an enjoyable read and I would definitely recommend, especially to those who like historical fiction and coming of age. I did also listen to part of this book as the audiobook, and thought that was very well done as well!

I was lucky enough to get to read this while I was down in South Carolina last month and I loved getting to experience the setting while in the setting. One of the things I love about historical fiction is getting to a place of greater understanding of something that you might not have really thought about in history. For me, I didn't even know about eugenics and its role in the United States, had always thought of it as a Nazi idea. Getting to learn about the way this awful "plan" played out in the south hurt my heart but I'm grateful for the way I learned and grew because of it. Incredibly good with setting and character development! Cannot wait for more from this gifted author!

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the eARC.

You want a good cry? Are you looking to feel emotionally devastated? Here you go.

It took me a long while to compose myself when I finished this one. Phew.

In 1935 in North Carolina, Leah lives with her father in a ramshackle house provided by his boss, Mr. Barna. Her father works a dangerous logging job in the woods. When an accident occurs, Leah is left an orphan. Leah and Jesse Barna are great friends and spend many hours together, but after the death of her father, the Barna’s feel obligated to follow the states directives and Leah is sent to a foster home. One that has children her age. There’s only one problem, she’s not welcomed into the Griffin family, but instead ends up being a helpmate. She tries her hardest to meet Mrs. Griffin’s expectations, but somehow always falls short. When Dr. Foster enters the picture with his new procedure, Mrs. Griffin makes plans. Plans Leah is unaware of. Plans that will change Leah’s life, but Leah has plans of her own. When big secrets are revealed, it only makes things worse for Leah. Will the Griffin’s end up ruining Leah’s life or will Leah end up exactly where she belongs? Church writes a heartbreaking coming of age story, full of injustices with an indomitable character of strength that you can’t help but root for throughout. Thank you to Sourcebooks, Inc. and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

This was such an unexpected gem of a book. It absolutely broke my heart. Leah was a heartfelt and complex character, struggling to find her place in a lonely world that seems to have no space for her and just wants her swept away out of sight. The setting was outlined in what seemed like relatively sparse language, but I saw everything so clearly in my mind. I was transported into Leah's world, and I felt all her pains and hopes and joys.

This book deals with such a heavy topic, and a very shameful and ugly part of history. I was bracing myself for it but was still filled with so much horror and heartbreak when the author wrote it out. I don't want this review to be a spoiler, but I will say that if you read the author's note at the end first, as I did, you'll know. I'm not sure whether I would have rather gone into this book blind, but I did love the note at the end, which added some much-needed context to a book dealing with a very sensitive topic. I really can't recommend this book enough, especially for book clubs.

Thank you to Netgally and Sourcebooks Landmark for my ARC copy. All opinions are my own.