The book focuses on the story of Leah a young girl who becomes an orphan as the book progress. She becomes a foster child and although the majority of the family is kind to her the mother is not kind, which seemed a bit of a cliche. In some ways, the book felt like a riff on Cinderella; however, adding eugenics into the story helped to give the book some depth.

I found this story to be so engaging and well told about a dark spot in history. It is just one of those books like Crwdads and Secret life of bees that you just love . Exquisite writing and characters.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review book

I absolutely loved this book. It turned out to be a whirlwind of emotions. You can't help but laugh and cry along with Leah as she breezees through different phases of her life. She's the kind of character you connect to instantly and the author has done a wonderful job in writing her. It's commendable that the author managed to take a part of history so dark and turn it into a story so incredible. This is a kind of story which stays with you a long time after you finished reading and I'm glad I picked it up.

I loved this book. I connected to Leah almost immediately, and couldn’t stop reading until I had finished her story. Being a part of history that is not recognized as much, I appreciated being able to learn about the things that happened to her in such a heartbreaking way. I found the story realistic and relatable, and enjoyed the character development throughout. The addition of Maeve was so pure and really helped make the story come to life for me - though that’s probably because I strongly believe that animals have healing powers. I would have liked to see a bit more tied up at the end - I understand that our narrator ceased contact with the family, but we never even knew if she was aware of the admiration Michael had for her, or what became of the sisters. We also don’t get to know what happened to Maeve even after Leah arrives back home - we know she was there, and I suppose it’s assumed that she lives with Leah until she passes, but it would have tied up her storyline nicely if there was a sentence in the epilogue about her. Loved the descriptions in the book, and the care the author took with writing about feelings and emotions through Leah. Definitely in the same vein as Where the Crawdads Sing, but stands on its own, in a genre that needs representation of this time period and the events that happened. Loved it.

Beautifully-written, heartbreaking historical fiction that reminded me a lot of Before We Were Yours, and that's high praise indeed.

3.5 rounded up. I don't read a lot of stories about state eugenics and the laws and boards enacted for them. There's little I know about this dark history. I like stories that shine a light on ugly parts of history because it helps us learn from it and, hopefully, keep us from repeating it.

Leah was a very sad character. Left alone with her father for years, they live in a small shack on the grounds of the home he helps maintain. Leah goes to school and has friends and, while life is still a struggle, she loves her home and her father and the family they tend land for. But after a tragedy, Leah is sent away to another home, one not as accepting or loving as her first one.

This story had many shocking parts. It's a fast read, maybe a little short, but it definitely packed a punch. I never quite knew where the story was going so each twist was a new shock for me. I loved the notes at the end from the author with statistics and the sad information that we learned nothing and are still forcing this on many. So glad I gave this one a try, I really liked this one!

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

"History never repeats itself, but it does often rhyme.” - Mark Twain

This one was a heartbreaking read. Poor Leah can't catch a break - she has seizures, her mom died at birth, and then her dad dies when she's only 14 years old. Nothing that follows goes well for the poor girl. There's definitely a deep appreciate for nature here, but it doesn't shine through each page the way it did in Where the Crawdads Sing.

Overall, I really wanted this book to be longer. It was hard to read for Leah's sake but I felt like the plot skipped through too quickly. We don't get a deep character development of any character except Leah, we barely get a resolution to her story at the end of the book, and I generally felt like a bunch of chapters were missing. There was so much potential in this story to see how Leah could overcome these unfortunate events and truly become her own person.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the opportunity to review this book ahead of publication. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Wow, what a heartbreaking, powerful story of a young girl. Leah spent her first 14 yrs. living with her Daddy. Poor but happy. After a logging accident where her dad dies she is sent to a "foster home".
She thinks she's going to be part of a family. Unfortunately she is to be a "helpmate" for the "mother". Not able to continue in school. Leah turns out to be a true survivor and what she had to go thru was heartbreaking. Grief,loss,and the eugenics movement .After reading this story you really need to admire Leah for all she endured. Thank you to Net Galley, the Publishers and Author,Meagan Church for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. I would recommend this story to any who enjoy historicals

This book was a deeply emotional and confronting read, dealing with the rise of the eugenics in the early 20th century in the American South, and how it affected generations of Americans. Told through the eyes of Leah Payne, we are introduced to a girl who has experienced more than her fair share of loss and grief, crippled by poverty and her family circumstances. This is not a true story, but it's a well-researched imagining of the life and times of a girl in 1935 Carolina who experienced firsthand the fledgling eugenics movement of the 1930s, which led to inspiring Hitler & Mengele in their "Final Solution."

The last Carolina girl was an incredible story. It was truly heartbreaking. Leah went through so much at such a young age. Her mother dies during childbirth then it’s just Leah and her father. They are very poor but they are very close. Leahs family lived on the coast of North Carolina. After he father dies in a horrible accident. She’s put into foster care and sent to live with a family near the Charlotte area of North Carolina.

I felt so bad for Leah for having gone through so much. Losing her whole family has got to be one of the worst experiences anyone could ever go through. I would definitely recommend this book.

Lee although extremely poor loves her Pa. He raised her all alone after her mother passed away in childbirth but right after her 14th birthday an accident forced her to go live with a foster family far away from the ocean that she loved. She was an orphan now since her dad passed away as well and in the 1920s you either went lived with family or went into an institution locally for Lee she got the third choice and that was to be a helpmate to a foster family. But the trageduse that would be visited only we’re not over yet someone is keeping secrets and has more pain in store for little Lee. I loved this book it was written in the era of eugenics which is a terrible embarrassment to America in the prototype for Hitler’s cleansing of the races. And although this is a fictional tale it is an O2 real account of what happened to innocent girls back then I truly enjoyed this book loved the authors notes and can honestly say this is a five star read. Finally a book based on a true story that blow-by-blow covers the whole story. I received this from NetGalley and the publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

The Last Carolina Girl by Meagan Church is a powerful story of how the life of a young girl can change in an instant. This story will remain in the reader's mind and heart for a while after you finish the book. It broke my heart! Leah is a strong survivor, and I was so relieved at the ending. I have already been telling friends to watch for the release of this book!
Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and publisher for the opportunity to read this book.
Publication Date: March 7, 2023

This is the heartbreaking story of 14 year old Leah. Her mother dies when she is born and she only has her father. She loves the ocean and the surrounding area. When a tragedy strikes she has to move to a new home with secrets and hidden dangers. The book is historical fiction about a shameful time in our nation's history

This is an emotional story that will have you rooting for Leah. Their are secrets she does not know that will have a profound effect on her life. The reader will definitely get involved in the story. I definitely recommend this book.

Thank you to #netgalley, #MeganChurch, and #Sourcebooks for a copy of this book.

This was a nice coming-of-age read. Hard to imagine a person having to go through so much at a young age. I liked seeing Leah move through the different stages of life. This was an enjoyable read.

The Last Carolina Girl A Novel by Meagan Church Leah's story is a heartbreaking and thought provoking tale of tremendous determination and independence. The writing is excellent, with outstanding character development and realistic details. This book explores beginnings of eugenics and the brutality of the state eugenics board. More details regarding eugenics research during this time period are included in the author's comments at the end of the book. Historical fiction at it's best.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book

Young Leah has such a rough life, but throughout her trials and tribulations, she manages to keep holding on to hope. This story shows us that family is who you love, no matter the relation. I became attached to Leah as her first person point of view drew me into her unfortunate life where I experienced the disappointments, pain, and Hope right along with her. This is an important story; I’m so glad I read it. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Sourcebooks Landmark, for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

How much can a young girl take?

Leah lost her mother and lived with her father. They were very close and very poor, but then he was killed in a logging accident.

She was sent to live with a family that Leah thought would be her new family, but it was not the case. 

Leah was treated like a servant and called the helpmate.

It got worse as time wore on and then she heard Mrs. Griffin talking to a doctor about eugenics and forced sterilization.

THE LAST CAROLINA GIRL is very well written and well researched but heartbreaking to see how Leah was treated when all she wanted was a family of her own.

Fans of Southern fiction will devour this book and want to take Leah into their home to keep her from the treatment she received.

A beautiful, thoughtful read that requires tissues...It has been compared to WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING and NECESSARY LIES.

A book you don’t want to miss. 5/5

This book was given to me by the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.

The Last Carolina Girl is a coming-of-age historical novel set in the mid-1930s in North Carolina. Leah's mother died in childbirth, so all she had in the way of a family is her father. At age 14 she was orphaned when her father dies in a work-related accident. She is sent to live with who she thought was a foster family only to be treated with hatred and abuse and just being a helpmate. My heart hurts for the Leahs' of the world. This is an emotional and riveting novel with family secrets and friendship. Family is not always your favorite people. Sometimes family is just the people who choose to love you for who you are. Thanks to author Meagan Church, Sourcebooks Landmark, and NetGalley. I received a complimentary copy of this ebook. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and ARC for providing me with a copy of this book for my honest review.

The book takes place in North Carolina in 1935, where the board of Eugenics made it possible to perform sterilization on women who were deemed “simpleminded and unfit”.

Leah, a 14 year old, lives near a forest and the Atlantic coast. She loves the freedom and her father, Harley, a lumberjack who dies of an accident. She also loves her neighbor the Barnas and their son Jesse who is her best friend.

As an orphan she is put into the house of the Griffins. The mother treats her terribly and calls her their “helpmate”. She is separated from the family, in a bed in an attached room. She is denied school, jesses letters are hidden. And she accused of being a whore. The mother has sectrets.

Leah tries to fight for herself, to protect her body and have a future. But Mrs Griffen is caught up in the Eugenics movement, as her best friends husband is a doctor who supports the cause.. Leah is shoved into the heart rendering procedure.

In the end she continues to fight for her right to live as she wishes and prevails.

The book is so well written, a historical fiction, using a girls life as an example of the horrid process of eugenics. At the end, the author gives a bit of history on the subject. It was surprising that it went on for so long.

I recommend the story, but it does tug the heart on a probably forgotten part of history.

This book was a book I just couldn't put down. Leah has learned that life is not always easy. She grew up with one parent and loss them suddenly. She is attached to home she lives in and the people around her. After the loss of her parent she is sent away to live with someone she doesn't know. She is full of dreams and hopes. Just wanting a family and to be accepted. The lady of this house is pretty tough on her and uses her as a servant. The missus of the house has alot of plans that are not to Leahs advantage and will alter her life forever. This book was eye opening regarding some of the things that happened to Leah.