A brilliant historical fiction which is full of depth and emotions.
Set in the 1930s with some brilliant characters, this book just pulls you in and doesn't let you go!
I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in history.

Wow, what a breath of fresh air! Thank you Meagan Church for writing a compelling, serious, thoughtful, engaging story...without feeling the need to add in the kind of content that would stop me from giving this book to a mature teen. I loved the rich North Carolina setting and each of the characters captured my heart in a different way. This story shines light on a lesser known period of American history and I appreciated learning as I read. I would highly recommend this book about family, home, growing up and finding a place to belong.

Thank you to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for the eARC copy of this book!

Leah has been torn from the only life she has ever known. When her father died she was forced to move to another town and live with another family. She knew she wasn’t welcome but she had no choice. Then something happens and Leah must do what she has to do for her sanity and her future.

Oh wow! What an amazing tale of fortitude, trauma and strength! This story will tear your heart out one minute and have you throwing the book across the room in frustration at Leah’s plight. Leah is a child I will not soon forget.

I could not put this book down. This story brings so many emotions to the reader. Talk about a book which will give you all the feels. There are so many adults in this book which failed Leah. But Leah never gave up. She definitely overcame and thrived

Need an emotional book…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

The Last Carolina Girl is an intense read to say the least. The subject matter here is heartbreaking.

The writing here is also somehow sweet. This book was not at all what I expected (in the best way).

Eugenics is not a topic I know much about but it’s one I think is important. I’ve never read a novel about this topic before. I’m so very glad I did.

The author here managed to weave a devastating yet heartwarming tale mixed with many subplots and a great MC in Leah.

Leah will steal your heart…and then break it, and put it back together still cracked.

I loved this book. ♥️

Pub date: 2/28/23
Genre: coming of age, historical fiction
Quick summary: In 1935 North Carolina, Leah's life is turned upside down by the death of her father. When she's forced to become a housemaid, she'll come face to face with the ugliness of the eugenics movement.

This book is quiet but powerful. I loved getting to know Leah - the descriptions of her wild and free childhood were lyrical and lovely. Author Meagan Church did a great job setting a sense of place in Holden Beach, and Leah and her father's relationship was a highlight. When Leah moved inland to Mecklenburg County, she was stuck in a terrible situation as a "helpmate" - even though she was still a child. It was hard to read about the events that happened to her, but I admired her inner strength.

If you enjoy character-driven historical fiction, give this one a try! Fans of Diane Chamberlain's NECESSARY LIES and Dolen Perkins-Valdez's TAKE MY HAND will find similar themes explored here. Be sure to read Church's author's note - this book is inspired by her great-aunt's life, and she does a wonderful job linking it to reproductive justice in the past and present.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark for my e-ARC and Recorded Books for my ALC in exchange for an honest review.

𝘐 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘣𝘺𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘐 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘶𝘱 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵. 𝘐 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘻𝘰𝘯, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘧 𝘋𝘢𝘥𝘥𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘴 𝘸𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶. ’𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘐 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐’𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘸𝘪𝘮 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘧 𝘐’𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯.

𝙂𝙚𝙣𝙧𝙚 🎭: southern historical fiction
𝙋𝙖𝙘𝙚 🏃🏼‍♀️: moderate/fast
𝙎𝙥𝙞𝙘𝙚: 🚫
𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 🖤: Where the Crawdads Sing
𝙏𝙒 ⚠️: brief mention of eugenics, parental abuse

This is a beautiful story of southern historical fiction. It very much reminded me of Where the Crawdads Sing, which I adored.

Leah is no stranger to loss. Her mother passed away during childbirth, and she lives in a one room cabin with her father, until a terrible logging accident takes him from her. Left an orphan, Leah is sent to live with a foster family hundreds of miles away. Leah is forced to deal with the shame of her background and having to fight to be seen as equal and worthy of love.

The author provides a profound look into the landscape of 1930s in the south, where race and class define your place in the world. Leah is a simple girl of meager means. This story shows what happens to the kids who fall through the cracks.

This is a story of found family, what it truly means to have a home, love, fear, and discovering where you belong.

The Last Carolina Girl is a moving story of a young girl, Leah, living with her beloved father near Holden Beach, NC. They are quite poor and their home is a one-room shack, but they are very happy. Leah has a dream of living in a house right on the water in Holden Beach, which her teacher says is “not realistic.” She also has what she calls “flashes,” which are short periods of time when she freezes almost like a statue before coming back to reality. But she lives a beautiful life with her father and cherished friends. When tragedy suddenly strikes, she finds herself serving a coldhearted family as a “helpmate,” or basically a maid.

This is a well-written novel, which at the core of it exposes the way the poor were exploited and used by the rich back in the early 20th Century. The rich have always had power, but back then they could pretty much do whatever they wanted, body and soul, to a person. As Leah says, “…the ghosts of the real world were scarier than the imagined ones.” Based on a true story from within the author’s own family, this novel will shock, anger, and break the heart. But the beautiful imagery of the North Carolina coast and the love of true family also shines through.

I read both the ebook and audiobook versions. The audiobook is narrated by Susan Bennett, who does a great job. The Southern accents are true to the area and not overdone. The emotion of the book is well conveyed.

I received a free ebook from Sourcebooks and a free audiobook from RB Media. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.

My rating is 4.5 stars, rounded to 5 on sites with no half-star option.

The Last Carolina Girl will be released on March 28, 2023.

I always love books set in the marshes of the south and I was a huge fan of Where the Crawdads Sing so I was very excited to read this novel after reading about the comparison.


Overall, I did like The Last Carolina Girl and I appreciate the heartbreak and history behind it. I think anyone who loves southern historical fiction will enjoy this book!

THE LAST CAROLINA GIRL
Meagan Church, author
risorcarricion
Follow the life of a girl that goes from a carefree life to something very different than the one
she area knows. Aneroeino oronance ano sento a roseramvin a oro secreas This is a roller coaster ride type of book. Especially from an emotional standpoint. What bothered me the most was the talk about eugenics. I had to keep in mind that this book was
set in 1953 a time that was very different than ours. I would give this book 4 out of 5 stars.

Quick and Dirty⁣
-Southern historical fiction⁣
-slow burn story⁣
-perfect for lovers of Where the Crawdads Sing⁣
-chosen family⁣
⁣
Musings⁣
I'm one of the rare folks who didn't love Crawdads. It was fine, but not spectacular in my opinion. So I was on the fence about this book when I read the synopsis and saw it compared to Crawdads. Lucky for me, I found this book much more enjoyable. The main character, Leah, was much more relatable as a character, and her story arc was more believable than Crawdads. The Last Carolina Girl is a heartbreaker of a story, with plenty of pain and grief to soften even the hardest of hearts. The loss this character experiences is palpable; you truly feel her pain throughout the entire story. I was riveted by the dynamics in this book and often found myself feeling strongly about what was happening to Leah at the hands of her foster family. As coming-of-age novels go, there are none better than those that incorporate chosen family. The love that Leah finds in her chosen family put a smile on my face, especially knowing how much she was made to sacrifice at the hands of the monsters in her life. The author's ability to transport the reader to the world of Leah both before and after the loss of her father is remarkable; I was completely sucked into this novel from word go. Overall, I think any lover of Southern fiction, particularly historical fiction, will find this story moving and a worthwhile read.

I love a book that takes place in North Carolina. This is defintely not a light hearted book.

Leah's story is sad. She suffers trauma and heart break. She lost her mother at her birth. Her father passed away when she was fourteen. She and her dad lived in Holden Beach. Neighbors kept her for a while, parents of Jesse, who was probably her only friend. But then the time came for her to go to a foster family in Matthews. She thought she'd be a part of their family, like an adopted child. She was a servant.

Many lies and secrets come out and the things she endures in Matthews are sad and tragic, and some are irreversible.

Leah was a strong young woman and the fact that she perservered and you get a somewhat happy ending surprised me. What she endured I'm sure happened to many during this time period. And sad to think current laws and events are setting us back in this regard.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Sourcebooks Landmark, and RB Media for both an ARC and ALC in exchange for my honest review.

I was blown away by this heartbreaking yet beautiful coming of age story of young Leah Payne who is a free spirited full of wonder and optimism despite the countless obstacles against her. Set in the 1930s and during a lesser known part of North Carolina’s history, where an unimaginable state eugenics board has been formed. What Leah has to endure is gut wrenching and so tragic yet I came away from this book with such a sense of hope because of her strengths she shows.

Be sure to check out this remarkable book when it’s out later this month! Thank you Source Books for the advanced copy of The Last Carolina Girl!

I've read a few emotional books in my time. Some that really kept me weeping all the way through. This is one of them. This is emotional on a whole new level though. I learned a few things while reading this book. A few things that we all should know and prevent from ever happening again.

This is fourteen year old Leah Payne's story. It's told with her voice. Her thoughts and her feelings. Her pain. Her losses. Her heart. It will absolutely break your heart. The sad thing is that this happened in this country. Way to many times. I thought other countries were bad trying to create the perfect race. While this is not in so many words about creating the perfect race, according to the people who did this, it actually is. Using Eugenics to keep anyone from having a child. To sterilize women. To sterilize a child. It is beyond cruel. It's inhumane. No one has the right to decide who is not smart enough to have a child. Who is not good enough. It's just wrong on so many levels. This book will take you there and many more places.

Leah was living her life with her daddy in North Carolina. Going about her daily life happy and content. While they were basically poor they did have a lot. They had each other. They had a roof over their heads and her daddy had a job. Yes they lived on the Barnas' property but Leah's daddy worked for them. She played with their son Jesse. Went to school with him. He was her best friend. Her mother died after she gave birth to her. She bled to death. Her daddy raised her and taught her to be a good child but also let her experience freedom. Be alive and happy. Until the unthinkable happened. Then she had to go live with a foster family. But she didn't have any idea what she was in store for. Being a "helpmate" instead of a typical foster child. The Griffins were a typical family. They had money and a nice life. Three children and a home. Plenty of food and each other.

Leah goes through so much from Mrs Griffin. The woman is cruel. Evil mean. She puts Leah in what can only be described as a closet out back with room only for a bed and dresser. One tiny window. All Leah is there for is to cook, clean and help with the youngest child. Leah is a hard worker and only wants a family. To be accepted. She also wants to go back home. She puts up with physical and mental abuse from Mrs Griffin. While the other children seem to love her, especially the youngest, Leah is not at all happy. She tries so hard to please this woman. The final straw comes when she over hears Mrs Griffin and another snooty woman taking at the cotillion. She finds out that the woman her her sterilized.

This story takes you on a very emotional ride. Through so many tears. The things this teenage girl goes through is so sad. What makes it worse is it is based on an actual event. This author's aunt. You will learn about her in the "Author's Note" at the end. It's heartbreaking what happened and in some cases it seems still happens. This book is well researched so don't think it's not real. That it never happened. It did. It needs to never happen again. No matter what.

Quotes that hit me:
'ALL I HAD LEFT IN ALL THE WORLD WAS MY QUILT AND THE PICTURE I'D TAKEN FROM THE DRESSER BEFORE WE'D WALKED OUT THE DOOR THAT MORNING.'

'THE THING ABOUT KIDS. ADULTS ALWAYS TRY TO TELL THEM TO GROW UP, ACT THEIR AGE, THAT THERE'S NO SENSE IN CRYING. BUT KIDS KNOW THAT SOMETIMES THE ONLY THING TO DO IS LET THE TEARS WASH OUT OF YOU. SOMETIMES TEARS ARE THE ONLY WORDS WORTH SHARING."

Yes, this is a very emotional story. It does have a couple of very sweet parts and a couple of chuckles but overall it's based on actual events and it's heartbreaking. It's horrible. It's one you need to read.

Publishes March 28th of this year.

Thank you #NetGalley, #MeaganChurch, #SourceBooksLandmark, for this ARC. This is my own true thoughts about this story.

Five huge stars and a very high recommendation. Read it with a new box of Kleenex. You will need them.

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for this eARC.

The Last Carolina Girl was so beautiful and heartbreaking.

Sometimes it's the story and sometimes the characters and this time it was both. My heart ached for Leah. But Mary Ann's innocence had my ♥
Im the beginning, I found the book to be a bit slow but it soon picked up pace and I didn't want to put it down.

What a heartbreaking and touching novel. This story taught me something I knew next to nothing about.

Set in 1930’s North Carolina, Lea is orphaned and sent to live with a family. The circumstances of her being sent broke my heart and the woman of the family’s treatment of Lea angered me so many times. As the story progressed, I loved her interaction with the children of the family and kept hoping things would turn around.

I had heard of the eugenics movement but didn’t realize how big of a movement it was and the flimsy reasons people could use to have someone sterilized without their consent. My heart broke for Lea and all she went through and endured.

Without giving anything away, I will say the ending was beautiful in its own way. To watch Lea endure and never give up the hope of what she wanted most was inspiring.

I cannot wait to see what Meagan Church writes next. This debut novel was very well done. I highly recommend reading the author’s note at the end to learn more about the inspiration for this story.

Thank you to Sourcebooks for the copy of this book. All views are my opinion.

Often compared to Where the Crawdads Sing, Meagan Church's debut novel, The Last Carolina Girl, is a better written and far more believable story. Like Crawdads, the main protagonist is a young orphaned girl from coastal North Carolina but that is where the comparisons stop. Ms. Church places her story against the controversial backdrop of the 1930s eugenics movement. Heartbreaking and highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for this ARC. Review is my own.

Meagan Church’s “The Last Carolina Girl” was a wild card read for me and I wasn’t altogether sure what to expect. What ensued was a powerful, gut-wrenching story of one woman’s fight for her freedom, for control of her body and for a shot at her dreams.

Leah’s story is set against a coastal Carolina setting in the 1930s. My favorite historical fiction books are ones where I learn something about the past I was previously unaware of and in The Last Carolina Girl, Church exposes the very real horrors of the state eugenics board. Why I had little to no context of this horrendous element to our country’s history is beyond me. What Leah endured was at times almost too painful to read (and how apt her last name is Payne). She is a character representing so many who had to endure this abuse with their bodily freedoms literally ripped away from them at the hands of a classist, patriarchal society.

This writing is simple and there is a level of complexity that feels missing from the plot. What Leah endured in the loss of her family, body and freedom is heart-wrenching, but the ease to which the story ended after the major revelation made it seem like a lot of tragedy could’ve been avoided. I guess what I’m saying is the ending felt too easy.

Readers will champion young Leah as she refuses to bend to the will of her abusive foster family and holds true to her fierce spirit despite all the tragedy. Overall this was an unexpected treasure that I’m very grateful to have stumbled upon. Hard, powerful and loaded with themes of family, rights, identity and perseverance, The Last Carolina Girl is a beautiful story about a girl with a spirit that won’t be broken.

Oooh Eee, this was a rollercoaster ride of emotions. It’s heartbreaking and infuriating but also inspiring and touching.

I wanted to scoop Leah up and bring her home with me. She is such a wonderful character that deserves the world but instead she gets sh!t on after experiencing so much heartache already.

Mrs. Griffin I wanted to kick in the face, I hated her so much! She is an awful, horrible lady and I hope a bird poops on her face.

I absolutely loved the friendship between Jesse and Leah. He is the one glimmer of light and hope in her life and I was all about it!

ɪ ʀᴇᴄᴏᴍᴍᴇɴᴅ ᴛʜɪs ᴛᴏ ↠ Those who loved the wild spirit of Kya in Where the Crawdads Sing.

This was a coming of age story of a young girl who is torn from everything she knows and loves after her father dies in a tragic accident, to go live with a foster family, in what she thought would be a new start with a new family. Instead of being part of a new family, she learns she was brought in to be a helpmate, not one of the family. She’s treated terribly, learns about some deep dark family secret, and has the right to become a mom in the future literally ripped away from her due to some unimaginable yet based on an all too real part of history, Eugenics program. This story will break your heart and put it back together piece by piece. It’s a beautiful and heart wrenching story of family, love, and strength and what it really means to call something home.

I received a copy for review from Netgalley.

At first I wasn't sure if I was going to enjoy this as the start of it really reminded my of Where the Crawdads Sing . The beginning chapters were very similar, but once you get to part two it's a very different experience. Right away with meeting the new family that Leah is staying with you can pick up on culty, radical evangelical vibes. While I understand it's the 1930's and times were very different it's still very weird to me to have a 14 year old as your hired help. From there it's a very sad and difficult story to get through. Leah is forced to basically leave school, become a helpmate to a woman, who we find out later in the story is her aunt, and is berated constantly for minor infractions (some that are caused by some kind of seizure). The whole story is sad and by the end Leah is even forced to go through a nonconsensual sterilization AT 14.

Do I recommend people read this? Sure, I think it makes a good book for discussions, especially since forced sterilization are still happening in America to this day, but I do warn that you be in the right mind-frame to handle the content.