Great book. I don't want to say too much to risk spoiling the plot but it's one that definitely made me feel alllll the emotions. I loved the main character but got very mad at other characters. I recommend this book but maybe check out trigger warnings if that makes your more comfortable.

A small piece of the book description - "set in 1935 against the very real backdrop of a recently formed state eugenics board" - speaks to the history behind The Last Carolina Girl by Meagan Church. The ending of the book somehow does not feel real. It packages everything. Leah's story is a sad one. How could you not empathize with the plight of this child! The horrific history of eugenics in our nation is an important one to remember. For that, I am glad to have read the book.

Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2024/08/the-last-carolina-girl.html

Reviewed for NetGalley.

I really enjoyed The Last Carolina Girl by Meagan Church, It's a coming of age story that reminded me of Where the Crawdads Sing (which I loved!). Leah is fourteen and lives a poor, yet happy life with her father. Until he suddenly passes away. Leah is shuffled to a foster home where she has to try to fit in and in the process, uncovers some interesting things. I highly recommend this book.

Leah's journey was intense, and makes me immensely grateful for living in other times than that. I do think the story didn't need the plot twist near the end to make it haunting, but it did make things even more haunting than they already were.

This was a great southern fiction! If you enjoyed Where the Crawdads Sing, you’ll enjoy this one as well. My heart broke for Leah and all she had to go through.

The Last Carolina Girl was a truly moving book. While I do not usually read historical fiction, this books heldmy attention right from the start up until the last page.

It was heartfelt and moving; with characters you're not going to forget anytime soon.

The Last Carolina Girl
Author Meagan Church
Available now!

Thank you, @bookmarked and @netgalley, for my #gifted e- arc! I read Meagan's debut last month, and it completely broke my heart learning about another part of history that I knew nothing about.

Set in an atmospheric North Carolina coastal town, Leah and her father live a simple life, causing Leah to dream of a more colorful life living on the beach in her future. After a tragic event took her father's life, Lead was sent to live with a family where she expected to continue her schooling, but instead was met with indifference bordering on coldness, and was expected to cook, clean, and take care of their home. Feeling isolated and lonely, Leah searches for any act of kindness, but the state of NC had recently formed a eugenics board, and Leah's caregiver is scared, threatened, and bursting with secrets.

Heartbreaking and devastating yet filled with the determination of heart of a survivor and the love for the place and the people that make a home. The Last Carolina girl explores a part of history that's long forgotten and is Southern fiction at its finest.

4.5 stars!

I absolutely loved this debut novel. I felt so connected with Leah, the main character, and could not stop thinking about it long after I finished reading. I am a huge fan of historically accurate fiction and love when I can research topics after, in order to learn more. Thank you for this opportunity to get to know Leah and get a feel for what many girls went through during this era when human rights violations were committed in the name of eugenics.

This book was so heartbreaking while also being enlightening. I liked Leah as a main character and hated what she had to go through. Definitely a read that will stand out for me this year!

This was set in 1935 North Carolina and told the story of the not well known practice of eugenics. When orphaned, Leah is forced to leave her home and best friend to go live with another family far away. Mrs Griffin treats her as a servant. It is a heart-wrenching story of unspeakable cruelty. I admired the main character she was able to tolerate this terrible behavior but at the same time how she was able to rise above all.

Such a wonderful read. I had to pull out the tissues for this one. Beautifully written and highly recommend. Perfect book for your summer TBR.

The story starts off very sad and then winds through the rest of the book leaving some questions unanswered or with incomplete explanations. Even so, the story was still interesting and kept you turning pages to see how it ended.

I picked this book up because it was considered similar to "Where the Crawdads Sing", which I loved. The initial setting for the book was very rural, a young girl and her father living very poorly near the coast where they long for more.

Upon the death of her father, she is sent to live with a richer family where she finds that not only is she not loved but she is being used as free help by a woman with a secret. Leah longs to be closer to the coast and near people who actually care for her.

I didn't get the whole "Crawdads" feel since most of the story takes place outside Charlotte, NC. There were certain aspects that seemed far-fetched (such as the old family traveling near across NC for a fair). Additionally, I felt like the ending was just sprung upon us and was rushed. Other than that, it was an interesting read.

I went into this book blind, and was pleasantly surprised with how much I liked it. I thought the writing was very intricate, and it did a great job holding my attention.

a beautiful yet heartbreaking story that honestly took a while to grip me. actually started this a year ago before its publication but dnfed. definitely see how it can be compared to where the crawdads sing (which i also loved).
thank you so much for this free copy in exchange for an honest review (albeit late)

The book started off strong and charming. I felt like it went downhill further in. Thanks for the review copy

Thanks for giving me the arc in exchange of honest review.
This novel is so heartbreaking and sorrowful. I did enjoy this eventually.

a very sad and heartwrenching book, showing how ignorant and naive society was at that time, it wasn't a long time ago 1935 and to think people at that time were so ignorant, only shows that we haven't come that far, we're still a pretty naive society with so much to learn and to practice like caring and loving for the neighbor and the person next door. anyway, this book was good but it was. hard to read, I can't stand people who are a bully or people who think they're superior to others.

I admired the main character she was able to tolerate this terrible behavior but at the same time how she was able to rise above all.

Thank you, NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark, Sourcebooks Landmark, for the advanced copy of The Last Carolinas Girl in exchange for my honest review.

Sometimes you just know, and you can hardly contain your excitement over a debut set in your home state in places you know well. I’ll be honest… the title grabbed my attention right away. I’m a Carolina Girl through and through. The blurbs by other authors also grabbed me… But the story, that’s all on Meagan Church and her storytelling acumen.

About the book: “A searing book club novel for fans of Where the Crawdads Sing and The Girls in the Stilt House following one girl fighting for her family, her body, and her right to create a future all her own.

Set in 1935 against the very real backdrop of a recently formed state eugenics board, The Last Carolina Girl is a powerful and heart-wrenching story of fierce strength, forgotten history, autonomy, and the places and people we ultimately call home.”

I’m not going to delve further into the details of the story than the actual synopsis does. I went in blind and found it rewarding. The author has a personal connection to the story, adding power and authenticity. This was compared to Crawdads, and while I really enjoyed that one, this is more well written. I also felt it captured coastal Brunswick County, North Carolina, an actual North Carolina location. As an aside, my dad spent his last three years in a small town in that county, and I felt a little wink from him that the book was set there.

All in all, The Last Carolina Girl is a true experience of a read with gentle writing and endearing characters. I am ecstatic to have found a new author to love and hope Meagan Church has many more stories to share with us.

I received a gifted copy.

3.5 stars. I found this book to be quietly heartbreaking but such a beautiful story all at once.
It’s a perfect example of why I love southern fiction so much. There is always hope.