The Last Carolina Girl

An emotionally charged novel following one girl fighting for her family, her future, and her own place to stand in a world that doesn't always value the wild spirit of a Carolina girl

For fourteen-year-old Leah Payne, life in her beloved coastal Carolina town is worlds away from the harsh realities of the day. Loyal to her lumberjack father, she knows only of the familiarity of her small community, the magic of the natural world, and the creative intuition that prompts her to march to the beat of her own drum. But when an accident takes her father's life, leaving her an orphan, Leah finds herself cast into a family of strangers whose welcoming façade hides a terrible secret. That's when a moment of violence thrusts Leah into the very center of the state's shameful darkness, forcing her to risk a past she holds dear to protect a future she fears she may never have.

Set against the very real backdrop of 1935 North Carolina where a state eugenics board was mandating forced sterilizations, this novel sheds light on a horrific era of injustice and one young woman's fight to control her future, discover her family, and find her own way forward.

©2023 Meagan Church (P)2023 Recorded Books

Hooked from the start

Meagan Church has an amazing way of hooking you from the very beginning. I was hooked and can honestly said cried at times in this book. Very well written and the narrator was amazing! Look forward to more from Meagan

The Emotional War

I couldn't wait to finish this story. it brought tears to.my eyes! Excellent book

Outstanding story

We learn from our past and from others. A wonderful story we can learn from.

Invested from the Beginning

Within the first few lines, the writer’s imagery and the narrator’s portrayal drew me into Leah’s story. Through tragedy and betrayal, this tender hearted, free-spirited girl always remembers where her home is.

The Last Carolina Girl is terrific debut novel and I’m looking forward to Meagan Church’s next.

Warning, tearjerker

What a journey into this unfortunate girls life. Couldn’t put the book down. It was fantastic and emotional.