What a special book that shares such a special story. Kelly is such a gifted writer! This book had me in tears and had me laughing all within a few pages. This book gives me hope in love and is an example of why loving wholeheartedly is worth the heartbreak in the end.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

This candid and beautifully written memoir is a heartbreaking look at family, sisters in particular, and the healing we can and cannot do. As Kelly comes to terms with her relationship with her maddening, often dishonest and drug-addicted sister, Meghan, it’s not clear if the girls can repair the loss of trust between them. Meghan, who suffered and survived childhood cancer, is a complex and vulnerable person, with an inner sweetness still visible (at times) to her sister, who has seen it all.

As much a story about forgiveness as it is about love, - what does one do when our nearest and dearest is also the single-most factor causing us the most pain? When the choices another makes are so obviously “wrong”, yet so completely and utterly out of our own hands that any retaliatory actions we may even consider spiral us further into anxiety and despair?

The girls, so radically different, each live through their own challenges and crises, both feeling the push and pull of the intensity born of sisterhood, as they do their best to offer assistance to each other, and struggle to stay afloat themselves.

Kelly, a logistics officer at the time, lives in a world of rationality unknown to her sensitive and affectionate sister, whose quest for immersion and belonging takes her into dark and dangerous places. Hardest of all, as Kelly comes to terms with her own inner judgements (we all judge, but so few of us have the courage to recognize it) she must ultimately resolve how to best manage herself, while still offering support to her sister.

This is a truly gut-wrenching story, shared so selflessly by the author, taking us to a place that just doesn’t seem even remotely fair, as we follow a family, whose courage and commitment cannot help but make a reader question - would I, could I, imagine a world of my own, fraught with this level of pain, yet tackled with so much bravery?

The answer, of course, (as Kelly herself reveals so poignantly), must be lived to be actually known.

A great big thank you to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for an ARC of this book. All thoughts provided are my own.

This book was one of my favourite things I read in 2023. It was beautifully written and brought me to tears more than once. This book deals with difficult subject matter and the author was very honest and open. I also recommend the audiobook which I have listened to since reading my advanced copy and it has some beautiful extra touches as well.

I absolutely loved this book!! I couldn’t put it down.
I just loved all the characters. I highly recommend this book.

Title: Still, I Cannot Save You
Author: Kelly S. Thompson
Genre: Memoir
Rating: 4.25
Pub Date: February 14, 2023

I received complimentary eARC of this book from McClelland & Stewart and Penguin Random House Canada via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #Gifted #Ad

T H R E E • W O R D S

Moving • Reflective • Tragic

📖 S Y N O P S I S

Kelly Thompson and her older sister, Meghan, are proof that sisterhood doesn’t always equate to friendship. Growing up within a military family, the girls were close despite being temperamental opposites—Kelly, anxious and studious, looked to her big sister for comfort, and Meghan, who battled kidney cancer as a toddler, was gregarious and protective. But as she approached adulthood, Meghan spiraled into a cocaine and opioid addiction, and Kelly’s relationship with her sister was torn apart.

Their paths diverge as they live their own lives, and it is only when Meghan becomes a mother that she and Kelly tentatively face past hurts and reexamine what sisterhood really means. But their reunion is threatened when Meghan receives a shocking new diagnosis on a day that should be one for celebration. Now, as the family reels at the prospect of the biggest loss imaginable, Kelly and Meghan must share all that they can in the time that they have, using their mutual sense of humour to chart a course through the darkest of days.

💭 T H O U G H T S

I requested an advanced copy of Still, I Cannot Save You mostly because I was intrigued by reading a memoir from the point-of-view of a family member of someone afflicted with addiction. I connected with Kelly's story in ways I never expected, despite the addiction aspect taking a back seat.

An emotional and devastatingly beautiful memoir written with openness and honesty, exploring sibling dynamics and relationships. Kelly lays bare how complicated family relationships can be. She holds nothing back in describing her relationship with her sister - the good, the bad and the ugly. Incredibly well-written, this memoir is filled with love, hope and humour. There is also so much room for reflection, which I appreciated.

Overall, Still, I Cannot Save You is a powerful reminder to how complicated relationships are, and the enduring bonds of sisters. There is so much rawness and realness within its page that I laughed and I cried numerous times. It took me by surprise how much of an emotional journey it took me on.

📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• readers who have loved someone with addiction
• anyone looking for a memoir with sibling themes

⚠️ CW: domestic abuse, drug use, drug abuse, addiction, cancer, terminal illness, death, sibling death, grief, medical content, mental illness, strained familial relationships, pregnancy, alcoholism

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

"Sisters come back to one another, I think. When they're ready."

This book never got going for me. The writing was too slow and I ended up not caring about the story at all.

I am very picky about the books I read. I need them to go at a quick pace and don't care much for a ton of details and this book just bogged down.

I do appreciate how hard it is to write,

This story really resonated with my own relationship with my sister. Heartbreaking, gut wrenching but beautiful and thought provoking as well. Well done.

A moving memoir revolving around sisterhood, addiction, how addiction can tear a family apart the hurt and anger that they experience

I really liked this novel. It's about two sisters who go through differences and hardships together. I liked how honest the book was, and it was very sad but with hope, too.

This book was so beautifully written. I can well imagine the soul searching that Kelly S Thompson did, as she wrote about her family and her relationship with her sister. "Still I Cannot Save Her" is a sometimes happy, humerous and sad recollections of life with her older sister, Meghan. Meghan had cancer when she was a child, and then as she. recovered from that, the older she got the more reckless she became. This story of cancer, addiction , spousal abuse is not for the faint of heart. It is a story of love, sisterhood and family in the most difficult times. You will laugh and you will cry, reading Kelly and Meghan's story. Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for allowing me to read this memior. 5 out of 5.

An emotionally charged read that I really enjoyed despite the difficult subject matter. The author was open and honest about her story, and it left a lasting impression on me. I laughed, cried, felt frustration, anger, sadness and joy throughout the book. It was definitely a powerful story about siblings relationships and the strength to overcome adversity.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This story is full of love, honesty, and humor. The author tells and explores her relationship with Meghan. Meghan has addiction, abuse, and mental illness. The family grew up in a military family. The girls were close and drifted apart and in. the end they become close again. A great read

What a beautiful and vulnerable recounting of the relationship between two sisters. They don't always understand one another and they don't always even try, but this memoir of family will make any reader want to hug their loved ones.

TW: This book contains sensitive topics.
Still, I Cannot Save You is the kind of book I would have finished in 2-3 days, but I kept postponing it because for the first time in my life while reading a book, I didn't want to know the ending. However, the ending came and every emotion Kelly and her family faced, you could feel them yourself through the words.

An absolutely raw and insightful memoir about two sisters and the struggles that only siblings can know and understand. The author writes a beautiful memoir about her sister Meghan, who beat childhood cancer only to become immersed in substance abuse and addiction in her young adult life. When Meghan finally becomes clean and starts her family, it is discovered that she once again has a battle ahead of her when she is again diagnosed with cancer in her 30s. Though their relationship is still contentious at times due to Meghan's past addictions and the choices she made because of it, these sister become closer than ever through Meghan's terminal cancer battle, with Kelly eventually being Meghan's medical proxy.

This was an absolutely heart breaking memoir of the power of family and a sisterly bond. Though these two sisters have been through terrible crisis and events in their lives, at the end they came together to mend their relationship. It shows the true meaning of sisterhood, and the author is incredibly poignant in her recantation of the effects of cancer not only on the patient but on the family as well. It was a beautifully and well written memoir that I will often think about. I hope that the author found peace in writing this for her sister, it is very obvious how much she loved Meghan.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy of this memoir. All opinions within this review are my own.

This emotional memoir of two sisters and one complicated relationship will completely tear your heart apart.

Kelly's sister Meghan was a childhood cancer survivor, but later spiraled into substance use in adulthood. For many years, Kelly and Meghan's relationships was convoluted and strained family dynamics. Even when Meghan seeks treatment and finds sobriety, forgiveness is difficult.

Kelly and Meghan's relationship slowly heals when a move brings Kelly closer to home and Meghan gives birth to her first child. And when Meghan is diagnosed with an aggressive cancer, Kelly becomes Meghan's fierce protector: caring and advocating for her sister regardless of obstacles encountered. As Meghan's cancer progresses, Kelly stays by her sister's side through thick and thin, while also taking turns to care for her nephew and niece. The strength of both Kelly and Meghan is indescribable.

My heart ached for this family, yet made me feel incredibly grateful for my health and that of my family's.

Most of us know a cancer survivor, or someone who lost a battle to cancer, and this memoir, cancer and death are exposed in their rawest of forms. Yet, it is also one of the most beautiful odes to sisterhood.

⚠️ Possible triggers: strained family relationships, substance use, addiction, cancer, chronic illness, mental illness, domestic abuse, death (may not be an exhaustive list)

Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the gifted e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Where do I even begin, this was one incredible and powerful book that will stay with me for a very long time. I loved this one so much and will be buying a copy for my own shelf. 5 STARS! LOVED

Kelly and her older sister have had a rocky relationship. Meghan survives kidney cancer as a toddler only to fall into a cocaine and opioid addiction during her early adult years which tears the once close sisters apart. It’s only once Meghan beats her addiction and becomes a mother that her and Kelly begin to repair their relationship. It’s during this time that Meghan receives a devastating diagnosis that will ultimately take her life. This memoir was beautifully heartbreaking, while being real and honest. I think it could be a difficult book to read for someone who has been through a similar experience but it was my first 5 ⭐️ read of the year.

Kelly Thompson and her older sister Meghan are proof that sisters aren't always friends. Growing up in a military family, they were close despite being complete opposites. As a teen Meghan suffers from a cocaine and opioid addiction which tears apart their relationship. Once Meghan becomes a mother and Kelly and her reconnect, they start to rebuild their relationship. With a shocking diagnosis on a day that should be one for celebration, Kelly and Meghan decide to make the most of the time that they have.

I cried, I laughed. I felt hopeful, I felt broken. This book is devastating, heartbreaking and heartwarming all at once. The relationship between sisters is a special one (I have 2!). I really admire Kelly's strength in her relationship with her sister, as well as the strength that would have been required to write this book. It is hard to keep judgment out of action and Kelly did exactly that. She supported her sister despite all the struggles they had faced and despite all of her misgivings. Knowing that it's non-fiction made it harder because I could imagine it all so vividly. This is also of course due to the beautiful, well thought out way that it is written.

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for my review copy.

I picked up this book because it discusses loving a family member with substance use disorder, something I have really been struggling with lately. This is indeed a topic that is covered, but the book gave me so much more. It is familiar and absorbing, a powerful memoir that lays bare the realities and emotions of family life during some of their most painful and private struggles. Alcoholism, domestic abuse, cancer, opioid addiction, MS, and marriage, all tied up in the bonds between parents and daughters, and of sisters to each other. Thank you Kelly, for telling your story. I found it very touching, authentic, and invaluable. I will never forget Meggie. I laughed and then cried so hard it soaked my pillow and I had to flip it over.