...Holy shit.

To be honest, I didn't really read the description before starting. The actual story is not what I expected at all, but I am very surprised and impressed. The title is right - this is NOT a vampire story.

This is a story about love, death, immortality, and friendship, told in two timelines. Victor's vampirism is a device to tell the story, but it's not just that. The blend between Victor's story as a vampire and his story of his love and friendship is perfectly balanced to create something beautiful and engaging. And he is entertainingly witty (as is the rest of the crew). They are lovable characters, and you can feel their love for each other, which makes it that much more heartbreaking.

Also, as a transgender man, I found many correlations between Victor's "transformation" and transitioning, particularly on testosterone. The author isn't trans and I know these weren't intentional- the nods to transness probably would not be recognizable to just anyone. But someone else going through their own "transformation" might feel a special kind of kinship to Victor. Just... without the thirst for human blood.

Get ready for the most beautiful knife to the heart, and to be grateful for the experience.

Thank you to NetGalley and Nightsgale Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It did take me a couple chapters to really get into this story, but when I did I found myself really caring about the characters in both time periods that we follow them through. The relationships between the characters are incredibly wholesome and sweet. It deals very well with facing death both your own and that of those you love as well as the process of grief. It absolutely ripped my heart out but I deeply enjoyed this story.

I cannot in good conscience give a rating to this book because it is severely mismarketed.

This is the saddest book I have read. Structured in two timelines, past and present, the present has the most depressive atmosphere you can imagine, and the past which is the rosy part is not enjoyable because you know the future.

Literary and emotionally, it might be a great book. I couldn't tell you because I would not have the requested the ARC had I gotten a hint about what this book is about.

Sorry Simon, I can try one of your fluffier books because the writing style and the chemistry is stellar, but this wasn't for me.

Thank you NetGalley and SD Press for the ARC!

The writing in this was so lovely. I particularly enjoyed the flashback scenes to 1949 while Victor was with his friends. It was such a nice little friend group, their closeness and love for each other just jumped off the pages. I wish Victor could have stayed in that bubble for longer. The romance felt sweet and genuine, I was rooting for them so bad.

The scenes in the nursing home were equally interesting, with the older personalities of the characters shining. It was so unsettling when death approached and Victor could feel it.

As for the vampire elements (although, like it says on the tin that isn't the focus for this book!), the turning scene in was one of the creepiest I have ever read. <spoiler> I am terrified of the ocean , this hit all my spooky buttons! THE GALLEON CRACKED OPEN AND HE FELL BETWEEN INTO THE ICY DEPTHS BELOW? AND THERE WAS A WATERY VAMPIRE THERE?! ARGH! And right before the forbidden romance kiss? </spoiler>

As I think the author intended, I didn't care much in regards to Amaral. It was cool to see these vampire powers/visuals - black veins, stealing pain etc and I loved the classic references like needing to be invited in, and the sun actually being deadly.

In terms of the final message, I think it would have held more punch if I had spent longer with Victor when he wasn't with his beloved friend group and James. Overall though this was sweet and easy to read and I would read more by Simon Doyle in a heartbeat.

Thank you to Netgalley and Nightsgale books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have enjoyed all of Simon Doyle’s books - my favorite before this one was “Snow Boys”. I liked this latest novel a lot. It is true to its title; although there are vampires in the book, “This is Not a Vampire Story” is not so much a story about vampires as a love story, and a very tender one at that. The repeated flashbacks to the past (every other chapter) allow you to gradually learn about Vincent’s backstory, and his relationship with a group of friends (including his boyfriend). I found this mechanism worked well, and kept me reading to discover more. The friends first met in 1949, and are together again in the present day.

In the end, this is a heartbreaking story about love and loss. It is a lovely book.

This Is Not A Vampire Story by Simon Doyle is a sincere and poignant depiction of timeless bonds, eternal love, and the price of immortality. When I fall deeply in love with a book, I find it difficult to express myself. Hint, hint: I'm currently speechless. Doyle has resurrected my love of vampire stories by penning a lush tale so shrouded in mystery that I was genuinely bereft when roused from the book.

Victor Callahan, a seventeen-year-old, will forever be on the verge of manhood, damned to spend eternity forming vague acquaintances and rousing suspicion over his immunity to the decline of his physical self. Memories of a bygone era haunt him - of wild adventures on the rugged Irish coast, of forbidden love hidden beneath the threat of eternal night, and of a shipwreck that changed everything. As he prepares himself for a final farewell to those whose lives shaped him, Victor reckons with the knowledge of an eternity spent without the only man he ever loved, James O'Carroll, thus securing a job as a night porter in a quiet Irish nursing home to watch over the group of men he once knew a long time ago.

Each chapter alternates between the 1950s and the present day flawlessly. The foreshadowment had me constantly on the edge of my seat, and the novel was constructed in such a clever way, the narratives sliding together despite over half a century existing between them. The reader mirrors Victor in his constant quest for answers, so there is a special affinity between his character and the reader, but just like Victor, we eventually learn to simply accept the process. I thought I would be left pining for a deeper exploration into Victor's creator and the other vampires. Instead, I found myself fulfilled with the knowledge that answers wouldn't make him happier and how walking away gave him more emotional catharsis than an inevitably inadequate answer would have.

This novel encapsulates the fleeting nature of time and how we experience our best moments living in the present and surrendering to paths unknown. It thought it so meaningful that despite Victor's immortality, he only needed one mortal lifetime to feel fulfilled. The romance was so beautiful. How it leapt between between the ecstasy of new love and the everlasting connection that endured across the decades, and never once, was the notion of immortality romantized. Instead, Doyle romantized mortality so poetically. I was weeping by the final page.

So, if you have a penchant for the supernatural, enduring romance, platonic bonds, and LGBTQIA+ character driven stories, then This Is Not A Vampire Story by Simon Doyle is the book for you (release date: January 7th, 2025).

Thank you, NetGalley and Nightsgale Books, for giving me the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review. You've made an instant Simon Doyle fan out of me.

This book was an emotional and captivating experience. I really enjoyed the writing both with flashbacks and present time. Besides that I felt it handled its romance and queer characters well.

I grew to really care for all the characters, and their bonds. Victor was an interesting character. My only criticism would be that I would like a bit more time in the past. Besides that I was very effected by the story and very grateful that I got to read this book. I will definitely add it to my to-buy-list.

Thank you to the author and publisher for giving me access to this book as an ARC.

This review will also appear on storygraph

I was able to get an ARC for This is Not a Vampire Story, and I feel really lucky to have been able to experience this. Victor, James, Giuseppe, Danny and Michael are friends and deal with the normal things teenagers deal with from crushes, adventures and yes vampires. A ghostly ship changes their lives; none more so than Victor. I won’t say much as to not give away details but I appreciated and understood the tone this was set in when being gay was the worst. Through flashbacks and present time, we are presented with a touching story over accepting oneself and love. The dual timelines pieced an amazing story together and by the end I found myself quite emotional. I truly didn’t want this to end and that’s in large part to the amazing writing from Simon Doyle. I went into this blind and was given a beautifully written, tragic story about life, love and those who truly impact us. I definitely intend on getting this for my physical collection and plan to check out more work from Simon Doyle.

My favorite line from this is: "The love we give away is the only love we keep. It’s through this love that we become immortal in the hearts of those we touch."

Thank you to NetGalley and Nightsgale Books for providing this ARC.

Omg how much I loved this book!!! Fantastic read! I rated it 5 stars because it's THAT good! I recommend everyone to read this book as fast as they can because it's really good and the characters are fantastic and the story is immaculate.

I’m so excited to be reading this, it looks compelling and right up my alley. Will update with full review and links. Thank you for the ARC.

This is a love story conceived in youth. 1950 to be precise when it was a crime to be gay. Sadly Victor has more issues to deal with than hiding his true sexuality ... aversion to sunlight, food and drink is another.
The story is well written, the characters stand out from the page. I think perhaps it could have elaborated on Victors alternative life a little more, that felt kind of rushed. Also it would have been nice to hear the back story of James' life and the others.
Thanks to netgalley for the opportunity to read this arc.

Wow! This was great! Victor, our main character, is a vampire, but as the title says, this really isn’t a vampire story, at least in the sense most people are accustomed to.

Victor became a vampire in an accident when he was 17, and because he couldn’t age, ended up leaving everything he knew and loved behind so he could hide his identity. Now, 75 or so years later, he returns home to work at a nursing home and care for the friends from his youth.

This was such a great story, jumping back and forth from Victor’s youth to the present to give you a full picture of what has happened in his life and the importance of the elderly men in the nursing home, especially James.

If you are looking for a beautifully written story that just might get you in the feels, check this one out!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher/author for this copy of the book.

I really enjoyed reading this book, it uses the supernatural element that I was looking for from the description. The overall story worked well with what I wanted and enjoyed the characters in this. I enjoyed the way the shipwreck was used and was invested in what was going on. Simon Doyle has a great writing style.

This is a story about a vampire but, as the title says, this is not a vampire story—it’s an exploration of life, death, grief, and love that’s equal parts beautiful and heart-wrenching.

Victor Callahan, a suspiciously pale "seventeen"-year-old, works as a night porter in a quiet nursing home along the Irish coast. Here he helps care for a group of elderly men he knew long ago under the watchful gaze of Gloria, a nurse harboring her own secrets. Victor could be recognized and outed as an immortal being, but it’s worth the risk. He needs to see his old friends while he still can—one of whom, James, used to be far more than a friend.

Chapters alternate between modern day and seventy years ago. In the past, we see the characters meet, grow to care for one another, and discover meaning and direction for their lives. In the present, they’ve been deeply changed by more than age. What happened? Why did they part ways? Why, now, have they been brought back together? Questions like these propelled me ravenously from chapter to chapter. I’m a slow reader, but I tore through this book in two nights.

There’s excitement and action—the threats of destruction and discovery are near constant companions for these characters—but it’s the quiet moments that struck me and have continued to stay with me. Simon Doyle writes about friendship, love, isolation, fear, and pain so authentically and intimately, I fell for his characters faster than I thought possible.

At its heart, this is a beautifully written love story. It provides refreshing takes on many vampire classic tropes and the writing is quick-witted, often using humor to alleviate heavy moments. If you’re a fan of romance, vampires, LGBTQ+ characters/stories, or want to get punched in the feels so hard it may take you days to recover, then I HIGHLY recommend this book!

thank you to netgalley and nightsgale books for the ARC!

i cannot give enough praise to this book. "this is not a vampire story" is a beautiful and heartbreaking story about love, grief, regret, and acceptance. i was fully weeping by the last page.

each chapter alternates between the past and present of our main character, victor, and the two narratives marry together perfectly - they are woven together in such a satisfying and masterful way. the prose is refreshingly earnest, with a perfect balance of poeticism and straightforwardness. for a novel under 300 pages, this was a surprising slow burn. i felt like it really took its time opening up to the reader, but not in a way that was confusing.

the title "this is not a vampire story" is truly accurate. the vampire/paranormal aspects take a backseat to the much more visceral and important story of grief and loss. that isn't to say that the book is without its levity - there were so many times i found myself grinning along with victor and his friends. the comraderie between all the boys, the giddy nerves of a teenage romance, the bittersweet humor of men on the verge of death - all of the joy in this novel is just as tangible as the sorrow.

i cannot recommend this book enough. anyone who has ever grappled with the big feelings of love and loss will resonate with this beautiful story.

3,25/5

I didn't know what to expect when I started this book, meaning I had a great time discovering where the story was leading me. The book follows two timeline, one around the fifties, the other one in the present day. We see our main character in his youth, falling for his friend, before everything goes awry, then we find him again, older, sadder and lonelier, when he reaches out to the same friend, now in a retirement home.

It's a quick read, the writing flows easily, being narrated in the first person. Not my preference usually, but it fits the story. There is a great deal of sadness et loneliness in this book, but not in a overpowering way, counterbalanced by love and cherished memories.

The love story is cute, complicated and yet not that much, subjected to the trouble of unexpected events and separation. Seeing friendships and care was nice.

As the title indicated, the book isn't a vampire story, even if it showcase one. It is not the focus of the book, it's more like this aspect shapes how the lives of our characters goes, without being the core of it. Other vampire aren't explored, nor is how they came to be. And it isn't a problem, because it is not the goal of this book. It is an exploration of love and grief, and death.

I really enjoyed this story. I absolutely didn't know what I was in for with This Is Not a Vampire Story, but I was pulled in by the title alone, and the cover and description sold it. The storytelling definitely made this a worthwhile read, and I'm going to be looking out for more from this author.