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.