Twenty Years Together

by Tom Rob Smith

TWO MEN. TWENTY YEARS. ONE PROPOSAL.

Danny and Luis have been a couple for decades. Piece by piece, they’ve built a life together. They’ve created a home. 

The only thing they didn't have was a marriage. When they met, it was illegal.

But the law finally changes, and Danny decides to propose - on a Scottish hilltop, to the love of his life. 

Luis loves Danny, but does he love marriage?

And, as the past begins to catch up to them both, everything they have worked for begins to fall apart. 

Can their love survive the ultimate test? And is a yes still worth fighting for after twenty years together?

Tender, romantic, and beautifully written, Twenty Years Together is a love story for the ages, by the multi-million copy bestselling author of Child 44.

 

Kindle Edition

Expected publication April 9, 2026

About the author

Tom Rob Smith (born 1979) is an English writer. The son of a Swedish mother and an English father, Smith was raised in London where he lives today. After graduating from Cambridge University in 2001, he completed his studies in Italy, studying creative writing for a year. After these studies, he worked as a scriptwriter.

His first novel, Child 44, about a series of child murders in Stalinist Russia, appeared in early 2008 and was translated into 17 languages. It was awarded the 2008 Ian Fleming Steel Dagger for Best Thriller of the year by the Crime Writer's Association. It was recently a Barnes & Noble recommended book. On July 29, 2008 the book was named on the long list for the 2008 Man Booker Prize. In November 2008, he was nominated for the 2008 Costa First Novel Award (former Whitbread).

Child 44 followed-up by The Secret Speech (2009)and Agent 6 (2011).

Japanese: トム ロブ スミス

Reviews

[Victoria · Rating 2 out of 5]

Twenty Years Together is a heartfelt, reflective novel exploring the relationship between Luis and Danny.

I enjoyed reading about the conflicting emotions marriage can create for LGBTQIA+ people. It definitely gave me a lot to think about.

As much as I enjoyed the reflective nature of the story, I found it very slow paced but my biggest bugbear is Danny. An incredibly selfish, self-absorbed character who I found impossible to like. I loved Luis’ character and felt I would’ve enjoyed the story much more if it had been written from his perspective, especially to have a more in depth view of his upbringing and youth as I feel there was much more to his story whereas Danny’s wasn’t developed as well.

Overall, an interesting but somewhat disappointing read.

Thanks to Simon and Schuster UK and NetGalley for the ARC.

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Twenty Years Together follows the ever growing relationship of Danny and Luis who have been, you guessed it, together for twenty years.

Set in the backdrop of the London Olympics, it dives deep into the meaning of marriage and how it's a complex idea to navigate for many queer people, especially those who grew up in a world where the idea of same sex marriage didn't exist. The exploration of this subject has made me think more about my own personal thoughts on the matter.

I really enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it to anyone who wants a book that is hard to put down! A great first read of the year!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers and author for access to this book.