Daniel Hurst delivers another addictive psychological thriller with The Couple Before Us. The premise is deliciously sinister: a seemingly perfect home, a new couple moving in—and secrets buried deep within the walls. Hurst excels at creating suspense that hooks you from the first page. With short, punchy chapters and plenty of curveballs, the tension escalates quickly and never lets up. This is the kind of book you read in one sitting, racing to uncover the truth. If you love twisty domestic thrillers with unreliable characters and jaw-dropping endings, The Couple Before Us is for you.

Thank you Bookouture and Netgalley for this ARC! When a couple moves into their newly built house, they think they are the first to inhabit the house, with a strange note found and strange goings on in the estate it's all not sitting well with Dionne. The story does seem to be a little repetitive and slow getting to the point but the last quarter flies by with plenty of twists and turns.

This was a pretty standard domestic thriller.
Di and her family move into a new house in a suburban development. She has a bad vibe from the beginning, which only gets worse when she finds a hidden note saying that something terrible happened to the couple who lived there before them.
The first half was a checklist of all the standard tropes: something isn't right, the phones don't work, I'm isolated, no-one believes me, am I going crazy, who can I trust? It felt about as soulless as the new build housing development that it was set in. The middle did pick up, with some good twists and reveals, some action and tension. But then the end wrapped things up too quickly and wasn't believable.
It was not a terrible read, there was enough pace to keep turning pages. But I would only recommend it to those who really love this sub-genre.

Going into this book Daniel Hurst was a new to me author, however I had heard of him, so I wanted to give a book of his a go. And I am glad I did.
One thing I did really like about this book was how we jumped right into the story. I didn't have to read 100 pages until something happened. Right from the first page the story took off.
I found this whole book to be such an easy read, I flew through it and it is definitely the kind of book you could read in one sitting. The pacing was spot on and it did make me want to keep turning the pages.
The writing style I have to say was basic and simple, nothing impressive but it was enjoyable.
But I wasn't a big fan of the main character Dionne. I found her to be written like she was a paranoid, hysterical woman (you can tell this was written by a man!) and I found the choices she made did have me rolling my eyes.
The plot was over the top and ridiculous and you do have to suspend your disbelief and just go with it.
I did have an enjoyable time reading this book and it definitely falls into the light, binge able, popcorn psychological thriller category and I would read from this author again.
This is one for fans of Frieda McFadden.

The Couple Before Us
by Daniel Hurst
Pub Date: Jul 17 2025

The Couple Before Us is told in the first person narration which I really liked. The story is full of mystery, suspense, danger and secrets. And WOW, what an ending!

Synopsis: ‘Something terrible happened to the couple who lived here before…’ My hands shake as I read the warning note I’ve just found hidden in a forgotten corner of my brand new house. My husband told me we’d be the first people to live here. Did he lie? My husband Christian wraps his strong arms around me and tells me to forget the note; he wants this to be the perfect home for us. But as I look into his blue-grey eyes, I wonder if there’s something he’s keeping from me or if I’m just being paranoid.

Many thanks to #TheCoupleBeforeUs #NetGalley and #Bookouture for providing me an E-ARC of this exciting 5 star book!

When a pregnant mother moves her little family into a new home, she is met with an ominous note that leads her to believe something terrible has happened in this home.The irony was that she is told they are the first to ever live there but deep down she knows there is something more sinister going on.

Good storyline that will definitely keep you guessing 😉

pros:
-quick read with a unique storyline that isnt overplayed
-action packed and keeps you on the edge of your seat

cons:
- wasn't a big fan of the female lead, she came across as whiny.
-didn't hit as hard as Hurst novels normally do.

overall a good beach read for the summertime

thank you ##NetGalley for this ARC of Daniel Hurst latest novel #TheCoupleBeforeUs on shelves now!

I found the majority of this book very repetitive. "Was there someone living in our house before us?" I found the main character Di very annoying and nosy. The twist at the end wasn't expected.
Total rating 2.5 stars

Daniel Hurst did an incredible job keeping me at the edge of my seat throughout the entire book. From the very first page, I found myself thinking "Oh no, this is going to be a wild ride."

I will say that it took me about halfway through the book before I started to appreciate the fmc and her character a bit more. Di seemed a bit frazzled and the paranoia seemed to be a bit much, almost annoying. However, as I continued reading, her actions became more and more justified. She is dealing with a warning from an unknown source after moving into a new home with her husband, young son, and unborn daughter.

As the story continues on, I kept thinking that I had it all figured out and knew what was going to happen, but alas, I was wrong each and every time. New twists around every corner that keeps you turning pages to find what happens next.

If you enjoy thrillers and the joy of trying to piece together a story as more and more unravels, The Couple Before Us is a must read!

A great read. Full of suspense and twists. Gets you gripped very easily. Very enjoyable definitely recommend

Daniel Hurst always has some impossible twists and has a great mind.
The Couple Before Us was no different. I found myself engulfed in the story for the first 25% and the last 25%. In between, I was kind of bored. I felt like there was too much going on to truly fall in love with the characters. The ending gained all the stars, though, because that was not what I was expecting.
Thank you Netgalley and Bookuture, for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Couple Before Us is an edge of your seat thriller! When Christian and Dionne move to a new house before the baby is born, strange things start happening. What is this new development all about?

Great characters and a great plot to keep you guessing until the very end. Another great book by Mr. Hurst.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in return for my honest review.

Oh man was this book a huge miss for me. I did not connect with any of the characters, the plot itself got lost and the lead character went off on so many tangents it was ridiculous.

The basic plot of the story is a couple moves into a newly developed community and the wife finds a note stating someone lived in the house before she did. Personally it seems a bit silly to obsess over that but that’s where we start.

I rolled my eyes multiple times and seriously considered just stopping but pushed through as I received an advanced copy of the book and wanted to give a fair review.

The ending fell completely flat and I audibly groaned multiple times and was so grateful to finally finish.

"It's a short, simple statement and when I read it, I realize that we were lied to. We are not the first people to live in this house after all."

This was my first ever Daniel Hurst book and it's safe to say it most definitely won't be my last!

This book was so gripping. It was filled with so much drama and suspense. It was fast paced in the perfect way, keeping you so intrigued into the storyline. I had an idea of where things were heading and although I wasn't completely accurate, I did see some things coming.

Was Dionne semi-crazy for doing all this while like 8 months pregnant... yes, yes she was!!??! Were there moments where I started second guessing her mental state... yes, yes i did!! But just goes to show you what a woman will do for her children and husband.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and Daniel Hurst for the arc.

• Plot Twists
• Suspense
• Drama and Secrets
• Fast Paced

The couple before us was brilliant! Daniel Hurst never lets me down!
Dionne and Christian are on the search for a new house for their growing family. The new house they choose seems to hold secrets that no one in the community wants to talk about. What exactly happened in the house is it something innocent or something more sinister than they could ever expect??
I really enjoyed this story! It had me on edge and hooked from the get go! I really had no idea where things were going and was pleasantly surprised by how things played out! I’ve really enjoyed Daniel’s books in the past and this one did not disappoint!
Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the arc!!!

I was accepted to read this book before official publication through NetGalley and below is my honest review.

I was really excited to read this one and I really did enjoy it!

The Couple Before Us is a fast paced, gripping and psychological thriller that’ll make you question where you buy a house 👀

The story is told through the POV of the main character Dionne. Just saying, she’s one badass woman!

I enjoyed the length of the chapters, perfect length to hold interest whilst not losing any intensity.

The plot twist!! You’ll have to read to find out but it had me SHOCKED!

I recommend this to anyone who enjoyed a gripping, psychological thriller.

Overall, I give this book 5 stars!

I love all of Daniel Hurst's books, but I think this one was the best yet! Fast paced and suspenseful with an ending that I didn't see coming.

Having enjoyed the two book series I have read by this author I was looking forward to this standalone and it certainly didn’t disappoint. This was a dash over and gripping psychological thriller with a great storyline and tension pouring from every page. I was hooked from the minute I started reading.

Book Review 💕

This was my second book by @danielhurstbooks and man this one I flew right through it, hooked from the start! So many drama and twists I was forced to finish this beauty as fast I could. Normally I can see where things are going in, but not this time!

5 stars! Congrats @danielhurstbooks for an amazing novel! Also thank you for this amazing digital ARC @bookouture.

I recommend you to read this beauty ASAP!

Finding, buying and moving into a brand new house should be such a happy event for a young couple. It would be hard to throw a bump into that happiness, right? She has found a hidden note in an upstairs bedroom that worries and puzzles her.
The couple might well be in over their heads. The couple who lived in that house were in danger, and now the mystery of what happened to them is upsetting the new owner who doesn't know who to believe.. She has a little son and a soon -to- arrive daughter to worry about and protect. Is her husband covering up the truth? Are they all in peril?
There will be no spoilers in this review. I do recommend this book highly. This story has twists and turns, and just as I thought it was over, there was a huge twist. Seriously, don't hesitate.
I wish I had more stars to give. Wow wow wow!

Thanks you to the author, publisher and Net Galley for the ARC. All opinions are strictly my own.

I always look forward to reading this authors books and this one didn't disappoint. This is a nail biting story, full of twists and turns with a brilliant ending. I'd say this is my favourite by this author.