Hurst is a familiar name in the psychological thriller genre, and this novel follows in the same vein. The story centres on Di, a pregnant mother navigating a new neighbourhood alongside her husband, Christian, and their son, Kai. Told from Di’s perspective, the plot kicks off with her discovering a mysterious note on move-in day—launching a tense, paranoia-fuelled search for answers.

The premise was intriguing, and Hurst does a good job of hooking the reader early with an air of suspense. The pacing moves along quickly by the end, and even though many of the twists were fairly easy to anticipate, they still gave the story momentum and a reason to continue 'til the end.

However, I struggled with Di as a main character. Her narration often felt overexplained, and her internal monologue became repetitive to the point of frustration. At times, her logic didn’t quite hold up—for example, proudly announcing she’s never learned to drive and then lamenting how trapped she feels. These kinds of contradictions made it hard to connect with her or fully invest in her point of view.

That said, while The Couple Before Us wasn’t quite for me, I can see how it might resonate with a different audience—especially readers who enjoy slow-paced domestic thrillers with a touch of neighbourhood drama.

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ARC Review out 7/15

I was fortunate to read this before it was released. I enjoyed this book it kept my attention and had me guessing the whole time. I feel in the beginning Dionne was portrayed as a hormonal, overthinking anxious pregnant woman. Multiple characters were gaslighting her and downplaying her thoughts and feelings by the end her feelings were validated.

The novel The Couple Before Us by Daniel Hurst is a psychological thriller.
Dionne and her husband, Christian, are looking forward to starting a new life in their new house. However, upon finding the disturbing note, Dionne begins to question what happened to the couple who lived there before them. 
She tries to shake off her worries and trust her husband, but when she overhears Christian on the phone revealing a secret, her suspicion grows. This leads her on a path to uncover the truth about the former residents, but the closer she gets to the answers, the more she fears her safety and relationships. The story builds suspense as she grapples with fear and the unsettling feeling that she should have left when she had the chance.

Psychological thriller from Daniel Hurst. This is probably the best yet. Di and Christian are in need of a new property as they have a growing family. They move to a new build estate and from the start something seems off with it.
While trying to sort the house out and run a normal family life Di is getting more and more unnerved by the place. The suspense is high in this story and it speeds along to the climax, not one we would expect while reading. The ending seemed a little rushed compared with the speed of the earlier chapters and I was left with a couple of questions, but then again I often am regardless of the book I'm reading. None of this detracts from the impact of the story. And I enjoyed it immensely and would recommend it to people who want to be on the edge of their seats wondering where it was going to lead and if the characters would survive to the end of the story. Amazing story. With thanks to the author, Bookouture and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Daniel always writes entertaining books that compel you to turn the pages quickly. This story is about pregnant Dionne, Christian and their son who move into a new house on a newly built estate, against Dionne’s better judgement. And then she finds a strange note and bizarre things start to happen. This book stretched credibility and Dionne is a frustrating protagonist, but nevertheless it’s a fun, twisty read.

Thank you to Daniel Hurst, Bookouture and Netgalley for my advance copy.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC. This is the first Daniel Hurst standalone I’ve read, after finishing The Doctor’s Wife series.

I initially struggled to get into this book and was getting increasingly frustrated with Di and her actions. The last few chapters were twist after twist and took me in some directions I definitely hadn’t expected. While I finished and enjoyed some of the book, it was also made difficult by just not liking Di. This book had me until about halfway through. I felt the 'reveal' was too soon and anti-climatic… and then the story kept going. I lost interest and the overall ending was confusing and disassociated from the rest of the book.

Overall, it was still a decent story/read but it wasn’t my favourite Daniel Hurst book and there’s other thrillers I would reach for again before picking this up, a 3 star from me.

This was a fun read that kept me turning the pages quickly. When Dionne and Christian move into a new home as the first ever residents, Dionne soon discovers that people may have lived there before. But what happened to them?

The sinister vibes were really fun to read, but had me expecting a bit more from the ending. The resolution felt a bit rushed and underwhelming.

There was a great story in here, but I'm not sure it lived up to its potential. Still a fun read if you want a light thriller.

I enjoy Daniel Hurst books and I gotta say I thoroughly enjoyed this one too even if I found the main character annoying.

Full of Twists and turns and like Hursts other book I have read i started and finished it in one setting.. a definite recommend

Thanks Bookouture and Netgalley. All thoughts and feelings are my own and isn't influenced by anyone else

This was a solid domestic thriller with an intriguing premise. I liked the slow unraveling of the mystery, and there were definitely moments that kept me curious about what was really going on. That said, I did find the Female Main Character frustrating at times and Christian’s detached attitude didn’t help matters. But once everything comes to light, the character behavior makes more sense in retrospect.

The pacing was a little slow for my taste, and the ending left me more surprised than satisfied. Not in the jaw-dropping twist kind of way, but more of a “wait, really?” reaction. Still, the plot was compelling enough to keep me turning the pages, and I appreciated how everything came together by the end.

This book was fast-paced and kept me turning the pages, but it still felt a bit meh overall. The writing was solid, and I liked the premise, but I struggled with the main character—she rubbed me the wrong way from the start and continued to annoy me throughout the story. As for the ending, it just felt too far-fetched.

I tried to get into this one and just didn't care about the characters. It felt very chaotic but I will try another Hurst book in the future.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

The Couple Before Us” by Daniel Hurst, I must say, it was an absolute delight! I couldn’t put it down. The plot was so intriguing, and the twist at the end was completely unexpected. It had me on the edge of my seat the whole time. Highly recommend it if you’re looking for a gripping and entertaining read!

The Couple Before Us by Daniel Hurst was an okay read for me. I found the story to be a little hard to believe in spots,, but generally enjoyable. It has a strong plot, albeit a little far-fetched, plenty of twists, and overall relatable characters. There was a good sense of unease throughout, and not knowing who to trust, which kept me reading.

Many thanks to netgalley, the author and the publisher for approving my request to read this book.

I have many previous books by Daniel Hurst and once again he has delivered with this twisty, dark domestic thriller.

The Couple Before Us sees Dionne, her husband Christian and their young son Kai move into a new home on a recently built estate where nothing is as it seems.

The plot is twisty and fast paced throughout and I thoroughly enjoyed this page from the first page to the last.

I always enjoy books by this author and this was no exception although I did have a few eye rolling m0ments with regard to the main female character who was often quite annoying. She was reckless, psychotic and, for a heavily pregnant woman, unbelievably agile as she hurtled around like Wonder Woman engaging in bonkers behaviour. Despite this, I found the book gripping and addictive and raced through it very quickly. If the reader is prepared to suspend belief now and again throughout this book, (as there are some quite far fetched occurences); there is much to be enjoyed in the story. My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion,

Dionne, who is pregnant, her husband Christian, and their son Kai are moving to accommodate their growing family. Christian finds a new home that they will be the first residents of, but Di has a bad feeling about it. They move in and Di finds a note leading her to believe they are not the first residents of the home. The new neighborhood is full of secrets. I wanted to like this book, but I found the main character, Dionne, to be extremely irritating. A lot of her inner dialogue was repetitive and her decision making was just unrealistic. I made myself finish the book. About 2/3 of the way through it did get better as the mystery picked up.

A new build housing estate where the residents are full of secrets!!

This book kept me guessing until the final page!

I didn't know who to believe, who to trust, and the twist at the end was brilliant - I hadn't guessed who was behind the mystery of the house!

The plot started slow (a lot of character and scene setting) but the final 50% had me reading it in one sitting!

I felt sorry for Di, going through all the stress of figuring out who may (or not) have previously lived in their "new build home" while being pregnant

Another brilliant Daniel Hurst book

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC.

First thing I will say is I’m tired… because I stayed up WAY past my bedtime reading when things started getting juicy!

This was my first book from Daniel Hurst so I had no idea what to expect. The beginning really had me wondering what sort of scenario I was walking into here, and after the scene was set I had a few theories but ended up being so wrong with every one!

Once things started kicking off was when I was well and truly sucked into the story, it was so intense I really wasn’t expecting to find my heart racing as much as it did. Being a fly on the wall is nerve wracking stuff!

I really enjoyed the plot and the twists, chapters were a lovely length so I was able to put my kindle down when absolutely necessary and I wasn’t left with any questions at the end, everything slotted together and concluded nicely, I was finally at peace 😂

This one had me hooked from the start—tense, fast-paced, and full of secrets. Dionne and Christian’s move into a “perfect” new home quickly turns unsettling, and things spiral in classic Daniel Hurst fashion. I didn’t see the twist coming at all!

If you’re new to Hurst’s books, this is a great place to start. Short, punchy chapters, cliffhangers galore, and that signature ordinary-life-turned-chaos vibe—loved it!

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book and to give my review.

This story revolves around a family: pregnant Dionne, her husband, Christian, and their 5 year old son, Kai. Christian is trying to persuade Dionne to move into a bigger house because, with the new baby coming, they will need the room. The new house Christian is pushing for is one that is supposedly brand-new, never been lived in and sits on a secluded estate with other new homes that are all exactly alike. It’s the perfect place for them.

Dionne reluctantly agrees to the move and almost instantly regrets it, as things start to go very wrong. The note Dionne finds hidden in the house as she’s unpacking boxes is just the first sign that something isn’t right.

This book kept me on edge! I didn’t figure out the twist at all and was very surprised! I have read several of Daniel Hurst’s books and I plan on reading more. He is quickly becoming a favorite author of mine!

Di is moving into her brand-new home with her husband Christian and their son. Di is heavily pregnant and looking forward to the birth of their daughter to complete the family, with an exciting new start settling into their new family home.
On moving in day, Di finds a note tucked away in the corner of the wardrobe, which reads ‘Something terrible happened to the couple who lived here before’. Di is instantly unsettled and uncertainty begins to creep as in she questions why they moved into this house. Di vows to find out what happened in the house before her family moved in, regardless of the outcome.
This was my first book by this author and I was left feeling rather underwhelmed. The character of Di was pretty annoying as she referred to everything as hers, ‘her house’, her baby’, like she wasn’t even in a relationship, let alone married. Di is also quite random in the things she says and actions she takes.
I found the book to be quite long winded and the execution of the plot was a little tedious with unbelievable twists. This author has a large back catalogue so I will still be looking to read more by them.