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.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for early access to this ebook in exchange for my honest review.

This was my first novel by Daniel Hurst, and while I did enjoy the overall premise, I have to admit the writing didn’t quite meet my expectations. It felt a bit underwhelming at times — the pacing and tone sometimes veered into awkward or unbelievable territory, which pulled me out of the story. That said, I still found myself strangely compelled to keep reading, wanting to see how it would all unfold.

The setup is undeniably intriguing: a mysterious warning note hidden in a brand-new home, a pregnant wife starting to question everything, and a husband who may or may not be hiding something. It has all the classic ingredients of a domestic psychological thriller. I appreciated the tension and twists, but the execution didn’t always hit the mark for me. Some of the plot elements felt a little odd or forced, which made the storyline wobble.

Still, fans of fast-paced domestic suspense might find this an entertaining, if slightly uneven, read. I can see why Daniel Hurst is a bestselling author — the hook is strong, and the book is undeniably readable. I may give another of his titles a try to see how it compares.

I was drawn into this book immediately. The writing is lovely and easy to read. I do have to say that the main female protagonist is… frankly annoying. She is prone to coming off as hysterical and unreliable. Goes off on crazy adventures with no thought (she’s pregnant too!) of her safety. Leaps to wild conclusions and seems obsessive. Yet it was a good read! I’m not sure how the author did it, but he had me hooked and looking for more. Certainly worth a try. This was the first book I’ve read by this author and I’ll be looking for more.

Not Daniel Hurst best work. I understand it is fiction, but I found it to be repetitive with Deon's curiosity and dumb decisions, making it annoying and unrealistic. Who really has nothing better to do than stalk your neighbors. Who really cares and obsesses if someone lived in a house before you? Some decent twists but nothing jaw-dropping.

Unfortunately, The Couple Before Us falls flat in several key areas. While marketed as a psychological thriller, the plot is disappointingly basic and highly predictable. The “big twist” — that the villain is essentially a wolf in sheep’s clothing, hiding in plain sight — is a tired trope that offers little surprise or originality.

The characters lack depth, and their motivations often feel forced or underdeveloped. Instead of building genuine suspense, the story relies on clichés and obvious misdirections. The writing itself is average at best — serviceable, but never compelling. The dialogue feels unnatural at times, and the pacing is uneven, dragging in sections where the tension should be rising.

For a book in a genre built on psychological nuance and subtle tension, this one opts for convenience over complexity. There are much better thrillers out there with more engaging plots and sharper writing.

Verdict:
A forgettable read that rehashes familiar ideas with little finesse. If you’re looking for a truly gripping thriller, this isn’t it.
⭐️⭐️ (2/5)

3.5 stars rounded to 4
I really enjoyed this, im an avid thriller reader and devoured this in a day
I love how quick paced it was, and all the characters had me on edge. Dionne appeared and an unreliable narrator, and at times, seemed she was going mad. I enjoyed this, as I have other Daniel Hurst books

my criticism is I lost track of some of the characters and felt a bit like whiplash with the constant twists (maybe too many)

Unfortunately this was a bit disappointing. Dionne was portrayed as the “difficult” pregnant (this was mentioned too many times) wife who just has the hysterics. Also there were too many misogynistic remarks like “women only talk about kids and trashy t v shows” “a good wife believes her husband”. It caused me to get more frustrated and not enjoy the story that much.
The plot was also very predictable. Everything was over explained and did not leave any room for the suspense.

If you haven’t read this authors books before I would say choose this to start with…its very typical of the author in the way it is chapter then question mark/cliffhanger and also in the way the book takes ordinary characters doing ordinary life things that turn into chaos…..plus this one is tense from the start and is built around a new housing estate and the person who owns the land and new neighbours etc, what more could a reader want

It’s a very moreish read and I was stopping myself flicking the pages forward as so wanted to find out the secret (s) that were ongoing and were the baddies really baddies etc

We all know the author writes brilliant thrillers and psychological jeopardy brilliance but this one stands out even amongst all the other greats as an awesome read

Daniel Hurst is one of my all time favorite authors and ‘The Couple Before Us’ did not disappoint! A fantastic quick read that I couldn’t put down!

Imagine moving into a brand new house on a new estate, the first family to live there and then finding a note that suggests there was a couple who lived there before. Nobody else has mentioned them, there’s no evidence and the owner of the estate insists the note must have been some kind of practical joke. This is the position Dionne finds herself in and it makes her increasingly suspicious of everyone and everything she sees and hears leading to a lot of spying, a lot of accusations and some very tricky situations as Di tries to get to the truth and the thought of the couple before becomes a growing obsession.

I initially struggled to get into this book and was getting increasingly frustrated with Di and her actions. However, Daniel Hurst has a great gift for drawing the reader in and so I kept reading and became more and more engrossed as events became increasingly strange and the list of potential explanations and also potential predators grew.

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 the main character. This was my first standalone by Daniel Hurst for some time after reading several of his series and it was actually nice to not be left on a cliffhanger for a change!

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the advanced reader copy in exchange for a review.

This one was just meh for me. The premise had potential, but the execution fell flat. The FMC wasn’t particularly likable, which made it hard to stay invested in the story. Also… how many times can one book remind us a character is pregnant? I swear it was mentioned at least once a page. We get it.

While the pacing was here and there, I found myself more annoyed than intrigued. It wasn’t the worst thriller I’ve read, but definitely not one I’d revisit.

Wasnt my favourite book that ive read from Dablniel however the plot was interesting and it was a fun read. Nice and short chapters and good character development. Overall id say 4 stars.

I devoured this one in just 2 days! It usually takes me 3-7 days to read a book but I could not stop reading. This book hooked me right away and the tension of the story kept building. I loved all the twists and turns and I didn't guess the ending. loved the setting in the new estate community. I liked how all the characters seemed sketchy. This was such a fun, fast paced thriller that I definitely recommend this summer!