The Couple Before Us is a fast-paced, twisty domestic psychological thriller. Dionne and her husband Christian are excited to move to a new housing community. While Dionne had had some reservations, she's hoping it all works out. They obviously need a bigger place before their baby girl arrives in a couple months. However, upon moving in, Dionne's concerns intensify, especially after she finds a note warning her that something terrible happened in the home prior to them moving in. Considering Dionne and Christian were supposed to be the first people to live in this new house, Dionne begins to investigate. The more she looks into the neighborhood, her house, and the super suspicious estate owner, the more she realizes that their new home may just be their demise. After hearing a phone conversation between her husband and a mysterious stranger, Dionne acknowledges that her husband isn't telling her everything. What secrets is he keeping, and are they related to the couple that apparently lived in their house before them?

The Couple Before Us is an exciting, can't-put-down, fast-paced read. There are plenty of surprising twists and the reader truly does not know who to trust until the end. I appreciated the short chapters - leading to me saying "just one more before bed." This was my first book by Daniel Hurst, and I can honestly say I'll be reading more! I will definitely recommend The Couple Before Us to anyone looking for a great summer thriller.

Great book that keeps you wondering what is going on! Each character gives off vibes that are misconstrued until they’re not!! Fast, exciting read.

3.5 ⭐️

In true Daniel Hurst fashion, he delivered a fast paced, domestic psychological thriller that had me turning pages faster than I could read.

“The Couple Before Us” followed Dionne and Christian a newly wed couple who moved into a beautiful new-build home in a freshly developed estate. While settling in, Dionne discovered a mysterious note hidden in a closet: it warned that “something terrible happened to the couple who lived here before us”—though Christian insists they’re the first occupants. Strange occurrences started to happen and Dionne grew increasingly paranoid. As Dionne investigated, she realized that danger was closer than she had imagined.

A few aspects I liked was the pacing and the unsettling emotional impact. In all of Hurst’s books, the pacing is fast with short chapters including the most likable and unlikable characters. I also liked how Hurst instills a chilling, spine tingling atmosphere and creepy tension.

A few aspects I didn’t like were the underdeveloped characters and repetitive inner monologue. The characters were not well developed and had rather shallow personalities. In fact, the dialogue relied heavily on Dionne’s inner dialogue and it became rather annoying and exhausting as the narrative progressed.

Altogether, Daniel Hurst’s “The Couple Before Us” was entertaining but didn’t necessarily bring anything fresh to the psychological thriller genre.

Thank you to Net Galley and Bookouture for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Imagine being pregnant and moving into your new family home that no one has apparently lived in before and finding a note that warns you of something terrible happening to the couple before…. That’s what happens to Dionne but is she paranoid or is there something more sinister going on?

I really enjoyed this book and I loved the main character, it had lots of little twists in it and it really kept me guessing until the end. Hurst puts a lot of description into the characters and the setting so it’s easy to imagine all this whilst reading. It has a nice pace and I found the second half quicker than the first or maybe that’s because was eager to know what was going on! I liked that the reader doesn’t really know who to trust. I would definitely read another one of Hursts books.

📚 Book Name: The Couple Before Us
✍️ Author: @danielhurstbooks
🏢 Publisher: Bookouture
📅 Pub Date: July 17, 2025
📖 Genre: Mystery & Thriller

⭐ My Rating: 4.5/5

Thank you to @netgalley and @bookouture for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Daniel Hurst proves yet again why he's the master of jaw-dropping twists and addictive thrillers! 👏

Blurb:
‘Something terrible happened to the couple who lived here before…’

Dionne and her husband Christian, along with their five-year-old son Kai and an unborn baby on the way, move into what’s supposed to be their dream home. But right from the beginning, Dionne senses something is off. When she discovers a hidden note warning them about the fate of a previous couple, she can’t ignore it—even though Christian wants her to let it go.

Driven by curiosity (and a questionable sense of self-preservation), Dionne starts digging deeper. But the more she uncovers, the more dangerous things become… and the more she puts herself and her family at risk.
(Full Description in the comments)

My Thoughts:
I finished this in 6 hours flat—it didn’t give me a minute to stop! The story unraveled at such a pace that I was completely hooked.

I was internally screaming at Dionne so many times: “Don’t do it… STOP… it’s dangerous!” You’re pregnant, woman! Take care of Kai and that baby!

Honestly,Dionne annoyed me in the beginning. She was more concerned about neighbors than her own safety and family. Finding that creepy note should’ve been a red flag to run, not investigate. But nope Detective Dionne activated. And then? She threw herself into the chaos.

I was totally siding with Christian… until she found Rosie. That was the twist that turned everything upside down. From that moment, I was running with Dionne till the end!

And I'm sad that Dionne had no one on her side. It’s heartbreaking that she was betrayed by her own people and had to fight alone for what she believed was the truth.

This is a fast-paced domestic thriller that kept me on edge the entire time. If you love suspenseful stories with twists that hit hard, The Couple Before Us is a must-read!

And Theo you won my heart!
#TheCoupleBeforeUs #DanielHurst #netgalley

This was my first Daniel Hurst read, apparently I have been missing out! I was obsessed with this book. From the beginning I was confused yet intrigued but what seemed like a paranoid pregnant women - I truely had no idea which direction this was headed but loved every twist and turn!

It feels majorly unrealistic but it draws you in and you can’t stop reading.

If you enjoy a quick thriller then this is definitely for you.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read this early, absolutely wonderful!
#Netgalley #Thecouplebeforeus

My very first Daniel Hurst book and totally loved it. So full of suspense and heart throbbing incidents that I didn’t want to stop reading when I had to. Ending wasn’t too bad but I think could be better. Overall a great suspense story! Thank you NetGalley for this great opportunity!!

Daniel Hurst hits again! Was Di's suspicions about what was going on with her neighbour based on paper-thin, irrational and far-fetched ideas? Yes. Was she annoying and insufferable? Yes. Was everything about this story unrealistic? Yes. Did I still gobble it up in one sitting, impatient to find out what was really going on in that sordid estate? Also yes 🙂
I received an advance review copy of this book for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The books was good, it started off very good and had a great premise then the twist and the ending fell flat for me but still recommend

This one will be the right read for Freida McFadden fans. (Which i am not)

Fast paced, full of action, some mind confusing twists.
Although i liked the action and possible motives for it, the lack of smart characters were overwhelming. Too much bad choices for a woman in Di's condition.

This was an okay read suited for warm summer evenings, an easy read.

Thank you Netgalley and Bookatour for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Couple Before Us by Daniel Hurst. Interesting premise although it was exhausting to be in Dionne's mind throughout the book. The characters for the most part were unlikable except for Kai and he seemed more mature than the adults. The ending was unrealistic and disappointing. Not a favorite read from Mr. Hurst.
Thank you to the author, Bookouture, and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

The Couple Before Us is a brilliant twisty thriller which keeps you guessing until the very end. I liked the pace of the book, with the plot moving well between chapters to keep you engaged. Fans of Freida McFadden thrillers would enjoy this read.

Daniel Hurst is always great for a quick read featuring diabolical characters that make you wanting more. This book was okay for me! It took a while to get moving and for me to figure out what was going on.

When Dionne and her husband move to a new estate, Dionne is against it from the beginning. She has a gut feeling that something is wrong and it all gets worse from there. In the beginning I will admit that I thought she was just a nosy neighbor but things turn out to be not what they seem!

Another winner from Daniel Hurst!

A couple moves into a new house, the first ever to own it and live in it. A mysterious note is found saying there was a couple before them. Di, firmly believes something happened and it wasn't good. She set out to figure it out, only to find herself in a game of cat and mouse. But the cat isn't exactly who you expect it to be. Can Di figure it out before the cat gets her and her entire family?

Fast paced, twisty and gripping, this is a wild ride through the end.

Another amazing novel by Daniel Hurst. The more I read, the harder it became to put down. Each twist more shocking than the last. I loved it and will definitely be recommending to others.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC

Just when you think you’re moving into a great new neighborhood, it’s not at at all what it is expected to be. This book definitely grabs your attention, and once you think you’ve figured everything out, you find out you’re wrong. I enjoyed reading this book, and was surprised by the ending. Can’t ever go wrong with a Daniel Hurst book.

I received an arc of this book In exchange for my review
For me this one started off a bit slower it took time to build up the suspense other than the mysterious note that was found
Which it started off on the slower side it absolutely ramped up; the chapters kept you wanting to continue to truly figure out wtf is happening

This is the type of story that kept me wanting to turn the page to see what happened next and while Di annoyed me briefly with her way of getting herself in danger due to her constant need to be right about everything, her meddling led to a somewhat sinister discovery, my only criticism is that the ending felt a bit rushed but it doesn't take away from how good and clever the plot is. I went on to read the excerpt at the end and I now have this other book to look forward

I really enjoyed those book, it was one of the better reads I've been reading lately. At first I was annoyed by the main character and her paranoia, but the story had alot of twists and it sucked me in wanting more. Thank you to net galley and the publisher for this arc for my honest review. This releases July 25th.

“This house is not safe. Something terrible happened to the couple that lived here before you.”


Christian and Di are house hunting looking for a home for their growing family. Christian finds the perfect house but Di has reservations about it. On move in day, Di finds an ominous letter left about the previous couple who lived there. She is determined to find out what happened. But with an over friendly neighbor, a controlling estate owner, a dismissive husband, and parents she doesn’t have the best relationship with, who can she believe? And what happened to the previous couple that lived there?

This book had me hooked from the beginning. Di was a determined mother looking for the truth and trying to protect her family. Despite all the roadblocks thrown at her, she fought to uncover a disturbing truth. You really can’t trust anyone. I devoured this book in less than 24 hours.

Thank you NetGalley, author, and publishing company for the opportunity to review this new book early!