Book Review: The Couple Before Us by Daniel Hurst
Reviewed from an advance pre-release copy provided by the publisher

What a wild ride. The Couple Before Us is a taut, twist-filled psychological thriller that gripped me from page one—and at one point, I genuinely realized I wasn’t breathing from the tension. That’s how immersive this book is.

The premise—a mysterious warning in a brand-new home—is chilling enough, but Daniel Hurst masterfully builds on it with layer after layer of suspicion, secrets, and sharp turns that never let up. Just when you think you’ve cracked the case, another revelation flips everything on its head. I gave up trying to figure out the ending and just held on for the ride.

What makes this story especially effective is how Hurst plays with the reader’s trust. The protagonist’s deepening uncertainty—about her husband, her home, her very sense of reality—mirrors our own. As the narrative unfolds, it becomes increasingly clear that nothing is as it seems. Hurst skillfully blurs the line between paranoia and intuition, making the reader constantly question what’s real.

The pacing is impeccable, with short, punchy chapters that make it far too easy to say, “just one more.” And the twists aren’t there just for shock value—they’re grounded in character psychology and woven into the plot. While the story explores unsettling themes of deception and mistrust, it never loses sight of its emotional core: the vulnerability that comes with not knowing who to believe—least of all yourself.

Definitely one of the better thrillers I’ve read this year. I’d pick up another Daniel Hurst novel in a heartbeat.

#TheCoupleBeforeUs #NetGalley #DanielHurst

Thank you so much to NetGalley for sending me the ARC of The Couple Before Us by Daniel Hurst.

Di and her husband have moved into a new house in a new neighborhood. Di thinks that she is the first one to move into this until she finds a note that says she is not. Di will not stop until she finds out the truth about what happened.

This book was okay. This book was easy to read. Daniel Hurst knows how to tell a story. This is a quick read if you're looking for a light thriller. I thought this book was slow at times and a little repetitive.

wow!! as always with Daniel Hurst, such a fast-paced and nail-biting thriller. This story is about a family who moves into a new home and the wife finds a worrisome note regarding the couple who lived there before them.. however, they are the first owners to purchase the house... lots of suspicions, questions, and secrets unraveled throughout this story. as always with Daniel, I can't seem to put it down!!

Di has just moved into a brand new house with her family. A house that no one else has lived in, but is that true. Everything points to someone else having lived there before her family moved in but no one believes her. Is she imagining all of this or is her family in danger and who from! This is a twisted story where everyone or no one could be the bad guy. I loved it. Daniel Hurst definitely knows how to tell a story and keep us on our toes. Amazing!

I really love this book. And I knew that already from the first chapter. I love the writing style, and the way the characters are portrayed. I loved every plot twist, and they did not stop coming. I had never expected the way it would end. And I also started to believe what everyone else thought

A fast-paced, entertaining read packed with surprising twists at every turn. Just when you think you know who to trust, the story flips again, keeping you hooked until the very end. Definitely not one to miss!

Thanks to Daniel Hurst, NetGalley, and Bookouture for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really liked the overall vibe of The Couple Before Us! The tension builds right from the start, and the wife’s paranoia had me second guessing everything. Turns out she had good reason to be on edge. 👀

Some parts were definitely a bit far fetched, but honestly, I didn’t mind. It added to that claustrophobic, can’t trust anyone feeling that kept me flipping pages. If you’re into twisty domestic thrillers where nothing is what it seems, this one might be up your alley.

The Couple Before Us is an upcoming psychological thriller set to release in July 2025. It follows a young couple as they move into a seemingly perfect estate—only for the cracks to begin showing as the story unfolds. As the narrative progresses, it blurs the lines between reality and fiction, creating an intriguing sense of unease.

This book is a solid choice if you’re looking for a light, easy thriller to escape into. While the beginning was a bit slow, things really picked up around the halfway point. The plot delivered some unexpected twists that had me completely hooked—I actually ended up reading the entire second half in one sitting.

That said, there were a couple of drawbacks, I found the ending felt a little rushed and abrupt, leaving me with more questions than answers—not in a satisfying, open-ended way, but more like it came out of nowhere.

Overall, it was a good read—entertaining but not mind-blowing. I definitely had fun with it, and I’m curious to check out more of Hurst’s previous work and any future releases. Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and Daniel Hurst for the opportunity to give a honest review in exchange for an ARC.

Oh WOW! At first I thought this was definitely starting to give Stepford Wives-vibes but then I quickly realized that it was not at all the case. This book was SUPER addictive from the start and had me allll over the place with what I thought was going on. Definitely one of those books I could totally see being turned into a short tv series or movie!

The Couple Before Us follows Dionne and Christian, a happily married couple with a son and daughter on the way, who recently purchased their first home. While things are seemingly too good to be true in this “perfectly quaint and crime free neighborhood”, things quickly start to take a turn when Dionne suspects that there are secrets beneath the surface of her supposedly never-before-lived-in home.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Gripping and Full of Twists!

The Couple Before Us by Daniel Hurst is a fast-paced domestic thriller that hooks you from the start. The story of two couples entangled in a dangerous game of lies and secrets is packed with suspense and jaw-dropping twists. Short chapters and plot twists make it a binge-worthy read. If you love thrillers that keep you guessing until the very end, this one’s for you!

This book is perfect if you want a short fast paced read that has you on the edge of your seat!
This book follows Dionne & Christian who need to move to a bigger house as they are expecting their 2nd child, their house hunting isn't going well until Christian finds a new build estate where the houses are perfect for families & they will be the 1st people to live in this property, however, when they go to view the property Dionne isn't sold & feels like something is off with the house but after much persuasion from Christian, Dionne finally agrees to buying the house & raising their family there. Fast forward to moving in day & Dionne finds a note in the built in wardrobe which reads "this house is not safe. Something terrible happened to the couple who lived here before you" & Dionne knows she's was right when she felt their was something wrong with the house & shes determined to find out what this note means & more importantly did someone live in the house before even though they have been told they are the 1st residents & if that's the case what happened to the previous occupants? Dionnes digging leads her to her neighbours, theo & hayley, theo seems over friendly while hayley never leaves the house & theo won't let dionne speak to her which she finds strange & even stranger when hayley turns up on dionnes doorstep drunk & saying she needs to tell her something but just as shes about to tell Dionne whatever she wanted to say they are interrupted & the next thing she knows is that hayley has disappeared but where has she gone & has theo made her disappear? She also tries to speak to the estate owner, ceasar about the note but he as well as her husband Christian brush it under the carpet telling her its probably a prank, but Dionne doesn't trust ceasar & she tries to find out more about him & his vision of a crime free, all singing, dancing community & she gets to the point where she feels that if she wants answers she needs to break into his house & when she does she makes a shocking discovery which ceasar isn't pleased about & will do anything to make sure that discovery isn't public knowledge. This isn't the only discovery she makes, she also makes one about her own family that puts her & her 5 year old son kai, in danger but what are these discoveries & how do they link to the note?
I would of given this 5 stars but i figured out the twist before it was revealed, I also felt the ending was slightlyflat & would of liked a bit more to it, however, with it been a 250 odd page book it was perfect for a short read that still packed a punch.

This book is so fast-paced that kept me hooked from the first chapter. I liked how the plot had a lot of twists—I never knew who to trust, and it made me want to keep reading plus the chapters were short which is good for a book. I also thought the ending was surprising and wrapped things up well.

I love every book this author makes. I can still remember the first book of him that I have read (The New Year's Party) it was such a nice read as well. I definitely recommend this book and Daniel Hurst other masterpieces!

Another fast paced, twisty novel by Daniel. Now i did find it a bit far fetched at times but it didn't take away from my enjoyment at all. There were twists aplenty and I did find myself second guessing a lot of the time, but eventually I figured out what was happening. I will say that I didn't really warm to Dionne. I found that she came across a bit irrational at times. I do always enjoy Daniel's books and I'm sure he'll have another release for me to get stuck into in the near future.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this arc!!

This author is very good at writing unlikable characters 😅

The premise of this book sounded so good, I had to have it!

I loved the relationship when books stay in the same settling, so that’s a plus!

That being said, most of the characters drove me up the wall lol. The wife putting herself in danger while being pregnant. The husband dismissing all of her concerns. The grandma disregarding everything mom says for her son. The owner of the complex barging in everywhere!! I was practically pulling my hair out IN THE BEST WAY. I couldn’t stop reading!!

There were so many twists and turns, I’m pretty sure I have whiplash!

I will definitely check out more from this author!

this is my first read by this author and won't be my last! i really loved the plot and the intense, thrilling aspects of it all. very addictive and didnt want to put it down

I couldn't wait to crack open this thriller. It's been my sole motivation to get my housework done early today. Thanks Daniel Hurst lol! One thing I know for sure is I have never been disappointed in one of his books. This guy is the king of mind blowing twists, I kid you not! Seriously though,I have always tried to guess at what his twist would be and I'm never right. This book was a jaw dropper. The creepiness factor ramped up as the book went on. The author made a rich neighborhood of McMansions seem so eerie . I kept thinking, just get out of that house!! I have to say that Dionne was one pregnant superwoman! Almost ready to give birth and she goes into full spy mode. Where did she get so much energy?( I whispered to myself) I liked her character and Cesar was a great villain . A very entertaining thriller to add to your list. #DanielHurst #TheCoupleBeforeUs #Bookouture

I really enjoyed this book. The author did well at developing the characters and the storyline. It was interesting to see the detail in the situation involving the main family and how they interacted with each other. I was going a little crazy with the wife and what seemed like she had some mental health issues but the entire story came out in the end.
It made for a great distraction while I was waiting for my husband while he was having surgery. I've always been a fan of Daniel Hurst and he didn't disappoint with this book either.

Thank you to NetGalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.


This had so much potential- a couple moves into a new build house and the FMC finds a note from the people who lived there before except they were told they were the first people to live in that house.

Between suspicious neighbours, a skeevy development manager and family that can’t be trusted there are so many possibilities for the reader to second guess what was happening. However this book felt a bit rushed to me and the twists were a bit flat. I wasn’t shocked at any of the revelations and I felt that Rosie’s character needed MORE but I guess we’ll never know how she recovers.

2.5⭐️

⭑ ⭑ ⭒ ⭒ ⭒
2.5

♰ This book is basically divided into three emotional stages: the beginning (annoyed), the middle (hopeful), and the end (confused and tired). All of them contributed to my final rating.

ꨄ︎ The beginning (2 stars)

ᝰ.ᐟ Here we’re stuck in the head of the female main character, Dion, and she’s sorry to say an insufferable twat

ᝰ.ᐟ From the jump, her whole “I want a house that creaks and has slanted wardrobes because it has character” thing came off as painfully pretentious. But okay, personal preferences. She later agreed to move into the house because her baby in the womb told her to (sure 🫩) Then came the moving day and… wow. She made everything about herself, genuinely bringing the spirit down which just generally just irritated me.

ᝰ.ᐟ Then she finds a cryptic letter in the house. Cue: the paranoia. And look, I love paranoia in thrillers when it’s done right. But here? It felt manufactured. Not unsettling or immersive, just forced.

ᝰ.ᐟ For example, she hears her neighbor crying, knocks on her door, they don’t answer, and she suddenly jumps to “her boyfriend is an abuser and or maybe she’s crying because of something that has to do with the secret behind her house” levels of panic. It’s a wild leap. That’s kind of the whole first 40–50% of the book. she overreacts to everything, and her inner monologue is so dramatic, it took me completely out of the story.


ꨄ︎ the middle- 3 stars

ᝰ.ᐟ In the middle, her character calms down (slightly), and the mystery starts to take shape. For a moment, I thought this was going somewhere. I almost gave this part 3 stars.

ᝰ.ᐟ Even though I still didn’t enjoy being in her head, the plot itself had some potential and felt like it was building toward something solid.


ꨄ︎ the end (1.5 stars)

ᝰ.ᐟ Mind you, Dionne is about 7-8 months pregnant( I presume from how big her belly is) but somehow she’s out here rescuing people, breaking into houses, evading danger, running around like Lara Croft? Be serious. It was already so unrealistic then the ending happened… and yikes.

ᝰ.ᐟ The “twist” was so unrealistic, it shattered what little goodwill I had. It felt like a soap opera, not a thriller. Absolutely ridiculous and wildly underwhelming.



ꨄ︎ In the end, I gave it 2.5 stars. I think for most people, the biggest issue will be Dionne. If you can tolerate or even enjoy her perspective, you might get more out of this book than I did. But if you find her grating from the start, just know it doesn’t get much better.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Solid typical Daniel hurst novel. It kept me turning the proverbial pages and wanting to know what the secret was

Unfortunately I didn’t feel like any of the characters had much depth so I couldn’t fully connect to the story. But it was a fun read!