Okay, I have to admit that the first half of this book had me convinced that Dionne was completely unhinged.

But then the twists start, and that last one is a cracker that I did not see coming!

A good quick afternoon read that kept me hooked until the end.

Fans of Hurst will love this one, or anyone looking for a twisty thriller or a highly strung character should give it a go.

Closer to a 3.5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending this my way. All opinions expressed are my own.

The Couple Before Us is an upcoming psychological thriller set for release in July 2025. It follows a young couple as they settle into their estate that seems too good to be true. We see it slowly unravel and question what is reality and what is fiction. This was a great book if you are just after an easy palate cleanser of a thriller. It was a slow start, but around the half way mark, had some surprising twists where I just couldn't put it down (I read the second half in one sitting). Where it lost me a bit, and why I only gave it around a three stars, is that the ending came a bit out of nowhere and I was left with more questions than answers, and not necessarily in a good way. Also, another criticism, and it may just be me, but the estate agent being named Caesar reminded me of Caesar Flickerman from The Hunger Games which was distracting, but makes me want to re-read The Hunger Games so I'm not mad at it. This was good, but not amazing. I am intrigued to go back and read Hurst's back list and any releases in future as I had a fun time with this.

Yes yes yes! Another winner. Loved it, completely original. Really original concept. Well written characters, plenty twists and just when I thought id figured out.... I was back to the starting point!!! I flew though it and loved every second. Highly reocmmended

When you think you know the new neighborhood where you’re moving to, think again! Daniel Hurst manages to once again blow my mind, especially with the ending of this book. What can this man not write? I’ll add this to my pile of 4 star reads by him. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review. Onto my next Hurst book ….

A young couple with 5 year old and a baby on the way move into the husband’s “dream home,” the woman has misgivings about the house but decides to move in anyway thinking her husband might be right about living in a brand new home. Once they arrive she grows increasingly uncomfortable and questions if they really are the first ones to live there. This story compels you to keep reading as she tries to uncover answers.

Daniel Hurst can do no wrong - pumping out great thriller after great thriller, I was pumped to see this up for review.

Another fantastic read, a great setting, well paced and enough twists and turns to keep it exciting. I enjoyed not being able to trust anyone, and the slightly creepy estate which just sounded straight out of an episode of Black Mirror. I raced through it in less than two days as it was so easy to read and a true page turner.

Can't wait for the next Daniel Hurst!

This is my first book by this author. I really liked it! It was a quick and easy read. It kept my interest well! I'll definitely be reading more by him!

Another great story from Daniel Hurst. Twists galore and I couldnt imagine how it was all going to turn out. It kept me on the edge of my seat. Fab book which I highly recommend
Many thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in return for an honest review

“The Couple Before Us” is a mystery (maybe mystery-thriller) by Daniel Hurst. Mr. Hurst’s books, for me, are quick and easy reads - something I sometimes need to clear my head. This book was no exception. Although the prologue was the “gotcha” for an opening, I didn’t really feel it was necessary, as the marital tension between Christian and Di was interesting. The couple moves into their new home as the first owners, but Di finds a note implying that they’re not the first home owners, contrary to what the real estate person and “community welcomer” have told them. The note and the fact that she feels like everyone is lying to her really bothers Di. That’s about as much of the plot as I can say without giving the story away. Someone commented that Di came across as a “Karen,” and I can understand why that was said - everything is drama and she sees bad things happening everywhere (some true, some just an overactive imagination). I was going along with some of the twists and even understood the big one, but this book seemed like a roller coaster with a lot of big peaks then racing to the bottom but I cannot say that I fully enjoyed the ride. Some parts were believable but other parts I found just on the edge of “really?” Don’t get me wrong, this was a decent plot, but Di and Christian really need to work on their marriage and communication!

Classic Hurst! I enjoyed this domestic thriller and finished in a day. Constantly kept me wondering how in the world it would all wrap up.

big big whoop for this! my pulse raced, the tension grew and i was hooked. i was in it for the long haul which didn't turn out so long because i swept through this one. i could not stop. i had to know. i.had.to.know. where this was going.
does Daniel Hurst have a magic cauldron somewhere. because he just keeps bringing out the magic in these books. how does someone keep on keeping on bring out such brilliant books. all unique. all gripping. all brilliant.
you get that unease and creepy spine feelings all the way through this book. the sense of something coming.
Dionne is pregnant and she and her husband and son have moved to a brand new house in an exclusive estate. all so good right? Di wasn't sure at first but new Christian made sense in the end so here they are. surely she can make its cold feeling warm once its their own?
but whilst unpacking Di finds a note in the closet saying that something terrible happen to the people before them in this house. but how can this be. Christian told her it was brand new for them. but she is brought round again.
but things keep coming up. this question, this issue is not going away. not by a long shot. Is Di and her family in danger. can she even trust her own husband and what about the neighbours?
as more and more starts coming to Di and us readers we are getting more and more scared. more and more wary of the people around this house.
is it the writer, Di or the other us readers cant trust. it keeps you on your toes at all time and i loved it for making me question everything, ha.

Fab read as usual by Hurst. He just gets better and better. This was the next level in character building and plot thickening.

Thank you for the ARC. Pregnant Di, Christian and their 5 year old son move into a new estate. Strange things start to happen making Di question everything and everyone to the point she is paranoid. This book had some good twists I didn’t see coming. I even questioned Di’s sanity at one point.

Release: July 17, 2025
Author: Daniel Hurst
Publisher: Bookoture

4 ⭐

Moving into their beautiful new house was supposed to mark a fresh beginning for the narrator and her growing family. With a baby on the way and the scent of fresh paint still lingering, she wants to feel hopeful—but unease is settling in. Her husband, Christian, insists everything is fine and urges her to forget a mysterious note they received. But something about his reassurances—and the way he avoids certain questions—makes her suspicious.
Strange things begin to unfold, starting with something unsettling spotted in the neighbor’s yard. As she tries to piece things together, she can’t shake the feeling that the house has a history no one is talking about. And when she overhears Christian on the phone, sharing a secret she wasn’t meant to hear, she begins to wonder if she truly knows the man she married—or if danger is much closer than she thought.
From the moment I picked this one up, I was completely hooked. The Couple Before Us is everything I want in a psychological thriller—fast-paced, twisty, and impossible to put down. I flew through it in a single sitting, needing to know what was going to happen next.
The story follows Dionne, who moves into a new-build home with her husband Christian and their son, with a baby on the way. What’s meant to be a fresh start quickly turns unsettling. There’s something off about the house, the neighbors, and especially the tight-lipped community around them. When Dionne finds a chilling note and begins hearing suspicious phone calls, the tension snowballs fast.
This book is packed with secrets, gaslighting, and jaw-dropping twists that genuinely caught me off guard. Every chapter ends in a mini cliffhanger, and the suspense never lets up. The neighborhood’s rules and the eerie developer lurking behind them added an extra layer of paranoia that I loved.
Daniel Hurst once again delivers a satisfying, addictive read that blends domestic tension with a sense of creeping dread. If you enjoy thrillers that keep you guessing, mess with your head, and leave your heart racing, this is absolutely one to pick up. Hurst knows how to craft a binge-worthy, twist-filled story that you won’t forget.

Favorite Quote:
"the younger generation are as ever-changing as the wind and will often just jump on whatever it is that their favorite celebrity tells them to do."

This is another very enjoyable Daniel Hurst thriller with its usual twists and turns that kept me turning the pages! Christian and Dionne, along with their 5 year-old son, move into a new home while they await the birth of their unborn daughter. From the onset, things do not feel right for Dionne and numerous strange things begin to happen including with the next-door neighbors, Hayley and Theo. This book kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC of this very exciting book.

Daniel Hurst once again delivers an edge-of-your-seat thriller. This book had me reading late into the night. I was addicted! It’s fast-paced with countless shocking twists and turns. The plot is unpredictable with a constant sense of foreboding. I recommend having time set aside for reading because once you start, you won't be able to stop. Thank you, NetGalley and Bookouture for my ARC.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book was exhausting.

Dionne and Christian move into a new neighborhood with their son and impending birth of their daughter. Dionne gets too nosy for her own good and starts making really bad choices to sneak around and actually breaks into a few of her neighbors homes.

Some parts of this book were insanely annoying because Dionne just wouldn't let things go. In the end, they learn that they can't trust certain people and they learn it the hard way.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc!

This was a great, suspense filled thriller that you don’t want to put down once you start it!

I thought the pacing was good and I enjoyed going along with our main character, uncovering the secrets of the neighbourhood throughout the book, bit by bit.

The whole book had me questioning everyone and second guessing everything, while trying to piece together what was going on and in the end I was shocked in the best way.

If you read this before bed you will lose sleep- once things started to really unravel and secrets started coming out I had to stay up late to find out what would happen.

This is the first book of Daniel Hurst’s I’ve read but I’ll definitely be reading more now.

Title: The Couple Before us
Author: Daniel Hurst
Publisher: Bookouture
Genre: Domestic Thriller
Pub Date: July 17, 2025
My Rating: 3.7 rounded up
Pages: 258

Dionne and Christian are a young couple with a growing family. They have a five year old son Kai and a baby on the way so have outgrown their current home.
Anyone who has gone house hunting knows is it a long process - I have personal experience and know at is NOT easy.
No surprise that Dionne and Christian have not found “THE’ perfect place. The finally check into a brand new development. Christian is fully on board, but Dionne is reluctant. (Yep know the feeling and yes new home is a lot of work: a blank slate with having to select carpet, drapes etc. as well as lawn landscaping... But ours was a young neighborhood and everyone was going through the same things and supported one another. So it was Great!

Although Dionne has different concerns than I had – in fact, her uneasiness reaches intense proportions as she just known something isn't right.

Needless to say, things get interesting and once again Daniel Hurst kept me turning pages saying ~ Where does he get his psycho ideas?
I have read nearly thirty ~not all but close to every thriller Daniel Hurst has written!
Yep I am a fan!

Want to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for this early e-Galley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for July 17, 2025

Just finished *The Couple Before Us* by Daniel Hurst, and I have *thoughts*. This one was creepy in the best way. It’s the kind of domestic thriller that grabs you with a seemingly simple setup—house-sitting for a couple—but slowly morphs into something much darker and unsettling.

From the start, there's a subtle tension that never lets up. The paranoia, the secrets, and the feeling that something isn’t quite right builds so well. You’re constantly questioning who to trust, and just when you think you’ve figured it out—plot twist. Daniel Hurst knows how to keep readers on edge.

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, and I'm so glad I did. It's fast-paced, bingeable, and left me with that lingering chill I look for in a good thriller.

If you love eerie domestic suspense with an ever-growing sense of dread, definitely add this to your TBR.