A dark and twisty psychological thriller! The Couple Before Us by Daniel Hurst, is a well-written, suspenseful read packed with secrets, lies, and unsettling revelations. When a family moves into what they believe is a brand-new home, the wife starts to suspect they weren’t the first to live there. What happened to the couple before them—if they ever existed? This story slowly unravels a web of hidden, shocking truths, and just when you think you have it figured out, another layer peels back. A gripping read from start to finish!

All I could think is.... man if this lady don't mind her own business. She's so dang nosey. But I guess it was a good thing in the end. Such a great read. And I couldn't put if down all day.

Daniel hurst has always seemed to be my go to for a quick read and this just confirms that

Suspenseful and keeps you wondering what is really going on in this subdivision and who is really behind it all!

Review of ‘The Couple Before Us’ by Daniel Hurst, due to be published on 17 July 2025 by Bookouture.

Dionne, Christian and 5 year old son Kai are currently living in a hotel room, desperate to get out into a new home before their baby is born. When Christian takes Dionne to see a possible house, she feels uneasy and that it does not feel like a home, but Christian is insisting that it is perfect for them and pushes for them to make an offer and move in.

When Dionne finds a note in the wardrobe, things take a mysterious and creepy turn, exacerbated by the site manager Cesar’s odd behaviour and the neighbours reluctance to engage in conversation.

A dark, psychological thriller that makes you raise doubt in your own mind about each character - what is their involvement, what is true, who is lying and will the mounting questions be answered, before it’s too late.

Recommended read.

A creepy storyline.
Strange neighbours, kidnapping and a really irritating husband.
A decent read from Daniel Hurst but not one of his best.
My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy.

Daniel Hurst does it again another creepy twisted thriller with and ending that blew my mind I really can’t find fault with this author. This time we meet Di and Christian a young family looking to buy a bigger home in time for their new arrival. When they look around a brand new house on an estate currently in construction Christian is sold by Di has reservations however the baby will be here before they know it and they need to get out of the hotel they are living in. As she is persuaded to buy the house her concern turns to real fear when she discovers a note the day they move in. Someone is lying to her about this home and she is determined to find out why even if it risks everything. Do not miss this book!!!

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

The story follows Di, who is pregnant with their second child, her husband Christian, and their 5-year-old son Kai. The family moves into what’s supposed to be their dream home in a beautiful new neighborhood. They’re told they’re the first to ever live there—but when Di finds a hidden warning letter inside the house, she begins questioning who lived there before and what really happened.

I usually enjoy Hurst’s books and tend to speed through them because I find it difficult to put them down. However, with this one, I just wanted to get through it to find out how it ended. The plot had great potential, but I felt it was missing something. Maybe another POV would have added more depth to the story? Rating the book a 3-star rating.

What I loved about this book was that the mystery isn’t just who did what, it’s whether we ever truly know the person sleeping beside us. The tension is personal, emotional, and disturbingly familiar. Rather than relying solely on plot twists, the author builds emotional suspense. Every character is just vulnerable enough to be believable, just flawed enough to be suspicious. This is not just a whodunit, it’s a why’d they hide it. I give a 4.5 ⭐️ and would recommend to a reader looking for a refreshing mystery/thriller.

5 - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you Netgalley & Bookouture for this ARC copy by Daniel Hurst. Publication Date: July 17, 2025

This story is from the POV of Di, a pregnant wife & mother to a 5 year old son.

The family purchased a new home, in a wonderful new neighborhood, where they were told they were the first people to ever live in this new home. This should be an exciting time for them but is it?

One day, Di finds a letter, which served as a warning, hidden inside her home, that not only had her question if there were others who lived in this house before them and if so, what happened to them and will her family be safe?

As Di began to ask questions, things start to get strange and secrets begin to unwind.

Daniel Hurst is a genious author who has a way of bringing you into this crazy world of secrets and deception. Where you are hooked from the first page and just can't stop reading until the very last.

I would highly recommend this book if you are looking for a gripping, edge of your seat, page turner.

Once again, thank you Netgalley & Bookouture for the opportunity to read this advanced reading copy (ARC 📖) of this new thriller by Daniel Hurst.

#TheCoupleBeforeUs #NetGalley #Bookouture

The Couple Before Us by Daniel Hurst
Holy buckets! As if loving isn’t stressful enough, let’s add mysterious estate couples and an owner who gives off unpleasant vibes.

This was such a fast-paced story, and how things escalated only increased the intensity. On one hand, I don’t know if I would have gotten as curious or involved as Dionne. On the other, it’s a good thing she couldn’t let it go, even if the consequences were heartbreaking.

The twists and turns in this book left me reading at a frantic pace because I had to know what happened next. I love how Daniel builds a story, fleshes out his characters, and creates curated chaos.

This was a brilliantly twisted thriller from page one. I’m ready for the next story from the talented mind of Daniel Hurst!

Publication day: July 17, 2025
Publisher: Bookouture

From a friendly housing estate to a compound or so it seemed.

Murder, kidnapping, parents, neighbours and estate manager all had a part in the story here. What more do you want from a book?

Fast paced novel to keep you entertained.

Thank you Net galley for letting me read this book.

From the very first page, I was hooked! We meet Dionne (Di), her husband Christian, and their son Kai as they move into a shiny new home on a brand-new estate—what should be their forever family home. But from the start, something feels off. Di soon discovers that another couple lived there before them… and mysteriously vanished. What really happened to them?

This is an extremely fast-paced thriller with all the twists and chills you could ask for. Daniel Hurst has such a knack for drawing you in—every chapter leaves you needing more. The atmosphere had a spooky, almost horror-like feel that totally elevated the suspense.

📚 The characters were well developed, the writing was razor-sharp, and those twists… I did not see them coming!

✅ Highly recommend if you love thrillers that grab you from the first page and don’t let go!

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Tense chilling picked up to read a few pages couldn’t put it down.Edge of my seat from beginning to end to end.# NetGalley #bookoutore

Daniel Hurst has done it again. I had butterflies in my stomach waiting for the next twist. Remember always trust a woman's intuition.

This book was addictive, fast-paced and a drama-filled rollercoaster ride! WOW!! Never in a million years did I see that twist coming out it literally blew my socks off!

Every chapter was as fabulous as the next, I was reading on the edge of my seat it was truly amazing! I ADORE this authors writing style he is quickly becoming my favourite author!

From the minute I picked it up I struggled to pull myself away I was hooked! There were SO many twists and turns it was amazing! My heart was pounding throughout!

This was truly first-class thriller writing! I’d highly recommend this book it’s a must read when it comes out!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ stars!

Hurst fans won't want to miss this creepy, unputdownable page-turner! There were so many secrets and twists that I never saw coming. I truly thought I had it figured out, but Hurst kept switching things up and sending me on a wild goose chase. A scary one at that. All of Dionne's fear and emotions somehow became my own. I felt like I was trapped in this pretentious disturbia alongside her with all of these shady characters and eerie occurrences. And don't get me started on her husband. He will definitely not be winning any husband-of-the-year awards anytime soon. I loved every minute of it, even though my teeth were clenched the entire time! I flew through it in a few hours and now I'm sad that it is over. Can't wait to read the next adventure that Hurst brings to the table! I can always count on him for crazy thrills. Highly recommend!

Huge thanks to Bookouture for sending me a widget via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review!

I am so happy that Hurst writes several books a year, because I always know I will get a fun psychological thriller that will satisfy me and be read in an afternoon.

An expecting couple move into a new home even when one of them has reservations! What is about listening to your gut?

The new housing area has an overbearing resident and requires several things of its members. If you have ever been part of a homeowner’s association, there are rules you have to follow, BUT This is so WORSE!

With secrets, demands, lies and more this new neighborhood packs a lot of action behind the SCENES!

𝑴𝒂𝒚𝒃𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒆. 𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝒊𝒇 𝒊𝒕 𝒊𝒔, 𝒘𝒉𝒚 𝒅𝒐 𝑰 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒔𝒖𝒄𝒉 𝒂 𝒃𝒂𝒅 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒊𝒕?

Dionne, Christian, and their young son Kai have outgrown their family home since they have a daughter on the way, and living in a camped hotel room is really getting to Dionne. House hunting hasn't netted anything noteworthy until they tour a new home in a brand new development. Christian is fully on board, but Dionne is reluctant. It's just too much of a blank slate, and so much work will have to be done to make it a family home. Nevertheless, with her due date drawing near, she relents.

She has immediate regrets.

Dionne's uneasiness starts with something she finds in the house, and it continues to grow after meeting the neighbor next door and then hearing his partner crying outside. The uneasiness reaches intense proportions when the owner of the development makes his presence known in a very heavy-handed manner, and after overhearing whispered phone conversations between her husband and an unknown person, her intuition is screaming that something isn't right. Can she unravel the mystery of what happened in her home, or is she just another hysterical woman seeing danger everwhere?

I thoroughly enjoyed this tense thriller, and I thank NetGalley and Bookouture for the early copy. Look for this one July 17, 2025.

Thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for this Advanced Reader’s Copy of The Couple Before Us by Daniel Hurst due to be published July 17, 2025.

Dionne, Christian, and Kai have moved into a new neighborhood. It is a little strange, but who can they trust? Their neighbors? Their landlord? Their family?

I love Daniel Hurst’s books – they are fast-paced and easy to read and keep you guessing until the very end! I flew through this one in a day and couldn’t wait to see who the “bad ones” were! It was a page turner that had me hooked from the first chapter – why he is one of my favorites!

#NetGalley #DanielHurst #TheCoupleBeforeUs #StormPublishing

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC. Read this book in one sitting. It kept me hooked from the first line. Would recommend it.