I love Daniel Hurst books. I get sucked right in from the start and can’t put it down until the very last page!
Totally likeable main characters, and I liked Dionne right from the start and found myself being very protective of her.
And the twist was unexpected, but then still realistic.

LOVED THIS! RECOMMEND

Thank you #NetGalley for the complimentary copy of #TheCoupleBetweenUs in exchange for an honest review.

with another baby on the way, di and christian start looking for a bigger home. they settle on a new house in a luxury estate, even though it's not di's favorite.
when dionne discovers a note hidden in a wardrobe claiming that something awful happened to the previous couple, she becomes determined to uncover their identity and find out the truth.

the writing was fast-paced and easy to follow, but unfortunately, the story was let down by its main character, dionne - a protagonist so irrational and paranoid that it was just hard to stay invested. her constant jumping into conclusions and reckless choices made her incredibly frustrating to read, especially given her portrayal as a pregnant woman whose maternal instincts seemed to vanish during several moments in the book. her reactions mostly were just really fucking stupid. also, her inner thoughts were getting repetitive quickly.

while the premise had potential, the twists were either predictable or too far-fetched to be effective. the story lacked real tension, and the characters (especially di) felt flat and i somehow couldn't really relate to any of them. the ending felt slightly rushed, and i feel like some questions remained unanswered.

overall, it's a decent pick for fans of domestic thrillers who don't mind suspending disbelief. however, if you're looking for well-developed characters or believable drama, this one might not be for you.



*thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture, and Daniel Hurst for providing me with an ARC of this book!*

A big shout out to net galley. If not for them I may not have found Daniel Hurst. His latest, The Couple Before Us was again very good. He makes you feel for the characters but yet not be sure who is the liar or who to trust. Many twists right up until the end, never boring. I fully recommend any of his books including The Couple Before Us.

Anew home for Dionne, husband Christian and 5 year old Kai.
Excitement has been dimmed a bit for Dionne, she has found a strange note, a warning note, implying something bad happened to the couple who lived in the house before them. Dionne is troubled by the note as they are the first owners of the property, Christian tells her not to worry, but she feels he is hiding something.
A large proportion of he book then continues like this, Dionne feeling something is amiss, she breaks into two other houses in the estate in her quest to find out what happened to the couple who lived in her house, it does rather drag on, and is a little unbelievable considering she is heavily pregnant
The story does pick up again toward the end and there is a clever unexpected twist, of which Daniel Hurst is a master.
Not my favourite book by this author.
Many thanks to Net Galley & Bookouture for an ARC of this book in exchange for a review.

I just love how easy to read Daniel Hurst books are! I always get excited when he has a new one. What happens when a couple moves into a new house? You know there will be lots of surprises in store! Loved!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Ya, this is not good. There is virtually no character development. The characters felt flat and one-dimensional, especially the main character, who was not only extremely annoying but constantly acted in ways that were completely irrational and unbelievable.

The plot kept circling back to the same tired line: *"Who lived here before us?"* over and over again. It became repetitive fast and lost any suspense it might have had.

There were just too many unrealistic elements for this to be an enjoyable thriller. Instead of feeling tense or surprised, I found myself rolling my eyes more often than not. Overall, this was a frustrating read that relied too heavily on a flimsy premise and didn’t give me any real payoff.

This story kept me on the edge of my seat. When a couple buys a new home, they get quite a few surprises. This was a quick and easy read and was just what I needed on a rainy day!

I unfortunately did not enjoy this book. The characters were very one dimensional. It felt like the author wanted us to be more on edge than the book causes you to be. The first half of the book focuses on one villain who ends up not being the main villain. There were quite a few plot holes and the author focused too much on plot twists instead of patching those holes. I also found the main character very annoying and her pregnancy was an unnecessary details that only came out when the author wanted it to.

This book kept me pulled from the beginning. There were so many twists and turns that I had never seen coming. When they started off in the new house getting warned but then told it was a joke, I didn't know what to think if it really was a joke or something that they really had to be afraid of. When she did her digging to see what she can find on Oscar, I had an inkling that something was going to happen that she didn't expect. I was shocked that she got her out and then that her son fought Oscar for them. i am a big fan of Daniel Hurts books, they always have a good twists to them.

Another excellent book by Daniel Hurst. Plenty of jaw dropping twists .Did not expect the ending. All about a couple buying a house and finding out they weren't the original owners.

Daniel Hurst delivers another addictive psychological thriller with The Couple Before Us. The premise is deliciously sinister: a seemingly perfect home, a new couple moving in—and secrets buried deep within the walls. Hurst excels at creating suspense that hooks you from the first page. With short, punchy chapters and plenty of curveballs, the tension escalates quickly and never lets up. This is the kind of book you read in one sitting, racing to uncover the truth. If you love twisty domestic thrillers with unreliable characters and jaw-dropping endings, The Couple Before Us is for you.

Thank you Bookouture and Netgalley for this ARC! When a couple moves into their newly built house, they think they are the first to inhabit the house, with a strange note found and strange goings on in the estate it's all not sitting well with Dionne. The story does seem to be a little repetitive and slow getting to the point but the last quarter flies by with plenty of twists and turns.

This was a pretty standard domestic thriller.
Di and her family move into a new house in a suburban development. She has a bad vibe from the beginning, which only gets worse when she finds a hidden note saying that something terrible happened to the couple who lived there before them.
The first half was a checklist of all the standard tropes: something isn't right, the phones don't work, I'm isolated, no-one believes me, am I going crazy, who can I trust? It felt about as soulless as the new build housing development that it was set in. The middle did pick up, with some good twists and reveals, some action and tension. But then the end wrapped things up too quickly and wasn't believable.
It was not a terrible read, there was enough pace to keep turning pages. But I would only recommend it to those who really love this sub-genre.

Going into this book Daniel Hurst was a new to me author, however I had heard of him, so I wanted to give a book of his a go. And I am glad I did.
One thing I did really like about this book was how we jumped right into the story. I didn't have to read 100 pages until something happened. Right from the first page the story took off.
I found this whole book to be such an easy read, I flew through it and it is definitely the kind of book you could read in one sitting. The pacing was spot on and it did make me want to keep turning the pages.
The writing style I have to say was basic and simple, nothing impressive but it was enjoyable.
But I wasn't a big fan of the main character Dionne. I found her to be written like she was a paranoid, hysterical woman (you can tell this was written by a man!) and I found the choices she made did have me rolling my eyes.
The plot was over the top and ridiculous and you do have to suspend your disbelief and just go with it.
I did have an enjoyable time reading this book and it definitely falls into the light, binge able, popcorn psychological thriller category and I would read from this author again.
This is one for fans of Frieda McFadden.

The Couple Before Us
by Daniel Hurst
Pub Date: Jul 17 2025

The Couple Before Us is told in the first person narration which I really liked. The story is full of mystery, suspense, danger and secrets. And WOW, what an ending!

Synopsis: ‘Something terrible happened to the couple who lived here before…’ My hands shake as I read the warning note I’ve just found hidden in a forgotten corner of my brand new house. My husband told me we’d be the first people to live here. Did he lie? My husband Christian wraps his strong arms around me and tells me to forget the note; he wants this to be the perfect home for us. But as I look into his blue-grey eyes, I wonder if there’s something he’s keeping from me or if I’m just being paranoid.

Many thanks to #TheCoupleBeforeUs #NetGalley and #Bookouture for providing me an E-ARC of this exciting 5 star book!

When a pregnant mother moves her little family into a new home, she is met with an ominous note that leads her to believe something terrible has happened in this home.The irony was that she is told they are the first to ever live there but deep down she knows there is something more sinister going on.

Good storyline that will definitely keep you guessing 😉

pros:
-quick read with a unique storyline that isnt overplayed
-action packed and keeps you on the edge of your seat

cons:
- wasn't a big fan of the female lead, she came across as whiny.
-didn't hit as hard as Hurst novels normally do.

overall a good beach read for the summertime

thank you ##NetGalley for this ARC of Daniel Hurst latest novel #TheCoupleBeforeUs on shelves now!

I found the majority of this book very repetitive. "Was there someone living in our house before us?" I found the main character Di very annoying and nosy. The twist at the end wasn't expected.
Total rating 2.5 stars

Daniel Hurst did an incredible job keeping me at the edge of my seat throughout the entire book. From the very first page, I found myself thinking "Oh no, this is going to be a wild ride."

I will say that it took me about halfway through the book before I started to appreciate the fmc and her character a bit more. Di seemed a bit frazzled and the paranoia seemed to be a bit much, almost annoying. However, as I continued reading, her actions became more and more justified. She is dealing with a warning from an unknown source after moving into a new home with her husband, young son, and unborn daughter.

As the story continues on, I kept thinking that I had it all figured out and knew what was going to happen, but alas, I was wrong each and every time. New twists around every corner that keeps you turning pages to find what happens next.

If you enjoy thrillers and the joy of trying to piece together a story as more and more unravels, The Couple Before Us is a must read!

A great read. Full of suspense and twists. Gets you gripped very easily. Very enjoyable definitely recommend

Daniel Hurst always has some impossible twists and has a great mind.
The Couple Before Us was no different. I found myself engulfed in the story for the first 25% and the last 25%. In between, I was kind of bored. I felt like there was too much going on to truly fall in love with the characters. The ending gained all the stars, though, because that was not what I was expecting.
Thank you Netgalley and Bookuture, for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.