Thank you to the publisher & Netgalley for this early arc for an honest review.

This book was a different book than what i would usually read - and it was my first book by this author. Best belive i will be reading more from him.

The book did take me a little bit of time to get into - it was around the 25% mark then i was HOOKED. Literally. I ate this book up in less than 12 hours. I couldn't turn the pages quick enough.

It had me questioning everything and everyone! And the twist at the end?! I was on the edge of my seat!

Highly recommend and cannot wait to read more from the author!

I’ve been a fan of Daniel Hirst’s books for a while so was keen to read his latest novel, The Couple Before Us. Initially, I found this to be more of a gripping slow burner than a seat of your pants thriller, but once I got to the second half of the book, I felt the tension ramping up and with the added twists it was impossible to put down. Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for the chance to review.

Having previously read and enjoyed some of Daniel Hursts other books I really wanted to like this one however this story just did not do it for me, it sounded interesting from the description however I felt it was slightly dragged out and honestly I just found the characters annoying. I don’t necessarily think this is a bad book I just think it wasn’t for me

★★★★ 3.5 stars

If it seems too good to be true then it probably is...

That's the piece of advice I felt like giving couple Dionne and Christian as they looked around the newly built house on the new estate that still resembled a construction site. Simply put - if you don't feel the house isn't right, don't buy it. Why Dionne gave in to hubby Christian, I have no idea, except maybe to keep the peace and she was heavily pregnant and needed somewhere to call home and soon.

So Christian loved the house, Dionne didn't. Five year old Kai loved the yard in which he could kick a football around and that alone seemed to melt Dionne's heart. And yet she still didn't feel right about the house. Something didn't feel right. A bit like the book. Something was missing that I couldn't put my finger on. It just lacked the punch that Hurst is known for.

And so in their cramped motel room they've called home for weeks, Dionne crumbles and gives in. "Make an offer" she says. Words she will live to regret. And within weeks they are moving in and unpacking their boxes and furniture. But still Dionne cannot still the niggling feeling that something isn't quite right about this house. And then in the corner of the cupboard she finds a note.

"Something terrible to the couple who lived here before..."

This was supposed to be a new-build. They were supposed to be the first people to be living there. So what is the meaning of this note? Who wrote it? And where did it come from?

Suffice to say, Dionne was not going to let things lie and decided to do some investigating of her own. As the story unfolds, she looks to the observer like she's a bit unhinged as she does some really stupid things.

Despite this being a relatively quick and easy read that was predictable, it had plenty of eye-rolling moments that even I was shaking my head at. It lacked the thrills and tension of Hursts usual thrillers and Dionne was incredibly annoying.

But don't let this review turn you off Daniel Hurst. He is a great thriller writer and I have devoured over 40 of his thrillers, most of which are edge-of-your-seat entertaining thrill-rides. But even our favourite authors can write books that don't thrill us. That doesn't mean I'll stop reading him because I know the calibre he is capable of.

Not a bad read, but not his best. Still, it held my interest enough to read in one sitting.

I would like to thank #DanielHurst, #Netgalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheCoupleBeforeUs in exchange for an honest review.

This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.

Loved it. A thrilling story, i wanted to keep on reading. It was interesting and what i loved was that it was unfolding quickly making the suspense and thrill perfect.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ ARC Review | The Couple Before Us – @danielhurstbooks
📖👀🕵️‍♀️ #ThrillerReads #ARCReview

Something terrible happened to the couple who lived here before… and I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough to find out what! 😱

This twisty domestic thriller had me hooked from the very first line. When a chilling note is discovered in a seemingly perfect new home, everything unravels for the couple who just moved in. Secrets, lies, and a past that refuses to stay buried - The Couple Before Us is full of suspense and tension that builds with every chapter. 🏡📜

Daniel Hurst absolutely nails the feeling of paranoia and mistrust. Just when I thought I had it all figured out, BAM - another jaw-dropping twist. I loved how the story slowly peeled back layers of truth, and the ending? 😮 Totally worth the wait!

The pacing was spot-on, the mystery was well-crafted, and it had just the right amount of emotional depth to keep me invested in the characters. If you love domestic thrillers with dark secrets and a sinister past, this one’s a must-read! 🙌

🖤 Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC!

Grateful to read this ARC from NetGalley and Bookouture. Although I did find this book hard to put down, I found the main character, Dionne, really really paranoid and annoying. However, the book delivered some great twists. Now that I’ve finished, I can see the author dropped breadcrumbs along the way. The ending wrapped up everything nicely answering all my burning questions. This was an action packed story, and I will definitely be looking forward to reading more books by Daniel Hurst!

I could not put this book down, the unexpected twists and turns had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. I love a thriller and this book has been one of my favorites so far. I look forward to reading more by Daniel Hurst.

This book was very creepy, compulsive, and hard to put down especially when the tension built like a slow leak, until everything collapsed and you're left wondering: how much do you really know about what came before?

Another thrilling read by Daniel Hurst. It gripped me from the beginning, with it's many twists and turns and shocking ending.

I thought the main character Dionne was paranoid, annoying and quite irrational from fairly early in the storyline. She was heavily pregnant and frequently found herself in dangerous situations.

Overall I enjoyed the book and look forward to seeing what Daniel Hurst writes next.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc. Another suspensful thriller for Daniel Hurst!! This was hard to put down! All of the things that happened so quick, all of the sudden I was at the end. Terrific twists too!

The Couple Before Us is a good psychological thriller. I did find the fact that Dionne was overly anxious and paranoid from the begin, even before they had moved, very odd and it didn't make a lot of sense why she would be that way. The first half of the book is a bit slow going and I started to lose interest, but things picked up in the second half and there were some good twists.

Glad I got this for an ARC reads !!

Another amazing book from Daniel Hurst!! 📖

Omg this book has been slow but a good few chapters in you are GRIPPED!!! 😮 honestly I thought I had it figured out but no !!

What an amazing read

Highly recommend

5 star review ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

3.5 stars rounded down.

"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? Moving into the gorgeous house was meant to be a new start for our family, My hands rest on my growing bump as I walk through our home, the smell of the fresh paint in the ar, but my heart no longer feels full of hope for the future. Was there a couple who lived here before? And what happened to them?

I felt there was something missing from this book that I couldn't quite put my finger on. When you feel a house isn't right for you, don't buy it, it's too much upheaval and money if you end up not being happy. Dionne, her husband Christian, and their five-year-old son Kai have just moved into a new house on a new exclusive estate. As the story plods along, Di does some really stupid things, especially as she's pregnant. I'm sure there will be many more readers who will enjoy this story more than I did.

Published 17th July 2025

I qould like to thank #NetGalley #Bookouture and the author #DanielHurst for my ARC of #TheCoupleBeforeUs in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley & publisher for ARC of this book. I was really looking forward to reading this book as really enjoy this authors books. However, I found the main character slightly annoying & her actions pretty far fetched/drastic on occasions. I was eager to keep reading to see what had happened & there was a big twist & more action in the last third of the book. Overall a good read but lacked something compared to authors previous books. 3.5 stars 🌟

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the advanced copy of this book for exchange of my honest review!
This book follows the story of a family of 3,soon to be 4 moving in into a new house. There Dionne finds a strange note and becomes paranoid about who lived in the house before them. Her husband Christian also seems to be keeping a secret.
I did not like the characters, they were all annoying me but the most annoying character was Dionne (Di) who is the main character seemed to have only one personality trait which is her children. She also did so many stunts while being heavily pregnant which was very unrealistic and confusing. All the characters being annoying and unhinged was actually pretty nice for the story. I could not stand any of them and I liked it because of that. They were unlikable,but that is kind of the point. The plot was interesting and suspenseful.

⭐ Book Review: The Couple Before Us
📖 By Daniel Hurst
📚 Thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture, and Daniel Hurst for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

Daniel Hurst does it again with another fast-paced, twisty read! One of the things I really enjoy about his writing is how quickly the tension builds—this book was no exception. It hooked me from the first few pages and kept me turning until I got the closure I was hoping for, which I really appreciate in a thriller.

The events were well laid out, with satisfying reveals that made sense without being overly predictable. Interestingly, I found the characters not particularly likable—and that’s actually what made them so compelling. Even Di, with her relentless curiosity, got under my skin… but that’s what made her feel real.

If you enjoy quick thrillers with morally grey characters and a tight plot, this one's worth picking up!

I really enjoyed this book. It felt like you were watching a classic 2000s movie where you keep telling yourself you wouldn’t have made the same decisions as the narrator.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC! All opinions are completely my own

NetGalley review: The Couple Before Us by Daniel Hurst. It’s not the first book I’ve read by this author and it won’t be the last. The twists in this book were absolutely bonkers and I absolutely loved it! I stayed up way too late on our first night on holiday reading this. The whole book is the FMC wondering who to trust and whether make can even trust her husband when they move into a new house, and she finds a note warning her about what happened to the couple before them.
An easy to read thriller that you’ll absolutely zoom through!
Thankyou to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Having to move house when you're pregnant and have a 5-year-old as well is the start of this intense thriller. Di isn't thrilled to be moving to this as yet unfinished estate, but she does so as her husband thinks it's the best move for them as a family. Upon inspecting the house on move in day she finds a crumpled note referring to the couple who lived there before them. She has been led to believe they are the first owners, and she is troubled. The estate owner is a mysterious man, and strange things occur which she can't understand. She is always searching for answers. This is an intense thrill ride as Daniel takes you on a journey filled with manipulations, twists and lies. Many chapters end with cliffhangers, and the urge to read just one more chapter is strong. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and want to thank NetGalley & Bookouture for the opportunity to read it and give an honest review. I would recommend this book .