Thank you to NetGalley and Daniel Hurst for the ARC!
This book was entertaining and definitely had me spooked. I found the main character sometimes difficult to connect to and a few of the plot details were a little implausible for me, but overall I enjoyed it. This is a great book if you are looking for an easy, chilling read. I definitely did not guess the ending which is always a plus for me when I am finishing any mystery book. My favorite character was Hayley as I really connected with her story and enjoyed hearing about her role in the final reveal. This was my first Daniel Hurst book and it won’t be my last!

I had the pleasure of reading this as my first ever e-ARC.

Thanks for the opportunity!

Overall, the book was enjoyable. Fast paced, quick and such a page turner. I’ve read many books by this author and they never fail to keep me coming back for more. There were a few repetitive points and I did feel the book could have been slightly shorter. HOWEVER, whilst the twists were not as dramatic as other books by the author, they still packed a punch and kept me engrossed.

I would recommend this book and I know many people will would enjoy it!

3.75⭐️.

Dionne and Christian moves into a brand new house as their family is now getting bigger. However, as soon as Dionne moves in, Dionne finds a note. The note simply says that a couple had lived in the same house before and that something terrible happened to the couple. When Dionne confronted Christian about the note, Christian believed that it was just a prank and that no one has lived in the house before. As Dionne begins to start new life in a brand new house, she couldn't help notice Haley, who lives next door. Haley tells her about the couple once again but as soon as she talked to Dionne, Haley also vanished. Now Dionne must try to find the truth about the house before it is too late.

The story started out great actually. There was a sense of mystery surrounding the new house and the fact that Dionne cannot trust any new neighbors also added the mystery and thrill of reading the book. However, the ending was what made me give this book a slightly lower rating. Everything went great with some twists and turns but the ending was something that I didn't expect and the one I actually didn't really like, which in my opinion kind of spoiled the overall story.

Overall I give this story a 3.5 star rating.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

Not my favorite from Daniel Hurst, had a mix of things I really liked and really captivated me, but some things really made it hard to get through.
There is an eerie “too good to be true” vibe on the estate that me intrigued. Between the free monthly luncheons, overly friendly neighbors, odd restrictions, and a growing list of red flags—like a lack of phone service and secretive behavior from the authorities—I was curious to see how this all unraveled. There’s definitely something unsettling beneath the surface, and was invested in finding out what it was.

That being said, I am finding Dionne to be a frustrating character. While she tries to come off as selfless, she often reads as self-centered, overly reactive, and constantly complaining. Her impulsive decisions, lack of accountability, and tendency to overanalyze minor situations make her hard to connect with. She frequently assumes the worst without reason, creating conflict where there may be none. Because the story is told in her POV, it made it hard to get through the story and trying to uncover what is really happening on the estate.

I did struggle slightly at the beginning, but after about 20% I was hooked and read the rest of the book in one go. Lots of twists and turns, you never know who you can trust and super gripping.

I always look forward to titles by Daniel Hurst but I was disappointed with this one. The short chapters read very quickly but the storyline and characters are a little over the top/too far fetched. It twists along until the last few chapters when things all come to a head and then get quickly wrapped up. Definitely not my favourite by Daniel Hurst. (2.5/5)
Thank You to NetGalley, and Bookoutre for the invitation to read this ARC.

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.