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 .

In the couple before us, we meet Dionne and her husband Christian as they move into their brand-new home on an exclusive estate, with their five-year-old son Kai. Dionne is heavily pregnant and they are keen to settle before the new baby arrives.

Dionne very quickly discovers that all is not as it seems, their alleged new house seems to have had somebody live there before but who? And where are they now? These questions were all answered very easily, theoretically, yet Dionne persisted in searching for what she believed to be some underhand behaviour. I must admit, I found Dionne extremely irritating and paranoid, and was amazed that so close to giving birth and with a five-year-old to care for, she was so actively pursuing this mystery that didn’t even seem like it existed...

But oh boy was she right! I didn’t guess the outcome, however with hindsight there were some very cleverly disguised clues that passed me by, so I put my hands up and admit I was wrong and Dionne was absolutely right to persist like she did! She knew there was danger and she fought for her family like a true warrior!

The characters were all fairly unlikable which made all of them suspects so it was fun trying to guess who could be trusted and who couldn’t and I got it completely wrong! An enjoyable read, if a little far-fetched, with some very unexpected twists, so suspend your disbelief and trust in those enhanced pregnancy senses!

4 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Daniel Hurst and Bookouture, for an ARC of this book.

I didn’t love this one. I’ve read most of Daniel’s
other books but felt this one didn’t really flow. Cesar was weird. I thought it was a bit far fetched, if you want to know if there’s a previous house owner it’s public knowledge. A bit too much going on for me

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC.
This was a wild ride and I thoroughly enjoyed it. So many twists and turns throughout the second half of the book I really didn’t see the ending coming. The MFC did get on my nerves the first half of the book, she was very repetitive and came across annoying, however I feel she redeemed herself as the book went on. I really loved the concept of a quiet suburban community being controlled by the estate owner with dark secrets, it made me not want to put the book down and continue on reading to see what happens next.

The premise of this book sounded interesting and initially drew me in. Unfortunately, the execution didn’t work for me. While it’s a quick read with short chapters (and the plot does somewhat picks up in the middle), I found myself struggling and had to push myself to keep going.

My main issue was with the main character, Dionne. I thought she was annoying, and her inner monologue felt a bit over the top and dramatic, making it hard for me to connect with her or the story. The twists and the ending didn’t really work for me either, they felt abrupt and didn’t make much sense.

Overall, this book just wasn’t for me. I loved the concept and really wanted to enjoy it, so I ended up feeling a bit disappointed. That said, I’m sure there are readers who will enjoy the domestic drama and unexpected turns more than I did.

Another great book by Daniel Hurst! I tried coming up with the outcome as I was reading but this time I had no clue, it kept me guessing the entire time. So many twists and turns. Loved this book!

It is always exciting to see another Daniel Hurst book released having read 52 of them now. Thoroughly enjoyed 'The Couple Before Us' with its clever twists and turns. Who can I trust now. Today's gym session was delayed by half an hour to complete this can't put down book. Highly recommended. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to ARC this book.

Daniel Hurst has delivered yet again with this gripping, thrilling, and twist filled book! I really enjoyed this! I really thought I had this one figured out but then I was hit with a twist! This was an fast paced thriller that I couldn't put down!

This was a twisty read. I did enjoy the characters but I do agree that the scenes and dialogue were a bit repetitive at times. I didn’t expect the ending at all.

Another quick, easy and twisty read from Daniel Hurst. This one definitely surprised me because I didn’t see any of It vibing. Mr. Hurst is the master of writing very dislikeable characters- I couldn’t stand Ceasar!

Daniel Hurst has become an all time favourite auto-read author so fast and he never fails to deliver! His writing style is engaging and addictive, he'll have you guessing till the very end and just when you think you've cracked the whole mystery he'll throw a twist when you least expect it! The only reason I knocked one star off is due to the pacing; I felt as though the plot slowed down near the middle to build up.. overall I thoroughly enjoyed this read!

I received an arc copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest opinion of it. I normally enjoy books by this author but I only made it to 40 percent and gave up. It was ridiculous. The main character, who happens to be about 6-7 months pregnant is so annoying. She takes a walk in the middle of the night, calls the police because she sees two minute carrying a carpet and assumes there is a dead body in it and breaks into her neighbor's house because she is basically nosy. I just couldn't finish it.

Another 5 star read from Daniel! This book was wow! It kept me on my toes until the very end and I seen none of the twist that kept coming!

For fans of Freida McFadden and Jennifer Ruff’s Agent Victoria series.

This is what I’d call a starter thriller. It has a suburban setting, which makes it feel grounded and readable. It’s twisty and has cliffhanger chapters that will keep you reading all night. It’s easy to sink your teeth into this.

That said, as a regular thriller reader, the story didn’t quite meet my expectations. I just felt the story didn’t have as big of a mystery and lacked that big, satisfying payoff that I love from a thriller. I also found some characters to be a little farfetched (despite the grounded setting) and it affected my reading experience.

Overall I’d recommend this to those looking for milder thrillers or readers new to the genre. This was my first Daniel Hurst book and I hope to check out his other works!

A fun, quick read thriller that will keep you in suspense. I liked the main character of the book and some of the twists. I wasn't surprised by the big twist, but it was still a fun book to read.