Thankyou @netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review… Eeek.

I hate to give a bad review, as I’ve enjoyed a fair few books by this author, but I really didn’t enjoy this one. I found the writing clunky and everything was over explained - all very bizarre. Far fetched and ridiculous, not one likeable character. Plot holes galore.

⭐️⭐️

#itsbookedup #netgalleyreviewer

I really enjoyed this book. Definitely couldn’t put this book down kept me on my toes!!!

Blurb

Moving to this gorgeous house was meant to be a new start for our family. My hand rests on my growing baby bump as I walk through our home, the smell of fresh paint in the air, but my heart no longer feels full of hope for the future.

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.

Was there a couple who lived here before? And what happened to them?

I try to forget my worries like Christian asked, but then I see something in our next-door neighbour’s garden that I can’t ignore. I know I need to find out the truth if I’m ever going to feel safe again.

Except when I overhear Christian revealing a secret on the phone, I start to question: do I even know the man I married?

As I get closer to the truth of what happened to the couple before us, I realise one thing: I should have run when I had the chance…

I enjoyed this book from the first chapter. It was easy to get imursed and kept me wanting to read more.

Di (short for Dionne) and Christian are expecting a baby and also have a school-aged child Kai. With the family growing, they are looking for a new home.


They buy a new home in an estate that is currently building all new homes. After moving in, Di finds a disturbing note warning her. A neighbor is struggling to tell her something. Di starts to investigate herself only to uncover a series of lies she has been told. What happened to the couple that lived in the house before them? Who can she believe, and who will help her?

Thank you, Net Galley for the early copy!

i was hooked right from the first page. It was exciting and a real page turner. The plot was exciting and well thought out. Thebook was well written. There were lots of twists and turns to keep you on the edge of your seat. Fantastic ending which i wasn't expectng

The first 50% was getting me frustrated because I don’t see any reason why the FMC react the way she should react. I find her overreacting for no visible reasons. It was making me feel a lack in details and felt a little lost. However, the plot start kicking in around 50-60% into the book, and I must say, it got me interested and started to binge read through in a single setting. In conclusion, i will recommend this book if you are looking for a quick thriller, the writing style is simple to understand, no big chunky words. It’s friendly for non native reader.

I just finished “The Couple Before Us” by Daniel Hurst, and I thought the premise of the story was good. It’s about a husband, his pregnant wife, and their son moving into a brand new house. The wife gets a disturbing note and comes to the realization that they aren’t the first people to live in this brand new house. From there, crazy things start to happen. Like, what happened to the couple that lived there before??

During the beginning and middle of the story, the pacing was great, however the ending was rushed. Also the wife was very emotional and illogical, so I did not care for her character that much. She reminded me of the dumb teenagers from that commercial that run to the shed of saws and knives to hide from the serial killer. Like seriously??

It was a good thriller and I would rate this book 3.5 stars. Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. This book publishes July 17th.

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Daniel Hurst does it again with The Couple Before Us- a gripping psychological thriller packed with secrets, deception, and a relentless pace of jaw-dropping twists. Just when you think you’ve figured it out, the story shifts and leaves you reeling all over again. Daniel masterfully plays with the reader’s expectations, always staying one step ahead.

From the moment I read the title, I was intrigued, and the story more than delivered. The suspense is palpable throughout, and the web of lies the characters spin only grows more tangled as the book progresses. It’s the kind of thriller that keeps you up late at night, saying “just one more chapter” until you’ve devoured it all.

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for an ARC of this book. If you like domestic thrillers with some twists, this is a good, easy read. However, I found it to be a bit drawn out and the main character to be a bit immature in some of her outbursts. Some of the scenarios she gets herself involved in are a bit far-fetched.
I was compelled to finish the book as to see how it ended, which was not shocking.

The twists in this book were pretty unexpected but it felt very rushed at the end. Like the first 70% is quite slow and then you just get bombarded with like a million twists. However it was pretty decent and entertaining. I loved how persistent and clever the fmc was like my girl did not back out until she new everything was good.

My thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Couple Before Us’ written by Daniel Hurst in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

With a five-year-old son and a second child on the way, Christian and Di decide to look for a larger home. They visit a newly built house on a luxury estate and although it isn’t what Di had hoped for she lets Christian persuade her to buy it especially as he tells her they’re the first people to live in the house. When Di finds a piece of paper tucked inside a wardrobe saying that something terrible happened to the couple before them, it appears that Christian hasn’t been telling the truth so Di decides to find out who they were.

Although a psychological thriller with a plot that makes you want to know more, ‘The Couple Before Us’ doesn’t have the same level of excitement as some of the author’s previous books. The characters are interesting but don’t feel true to life and Di makes some unbelievably ill-considered decisions putting her own life and that of her unborn baby at risk. But despite this, it’s an involving and easy to read thriller with plenty of twists and turns that I flew through. When I reached the conclusion it wasn’t the surprise I’d expected but it did reveal who was telling the truth and who was devious enough to plan, scheme and tell lies to Di.

This one was too wordy that I just really struggled. I’ve tried multiple books from Daniel and I just think he is not an author for me.

Daniel Hurst is writing books faster than I can read them. Another twisty psychological thriller full of tension and intrigue. Christian, Dionne and young Kai move into their new home. A home no one has lived in before, supposedly. Di is uncomfortable in this home and what follows and unravels certainly makes for a tense thrilling read

Well paced and hits the spot for anyone who loves a thriller book - would recommend to anyone who enjoys Liz Nugent or Lisa Jewell books! I flew through it

Daniel Hurst is the master of domestic thrillers. His books always draw you in and keep you turning the pages.

Its hard to imagine how a story based on a plain UK housing estate and keep you engrossed. But reading as Dionne is tormented by her home grips you. Its a new build but she is convinced someone lived in the house before her family and she's concerned over what has happened to them. You start to think she is just suffering from baby brain on the lead up to the birth of her daughter. But actually there's something far more sinister at play

Overall, I found this book to be a bit lacking. As a thriller, the plot setup works fairly well to draw the readers in. The initial portion of the book works at setting the stage and introducing the characters. However, it unravels rather quickly as the storyline drags and seems a bit circular and pointless at times. It also didn't help that I didn’t find any of the characters to be particularly likable.

One major thing that I disliked was that the author took on the role of narrating from the main character’s perspective - which would have been better had the character not been female. For a male to write as a female and to narrate in a way that made her appear hysterical and unstable left a poor taste in my mouth.

The Couple Before Us by Daniel Hurst ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Pub date: July 17 2025

Blurb:
‘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? As I get closer to the truth of what happened to the couple before us, I realise one thing: I should have run when I had the chance…
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This was my very first ARC read ever, and I was thrilled by getting the chance to read one of Daniel’s Hurst’s books! This one had me gripped, and I had a hard time putting it down. There where several times I wanted to throw the book across the room (in a very good way). Lots of twists and turns and I loved every second of it! Huge 5 star rating from me! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to @netgalley and @danielhurstbooks for letting me read this!

I absolutely loved The Couple Before Us! From start to finish, it was a twisty, suspense-filled read that kept me completely hooked. The pacing was perfect quick and gripping without ever feeling rushed. I honestly struggled to put it down, flying through the pages to find out what would happen next.

Daniel Hurst knows exactly how to keep readers on edge, and this story had just the right mix of tension, mystery, and shocking twists. If you're a fan of domestic thrillers or psychological suspense, I highly recommend picking this one up!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read this fantastic book.

Thank you to Daniel Hurst, Bookouture, and Netgalley for an arc of this novel in exchange for my honest opinion.

There is a reason that Daniel Hurst is and will forever be my favorite author. He consistently produces books that are quick, thrilling, tension fueled stories that simply leave you shocked on the edge of your seat. This story follows Dionne (Di), her husband Christian, and their son Kai. After moving into a new house, Di finds a note from the previous owners of her new home, after being told by her husband that no one had previously lived in the house. Sketchy right?! Di does alot of dangerous things that really made me dislike her. She's super pregnant and walking alone late at night, breaking into neighbor's homes, and making some questionable life choices-I guess I can blame it on the pregnancy hormones. It was like watching a scary movie, where you're screaming at the tv-WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! I certainly didn't trust Christian at all. Why couldn't he just come out with the truth, what's he truly hiding? In typical Hurst fashion, the last 1/4 of the book was full of twists and turns, which I adore about him. Chapters are left on cliffhangers making it impossible to put it down and the pace is perfect. I easily finished this in two days and it's another remarkable stand alone novel. I always look forward to seeing what new story he can conjure up next. 5/5 stars

Gripping, thrilling, twist filled, and shocking, Daniel Hurst has delivered yet again with The Couple Before Us! Seriously, when does he not? This is the 19th book that I have read by Daniel Hurst, and he never fails to deliver a gripping, twist filled, entertaining, and well thought out book! Just when I thought I had this book figured out, Daniel Hurst delivers a zinger of a twist, and I left dazed and amazed!

Moving is never easy especially when pregnant, but Dionne, her husband Christian and their five-year-old son Kai have moved into their new home. It's not the dream home that Dionne imagined raising her children in, but Christian is excited, and she is pregnant, so she goes along with it. But then she finds a note informing her that something bad happened to the couple who lived in the home before her family. Her husband tells her not to worry and that they are the first people to live in this home, but she can't help but wonder if he is hiding something. Then another person mentions the couple who lived there before them before he is quickly pulled away....

Who is telling the truth? If someone lived there before them, why lie about it?

The Couple Before Us is full of mystery and a sense of dread. Dionne knows something isn't right, but can't quite put her finger on what? She knows that she is not being told the truth and is not willing to let sleeping dogs lie. The foreboding in this book was like a pot bubbling over the top as the tension boils out of control! I thought I had a handle on what was going on but them BAM Daniel Hurst threw in another twist and reveal. There are quite a few of them in this book which kept me guessing and turning the pages! Things get a little OTT in the best possible ways. I enjoyed the mounting suspense and sense of danger as the book progressed.

Wonderfully written, well thought out, shocking, and hard to put down!

When I say I couldn't put this down because I needed to know what happened!!! I thought I had it figured out to be thrown for loops and twist galore! I loved this book and the details and how it had me sucked in!! When you move into a beautiful house and quiet neighborhood what could go wrong? This just proves you never know who people truly are and what their intentions are!
Thank you netgalley and publishers for allowing me an arc for my honest review!