The Couple Before Us by Daniel Hurst

“Hi, welcome to the neighbourhood!”

I want to thank NetGalley and Daniel Hurst for this ARC.

Synopsis:

In The Couple Before Us, Dionne discovers a warning note hidden in her new home, hinting at something terrible that happened to the previous couple. Although her husband, Christian, assures her they are the first to live there, she begins to doubt his honesty. As she digs deeper into the mystery of the previous occupants, she starts to question whether she truly knows the man she married, or whether she should have left while she had the chance.

My thoughts:

This was the first book I’ve read by Hurst, and it was amazing! It was thrilling, gripping, and intense — I was literally on the edge of my seat the entire time watching the secrets and action unfold. The narrative was also unique, which made the journey even more exciting for me. In some ways, it reminded me of ‘Big Brother’ but on a bigger scale involving an estate rather than a single house.

I especially loved the characters in this! They were written really well; the ones who were responsible for what happened were not who I suspected at all. They did what they did, and it makes sense. The only thing that bothered me slightly was the main character’s movements in the narrative. She was able to move around a lot and hide in many tight spaces despite being pregnant and having a bump. This didn’t deter me from the rest of the plot, but something I often thought about when reading it.

The Couple Before Us was a 4.5-star read for me, and I will definitely be reading more of Hurst’s books now!

The book is scheduled for publication on July 17, 2025, and you can pre-order your copy on Amazon.