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Drowning in Paper Flowers

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THE LIE: Ruby Powell is the epitome of perfect. She is beautiful, prominent, and wealthy. She lives in her dream home in the most affluent neighborhood in Dallas. She's a doting mother, a devoted wife, and a respected member of her community. She takes pride in being the president of both the PTA for her son’s elementary school, and the Booster Club for her daughter’s high school soccer team. Her kids adore her, and her husband is still her best friend after eighteen years of marriage.

THE TRUTH: Ruby Powell is a full-figured, middle-aged housewife, living in a house she’s grown to despise. She’s a subpar mother. She detests her husband. And she’s addicted to anti-anxiety pills due to a recurring nightmare. She volunteers at both of her children’s schools, albeit for appearance’s sake only—because what would it look like if she were a stay-at-home mom who didn’t volunteer? Her teenage daughter loathes her, and her six-year-old son suffers from PTSD, due to being the victim of a kidnapping when he was a toddler.

What happens when Ruby is no longer able to separate the truth from the lie?

A nightmare.

An affair.

A dead body.

A lifelong secret.

And the ending you never saw coming.

432 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 24, 2024

196 people are currently reading
3995 people want to read

About the author

E.L. Westbury

3 books85 followers
E.L. Westbury is a wife, mother of five (three humans and two fur babies), and vanilla latte lover. After years of scribbling ideas for a novel on coffeehouse napkins and figuring out a hundred different ways to describe a single smile, she eventually sat down and poured her heart into her first manuscript. Even though her writing is filled with twists, turns, snaps, crackles and pops, at heart she's a hopeless romantic. When she isn't writing, she's begging her husband to watch The Notebook with her for the hundredth time, laughing while learning the latest Gen Z lingo from her kids, or curled up on the couch covered in dog kisses. She resides in Texas and often escapes to Colorado, finding peace in wildflowers, red wine and the mountains. Her wish is to continue writing and leave her readers with a little piece of herself in every book.

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5 stars
309 (48%)
4 stars
234 (36%)
3 stars
80 (12%)
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13 (2%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 82 reviews
Profile Image for E.L. Westbury.
Author 3 books85 followers
December 14, 2025
Every page of DIPF carries a piece of me. I’m endlessly grateful to the readers who’ve been with me since the start, and to every one of you just discovering my work. I hope this story grips you, haunts you, and stays with you long after the last page. Love to you all! 💛
Profile Image for Emily Rae.
153 reviews439 followers
January 7, 2025
I ATE THIS BOOK UP - finishing it in less than 24 hours. I. could. not. put. it. down!

I liked that it was told from multiple POVs. All of the characters were unreliable and semi unlikable, which left me unable to trust any of them and constantly questioning their actions/motives. I appreciate Westbury’s use of present day vocabulary, which made the characters feel real and relatable, allowing me to connect with them.

The twists did not stop coming - and kept me on edge the entire time. I loved the way the plot unfolded, it kept me glued to the pages, desperate for answers. Finally, I loved the way the truth was revealed. The ending was unexpected yet satisfying.

Fantastic, 5 ⭐️ thriller - definitely recommend!
Profile Image for Haley.
49 reviews2 followers
June 15, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ HOLY PLOT TWIST. And then another. And just when you think there aren't anymore twists possible, BAM! I went into this book with the expectation of the usual thriller/plot twists and suspense. But I quickly learned that this author should be teaching master classes in psychological thrillers. The characters are for the most part unlikeable, but in the realest, could be your own family kind of way. Absolutely my favorite read of 2025 so far! Highly recommend!

EDIT: This audiobook is fantastic! Highly recommend! 10 out of 5 stars!
Profile Image for Cozy PagesW Tina.
131 reviews13 followers
September 25, 2025
4.25 🌟

Y’all… this book was a ride!!!! Drowning in Paper Flowers by E.L. Westbury had me gripped and hooked from the very beginning. Talk about plot twist galore??? I was literally speechless more than once. I devoured this in just two days because I simply had to know what would happen next.

Now, let me be honest, the characters are pretty unlikable and at times downright annoying, BUT the storytelling, the atmosphere, and those jaw dropping twists completely made up for it. This is one of those books that had me wanting to scream, throw punches, and still keep flipping pages because it was that good.

The authors ability to weave a psychological thriller is seriously impressive. The way her mind works when it comes to dark, twisty storytelling feels so compelling and masterful. I’ll definitely be picking up more of her books in the future.

If you’re looking for a psychological thriller that will keep you on edge, drop your jaw, and pull you in page after page, I can’t recommend this enough. I don’t see it floating around much in the book world, but let me be the one to tell you, it deserves attention!!!!

Thriller lovers, this one’s for you! 👏🏼
Profile Image for Christy Lewis.
24 reviews4 followers
January 22, 2025
This was brilliantly written and left me wanting to find more by this author. EL Westbury will definitely be an auto buy author for me from now on.
Profile Image for Alyssa Jones.
16 reviews26 followers
February 23, 2025
I’m honestly speechless at the moment.

It took me a couple of chapters to really get into but there were so many different POV there was really no way (at least to me) to know which direction it was going.

The last 100 pages really all came together with all the twist and surprises.
9 reviews
December 27, 2024
HOLY TWIST! I could not put this book down! I had several guesses as to where the ending was going, but I had it wrong every time! Highly recommend!
Profile Image for Shanna Jay.
207 reviews2 followers
January 28, 2025
It’s giving The Housemaid. It’s the book that came to mind while reading this book. It’s soooo good. Lots of twists and turns and I didn’t see them all coming. Well written and definitely pulls you in.
Profile Image for Ashley Flippin.
464 reviews29 followers
February 12, 2025
What a ride! This is one of the best thrillers I have read in a while! The way it all ended was WILD! I just have to say Ruby needs to be in therapy for the rest of her life. Bless her! Incredible writing!
Profile Image for Tracee.
26 reviews3 followers
July 23, 2025
This thriller keeps the twists coming. Who did what? To who? When? How? The story unfolds from multiple points of view and the author nicely wraps it all up in a big red bow at the end. Very well written. Characters are relatable but all a little sketchy so you can’t trust anyone!
Profile Image for Candice Ybarra.
189 reviews11 followers
March 8, 2025
This book is Amazing! It had everything you want in a novel. My only regret is that I couldn’t read it in one sitting!
Profile Image for Britney Brown.
122 reviews16 followers
January 20, 2025
SHOOK. Holy moly this was a twist and turn from page one and every page I swear had a new twist! I was hooked right away not even knowing what the story was about! I loved this entire storyline! Read in less than 12 hours, one of my fastest reads! This author nailed it!
Profile Image for Eric.
186 reviews3 followers
November 8, 2025
Oh what a tangled web we weave!

I'm usually disappointed by contemporary mystery-thrillers like this, but DIPF tells a compelling story and, most importantly, sticks the landing. It kinda reminded me of another one I liked called Kill for Me, Kill for You by Steve Cavanagh.

If you like Frieda McFadden, do yourself a favor and read this, because it's better than the stuff she typically churns out.
Profile Image for Nicole.
67 reviews
August 13, 2025
Drowning in Paper Flowers - E.L. Westbury

I wanna start this off by saying I loved this thriller… There were so many twist and terms… I already had a lot of compassion for Ruby from the start… But that only grew throughout the book! This book was recommended to me by a friend, and I brought it to book club for our monthly read… It was a big hit!! I will definitely revisit the book again in the future... And a cliffhanger where the book could pick up again (*sigh* "Oh Jack") I'd be interested in where the second book might go, but also a little worried that another one might not land the same and love where this one ended, even if I was still frustrated with Millie at the end!

Ruby Powell is balancing the act of being a perfect wife and mother while being a respected member of society and the PTS President. Quickly in the story we find out that it’s all a lie. We not only get Ruby’s perspective but also Jack, Ruby’s husband, Ivy (from beyond the grave) and Millie’s (Ruby and Jack’s teenage daughter). I love that the story flashes back and forth while also moving along.

The perspectives allow you to see truth and lies throughout the story and walk you through the story like we would in real life. I didn't know when I picked up the book that there was an assault in the book and I had to pause and let myself process. I hate that her daughter saw the situation and believed so easily a lie.

Ruby isn't able to see the darkness around her; she didn't see her son, Mason, being as affected by being kidnapped and caudled by her. Before his kidnapping, she missed her husband cheating, missed the cracks and not realness of her relationships around her. Too busy trying to be the perfect mother and volunteer. The kidnapping was just the start of the spiral that got started. The thing is Ruby finds out that her husband is cheating while their toddler is missing, and in that moment, loses her love for him. She finds companionship with her friend Flynn (whose son Jett is the same age as Mason) and her daughter’s soccer coach, Ethan. Although we find out that it was all emotional and a single kiss.

Millie is the protective older sister trying to shield Mason, aka Blue, from their “uncaring” mother and staying loyal to her father. She is living and interacting with her brother, mother, father and peers based on the lies she has built up or believed... Millie has a lot of growing up to do and while she learns, the reality is forced to grow up in ways you can’t imagine. Millie’s side of the story starts crumbling as she is told she will no longer be starting the soccer game and is benched. This comes the same time that she has received a text with a photo of her mom and soccer coach kissing. Her best friend, Lena, has suddenly taken a hard change and turned on her, hanging out with the bully who has been Millie’s archnemesis. As her entire world is crumbling, she finds out that Lena is pregnant with her soccer coach. Millie finds out the enemy is the one who sent her the picture and realizes that the lies that are tearing her apart might not be what she originally thought.

There are so many twists and turns throughout the book that I felt like the psychological thriller wasn’t going to stop. It didn’t have many reviews - literally, when I started reading the book, there were only two on Goodreads and they were both basically the same thing as the summary included in the book. I’m posting this well past when I finished the book, as I was also reading other books.

The coach being charged twice shows that there was more than one girl whom the coach groomed and had an inappropriate relationship with. Mason being the bully and not able to control his emotions, was a twist that is heartbreaking, understandable, but not one I was expecting. Finding out Ruby was kidnapped by the parents who think she are her parents... She doesn't find out until she tells her mom about everything she is dealing with, then her mom finally shares the truth about her life. Ivy was really Ruby’s sister, who was still raised by her alcoholic biological mother. The reason her mother never wanted Ruby in therapy, and her mom met Ivy at the pond. This is where her mother found out about the affair and how in love Ivy and Jack were. Ivy attacked her mom and in self-defense, her mom hit her over the head with a rock.

Jack ends up going to prison for Ivy’s murder... A knife, Ivy’s locket and testimonies from people who overheard the fight between Jack and Ivy in the hotel, among other things was enough, even with amazing lawyers for him to go to prison. We then finally hear from Ivy for the first time again in a few chapters. We experience her fight with Bobby, how she was left alone in the grass... Then a man coming up and stabbing her in the chest, then drowned on her own blood in the water. She likens seeing the star above to looking like paper flowers (i.e. finally hearing the title of the book).

In the epilogue, we find out that Ruby went to meet Ivy and came upon her body floating in the pond. We also find out that Ruby found Mason in the treehouse in his pajamas... and that Ivy is the one who kidnapped him and still sneaks into the house at night, leaving him paper sunflowers. He is afraid of her and doenst like sunflowers so he hides them in his treehouse. He is still holding Jack’s pocket knife while telling his mom all about the attack and all of his experiences. Ruby explains how she cleaned up everything and burned the clothes, got rid of the treehouse, how Jack used the knife to open mail (she then used gloves to move the knife to his car), mailed him the locket, everything she needed to do to get rid of evidence for Mason. Ruby is still married to Jack, but is working with his business partner for her to buy out Jack from the business and then she will divorce him. Flynn and Jett moved away and Ruby has never spoken to her friend again. Ruby and the kids moved into the house next to her parents. Millie has decided to stay at the same school with her boyfriend Brett and about a week after Jack’s trial, she crawled into bed with her mom and mended fences and begged for forgiveness. Ruby shared everything that happened with her assault and emotional affair with Ethan. Millie and Mason both ask to change their last name from their dad’s last name.

In the second epilogue, we hear from Jack after some time in prison... He writes out a letter to Ruby saying, “I know your secret”.

Themes: cheating, sexual abuse, murder, lies, mother and daughter bonding and more that I am probably missing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Mel(issa) Kathryn.
40 reviews3 followers
March 2, 2025
If you love psychological thrillers packed with jaw-dropping twists, unreliable narrators, and characters who are just the right amount of unhinged, Drowning in Paper Flowers is a must-read.

The story follows Ruby Powell, a woman who appears to have the perfect life…wealthy, respected, and the ultimate PTA mom. But behind closed doors, the truth is much messier. Ruby’s marriage is crumbling, her teenage daughter loathes her, and she’s dependent on anti-anxiety pills to cope with a recurring nightmare. When long-buried secrets start to surface, Ruby finds herself tangled in a web of deception, an affair, and a dead body. What unfolds is a rollercoaster of revelations that will leave you breathless.

I absolutely LOVED this book. Ruby was such a fascinating character; deeply flawed yet incredibly likable. Even though she’s completely unhinged, I couldn’t get enough of her, I never wanted the book to end because I wanted to keep reading about her. The twists? Some were perfectly lead to and others were shockingly exciting. I devoured every single one. What made this book meaningful for me was the mother-daughter relationship. As a parent to a young teen girl, seeing Ruby and Millie’s dynamic shift and resolve so beautifully was incredibly satisfying. Although sometimes having the ending wrapped up in a perfect bow can feel flat or boring this was incredibly fulfilling and I couldn’t have asked for more.

Also fuck Jack 😂😉

If you love domestic thrillers with high-stakes drama, an unreliable yet compelling protagonist, and an ending that delivers, grab this book immediately. I already want to reread it.

6/5 stars 😭😂❤️🥹⭐️
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Kayla.
427 reviews
December 10, 2025
Amazing writing from the very beginning. I was reeled in so fast and experienced so many strong feelings, most often anger. These were some of the most loathsome and hostile characters; and surprisingly, I loved it.

I always say the testament to strong writing is when I am able to experience strong feelings while reading. Every character in this story sent me over the edge with frustration. A cheating husband. A daughter that loathes her mother. A mistress with a secret. And the wife at the center of it all.

So much happens throughout this story; kidnapping, murder, adulteration, and so much more. The family at the center of this story goes through more trauma than one would ever expect. Just when you thought they couldn’t possibly have anymore secrets another one comes crawling out of the woodwork. And the surprise ending had me shook.

I listened to this book on Audible, which I highly recommend. You can really feel the hate among these characters through the narrator. This is most certainly a book that will be finding a permanent place on my bookshelf. And I 100% recommend!!!
Profile Image for Mackenzie Knapp.
146 reviews40 followers
January 31, 2025
If you liked Agreeable Avery then buckle up because this book will lure you in and then take you down every twist and turn you thought you saw coming. I really enjoyed all the twists and turns. Really well written. This is just a great book. If you love thriller and mystery this is the best book for it. The author did not come to play with this book. I loved that it was written from multiple POVs and I think that aspect adds so much to this story. I can’t wait for the next one she puts out!
Profile Image for Stacy Legg.
112 reviews12 followers
December 27, 2024
Wow! This book was extremely hard to put down. It had me hooked from the beginning. The story is told from different characters perspectives, making me question everything I thought I had figured out. Needless to say, I didn’t figure anything out! Surprising twists upon twists kept me guessing until the very end. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ from me!
Profile Image for Darlene Tipton Munkus.
75 reviews9 followers
January 19, 2025
I saw this new to me author on TikTok a few days ago promoting her second book, and after reading the book overview, I knew I had to read it! I absolutely loved it!!!

The chapters alternate (occasionally) between past and present, and the story is told with several POV’s. You don’t really know who to believe in parts of the story which ends up making this book a wild ride!

It is hard to put down with the twists and turns and the ending….WOW!!!

I have already downloaded her first book, Agreeable Avery and can’t wait to dive in!!
Profile Image for Abby Rich.
12 reviews
March 4, 2025
Wow!! highly recommend. Multi POV with little sprinkles of humor throughout, this book kept me hooked and all the twists and turns tied up so nicely at the end.

If you are into thrillers this book is for you!!
Profile Image for Samantha.
6 reviews5 followers
February 4, 2025
If I could give more than 5 stars, I would! Not only is the storyline captivating, but the writing, the details, and descriptions are phenomenal!  This is the best book I've read in a long time!!
44 reviews
February 16, 2025
Great book. Looking forward to reading more of your books. Ordered your first one.
Profile Image for Sam St. Aubin.
33 reviews1 follower
February 24, 2025
This was so good. It took a little while to get into it with so many POVs but in the end it all came together. Definite must read. Best thriller I’ve read in a while.
Profile Image for Tara Maddison.
42 reviews1 follower
November 30, 2025
I ate this up and finished it in 2 sittings. Chapter 16, I thought my ex wrote that chapter, it was almost identical to what happened in my life.
The twists kept on twisting.
Profile Image for Lauren B.
20 reviews1 follower
February 22, 2025
Oh my god. I really needed this thriller. So many twists & turns. I would have finished it much sooner had I focused on reading more. 1000% recommend this one
Profile Image for Jenna Koose.
6 reviews
October 30, 2025
A little predictable at times, but overall it was a good mystery with some cool twists!
Profile Image for Lori Beach.
87 reviews
June 2, 2025
I really enjoyed this book and the twists! Soooo good and a fun suspenseful read! Solid five stars!
Profile Image for Kelly Gillispie.
5 reviews
October 21, 2025
5 stars!! This book is brilliant. It hooked me from the start, and I love a book where my mind races to try out different theories and this one did that! It was not predictable, and kept me guessing and kept me thinking about it constantly! Beautifully written, great work!! Highly recommend!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 82 reviews

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