Daisies in the Water

Love and Freedom #1

by C.W. Scott

Elio
When I was seventeen, I lost everything. I lost my wings to a man no better than the devil, I lost the only family who’d ever truly loved me, and I lost my best friend. After almost a decade of pain at the hands of the man I thought loved me, I realized just how hopeless it all was. Cradling daisies in my fists, I stood atop the first bridge I could find and pondered the water below.
Until Crescent Miller, the man who was once my best friend, wrapped his arms around me. When he pulled me away, it was like I’d gained my wings back. If only for a moment, my body remembered how to fly.
I wanted to reject Crescent—refuse to let him back into my life. Too much time had passed, and I'd hurt him all those years ago. Never mind that Jude would go ballistic if he found out.
But, somehow, we kept showing up at the same park, at the same time, by the same patch of daisies. It made me wonder if fate was cruel or if I was too hurt to see what plans it had for us.

Crescent
I lost Elio when I was seventeen, and my sanity had gone with him. When I moved to a new town, got a new job, and gave myself a fresh start, I’d never imagined he’d be a part of that fresh start, too. The moment I realized it was him on the bridge, covered in blood and bruises, I knew what I had to do. Elio was right in front of me, and I couldn’t let him go again.
Despite the shadows lurking in the bushes and the weight of depression trying to hold me down, I had to be strong for him. I had to be enough for him. My heart demanded it, and it seemed my soul did, too.
So when I started seeing him at the park on my lunch breaks, fascinated by the daisies surrounding him, I took it as a sign. Elio was more than everything to me, and I was willing to do whatever it took to make him smile again, just like when we were kids.

Daisies in the Water is an M/M hurt comfort romance. It features two soulmates in the form of childhood best friends who were always meant to be lovers, quite a few daisy petals, and forest green acrylic paint. This book contains heavy themes that could potentially be triggering. A detailed list of trigger warnings is included in the Content and Trigger Warnings section.

Genres: M M Romance, Friends To Lovers, Found Family, Second Chance, Slow Burn, Abuse, Mental Health

380 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 8, 2025

About the author

C.W. Scott has spent his entire life in the depths of the Deep South, dreaming that one day, he’d write hundreds of happy stories to counteract the bad ones. Starting as a poet, he eventually found his passion writing MM romance novels that maintain a lyrical and poetic essence in their style. Much like his poetry, his writing includes dark, difficult themes and brings them to life with a heartwarming, hard-fought HEA. Don’t ever ask him to cook or solve a math problem, though. He has one skill, and one skill alone. It’s in everyone’s best interests that no one pushes for a second.

Reviews

[readingwithmiaa · Rating 5 out of 5]

♾️ STARS!⭐️
2.5 🌶️



OMG!!!! You Guys After Almost 4 MONTHS With No 5 Star Book We Start 2026 With A Fucking MASTERPIECE!!! I Am So Not Over This Book At All Oh My Heart. I Am So In Love With This Book It Was So So Good I Am So In Love With It. Elio And Crescent Were Absolutely Perfection And Crescents Family Were Just Beautiful And So Wonderful. I Don’t Have Much To Say Other Then PLEASE Read This Book It’s SO Phenomenal You Won’t Regret It. An Amazing Way To Start Off 2026. I Need To Reread This Book As Soon As I Can Because I Miss It So Much And I’m 100% Not And Never Will Be Over It. Oh My Heart. Cannot Wait For Moons Book Like I Need It NOW!!!!! I Cannot To See What Cw Scott Will Write Next Because I Now Need All His Books ASAP!!!!! 🥹😭🩷



* Update 1/9/26 *

IM NEVER GETTING OVER THIS BOOK PERIOD!!!!!!!

[Wicked River Reads]

I was not prepared for all the emotions this book made me feel. From page one I was engrossed in Elio’s heartbreaking story. His fear was palpable and his mental state relatable. Falling in love with someone and having them slowly change into someone you don’t recognize as they chip away pieces of who you are in the process is something many people can relate to. Elio feeling scared and alone with the pain he endured and not knowing how to escape while continuing to make himself smaller for someone else was hard. When Elio and Crescent reunite it was clear that Crescent was someone Elio needed back in his life. Crescent was battling his own demons but together they fought and they each provided something the other needed. Crescent gave Elio support, understanding, unconditional love and the ability to regain his autonomy while Elio gave Crescent a sense of calm, love and happiness. The two of them were adorable together. I loved seeing their relationship dynamic change while they began learning and relearning each other. The side characters were great although I had my suspicions about some and I was correct to be wary. As much as it hurt to read at times I loved this story and the journey Elio and Crescent take to not only get back to one another but to get to a better mental space. Therapy may not be for everyone but since it was the chosen tool for these characters I’m glad we got to see it implemented. I’m excited to see what’s next!

The epilogue: 🖤❤️‍🩹💜


💜ARC REVIEW🖤

☑️Trigger Warnings.

[angie_bookrecs · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book absolutely destroyed me. It was just so raw and emotional.

It’s one of those stories where the pain, the trauma, and the healing all weave together into something unforgettable. Elio’s journey is heartbreaking. He’s so deeply conditioned, so starved for love and safety, that watching him relearn basic things like trust, food, and the concept of “home” genuinely hurt to read.

And then there’s Crescent. Sweet, steadfast, quietly unraveling Crescent. He’s been in love with Elio since they were kids, long before Jude ever stepped in and poisoned Elio’s entire world. The contrast between Elio slowly getting better while Crescent slowly falls apart…it was so beautifully painful. His mental health struggles, the hallucinations, the diagnosis - all of it was handled with such care, and it broke me.

Their bond is incredible. The years of love, loss, and misunderstanding between them make every small moment hit harder. Their first kiss, their first night, their tentative steps toward a future…so soft and so earned.

And the plot twists? They took me out. I felt the dread building a long time, and then everything exploded. Absolute chaos. And yet it all ties together in the end with so much emotional weight.

The ending gave me everything I needed - healing, closure, and a future for these two boys who went through hell and somehow found their way back to each other.

This book was pain and hope stitched together. It broke me, and I loved every second.

[Seraphina Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Daisies In The Water
C.W. Scott

Elio & Crescent
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶🌶

Hurt / Comfort
Forced Proximity / One Bed
First Times
Childhood Best Friends to Lovers
Mental Health / Trauma Rep
Found family
“It’s Always Been You”

Oh my word, my heart. This was phenomenal. Written so beautifully, so poetically. I cried off and on throughout this whole book for these beautiful perfect men. Their story was so emotional, raw and real.

Elio and Crescent were childhood best friends, Crescent’s family had taken Elio into their home, loved him as if he was their own.

After 10 years of separation, they are reunited again. Things are not as they seem. Elio has been in an awful abusive relationship for almost the last decade. Seeing Elio beaten and broken, Crescent vows to never let him go again.

Wow, this was incredible, I was glued to this story. I could not put this down. This was so emotional for me. It was very hard to see Elio suffer as he did.

The healing journey these two go through was so beautiful, raw, real, hard and gritty. This was a perfect slow burn, so emotional but so sweet and tender too.

As time goes on we see Elio blossom. The intimacy was incredible between these two. Simple small things that these two have been deprived of for so long, touches that don’t hurt and kind gestures.

I loved how they slowly developed their friendship first again after so long then began to be more. They seemed inevitable.

My heart also broke for Crescent, he has suffered, in his mind, his heart. The mental health rep here was incredible, so emotional, my heart hurt for him. It was hard to see Crescent struggle as well all those years, just wow, it was also written so respectfully… just what a fantastic book.

Crescent's family was incredible, his brother Moon and sister Star, oh my heart. I love them and how they loved Elio was everything.

Also, can we just protect Moon at all costs too please? Oh, my heart.

I can’t tell you too much, you need to read the book, I don’t want to spoil it. Just go in and trust the process, this truly is a beautiful emotional book of healing and love and acceptance.

That ending, sheesh, I can’t, what a book, what phenomenal writing.

This book absolutely made it to my Favorites list. These are the kind of books that stay with you, I will remember their story for a very long time.

So thankful for this arc

[Nightboat · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don’t know. I was really looking forward to this, given how people raved about it but for me it fell flat.
Far too many metaphors and unnatural sounding conversations. Repetition of the same feelings that we already knew about. Leaving Jude was far too easy and their healing through very serious trauma was not as painful as it could’ve been. The end felt like a tv drama and wrapped up too quickly, too neatly.
The whole thing felt forced, like the author has read many similar books and decided to have a stab at doing something similar. Just lacked passion or real emotion for me.

[Candice Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️
This book is a love letter to healing, soulmates and triumphs. It takes two beautifully broken boys and through their love for each other heals them. Elio and Crescent happen to reconnect on a bridge and the chance encounter reignites their bond from childhood through adolescence and now into something different as adults.
CW Scott’s writing is poetry. The way he writes is both haunting and full of imagery that paints his characters in a way that feels both romantic and raw.
This is a story we have read a thousand times, yet in this instance it feels new. The way we are described their world through black smoke and innocent daisies is fresh and beautiful.
This is the story of Elio, conditioned to live by these sets of rules, punishments given daily. He is set up to fail at every turn believing it’s his fault because there is something wrong with him. When Elio finally breaks free his recovery isn’t easy and Cres is there for him every set of the way.
Crescent Miller, so broken in his own way, struggles to be what Elio needs at the detriment to himself and his suffering mental heath. I liked the way therapy was used in this book, not as a fix it immediately but as a tool for growth and healing. I would have loved to see more of it on the page rather than an afterthought.
I loved seeing their growth and the reconnecting with the whole Miller family.
This is a book that will stay with you long after you’ve read all the pages.

[ReadingRed125 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m kind of torn on this one but I’ll round up. I liked the characters, the story, the emotional aspect and found myself reading it fairly quickly..but at times it was repetitive and that ending/how things all wrapped up..was not my favorite.

[-`♡´- · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was not for me which is unfortunate! I do appreciate the author’s mental health representation especially with the hallucinations.

I unfortunately was not surprised by the twist in the story as I was skeptical from the jump.

[Athena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loving someone when you can barely love yourself is one of the hardest things to do. Elio and Cres loved each other so purely. There was never a doubt in my mind that they would let each other go after finally finding their way back together. Their story is what love is truly about. It will never be easy, but it will make you stronger. They have strength in one another. They saved each other. Elio will never have to wonder if Cres loves him and Cres will never forget the way Elio makes him feel at home.

"To anyone who has ever felt pain instead of love, when love was all you deserved. I promise freedom exists for us!"


An incredible story about healing, finding your sunshine again, and learning to accept yourself through every flaw and broken piece. The roots of what this story is truly about is: love. How love, from the right person, can give you the strength to grow even after being ripped out of the ground over and over again. How love, from the right person, can help you face your darkest fears and give you the light to face them.
We sobbed, we smiled, we laughed and isn't that truly the point of why we read? To feel something and sometimes a story comes along and changes you - this is Daisies in the Water. Cres and Sunshine gave us so much hope that you can always find your way back to the light even if you have to sit in the darkness for a little while. Their love for one another shows that home isn't a place but a person. Their love is formidable through every season and it blossoms exquisitely. C.W. just knows what to do to make you feel that even though everything isn't okay there is still time to heal and to always give yourself grace and love because we are only human. His writing is pure poetry and we couldn't be more grateful and in awe of your art.
An infinite amount of stars for this beautiful piece with a Crescent moon in the skies and Sunshine ready to peak on the horizon.

[BookishBouwer · Rating 5 out of 5]

C.W. Scott does it again, and by again I mean break my heart😭Just wow. This book definitely pulled every emotion out of me, like sadness, red-hot rage, but also HOPE. This book has some extremely heavy topics, but these stories are necessary and deserve to be told. C.W. wrote this with so much empathy and care, I could feel how much respect the author has for these characters, but also for the very real people with these lived experiences.

My heart broke for Elio😭His story sadly reflects the reality of so many people and reading about his healing journey (which also realistically shows how healing is not linear) genuinely made me more compassionate. I just wanted to reach into the book and protect him🥺

Crescent is a literal angel on earth, because the pure love, patience and compassion he shows Elio, all while dealing with serious struggles himself, is everything🥹Watching him struggle to try and stay strong for the sake of his Sunshine was devastating, but that moment between him and Elio when he finally allows himself to fall apart? UNFORGETTABLE!

The spice was a perfect balance between hot and tender, I could feel both the passion and the soft intimacy (the paint scene, iykyk🫠). Just like with his debut, the writing is poetic and the use of metaphors is honestly beautiful.

A special shoutout to the full-circle moment between the first and last chapter, I was in SHAMBLES!😭😭😭A must-read and I can’t wait for Moon’s story😍

[Abbey · Rating 5 out of 5]

6 (♾️)⭐️

The emotion in this book hooked me from the very first page. Elio’s story feels so honest and vulnerable that it’s easy to understand him right away. His fear, his confusion, and the heaviness he carries are written with such clarity that you feel every step of his struggle. Watching him slowly rebuild himself is both painful and incredibly rewarding.

Crescent’s return brings a calm, steady presence that shifts everything for Elio. He has his own battles, but the way he cares for Elio feels genuine and earned. Their connection, shaped by years of history and unfinished feelings, makes their journey back to each other especially meaningful.

Some of the side characters (& their red flags) added even more tension and depth as the story unfolded. Their actions made certain moments harder to read, but it also made Elio and Crescent’s growth and choices feel even more significant.

The portrayal of therapy is handled with respect and realism, showing healing as steady work instead of a quick fix. It grounds the story in a way that makes every step forward feel important.

This book made me ache and hope with these characters the whole way through. Elio and Crescent’s journey is emotional, tender, and absolutely worth reading.

[anna_79_reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!! This book is pure poetry!!

I started crying on the first page and continued to cry on and off through the whole book. This story hurts, it really f*cking hurts, but it’s also so beautiful and heals the hole it carves in your heart.

Crescent and Elio are both so broken and hurts so much, in different ways. They find strength in each other, but the road to healing is not an easy one. It’s full of hardships, mental and physical ones.

I don’t want to spoil anything. Just gather all the napkins you can find and start reading!! This book will stay with you for a long, long time!

[AroundtheBookBend · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to preface this by stating that this book is extremely heavy. It deals in heavy topics that may be triggering. So PLEASE mind your triggers while reading.

Wow! I’m truly at a loss for words. I had to take a couple of days to gather my thoughts after reading this beautiful, yet painful story of two broken men finding their way back to each other through overbearing weight of abuse and depression.

Elio and Crescent are such beautifully flawed characters. My heart and soul cried with and for them as they struggled on their arduous journey of healing through external and internal obstacles. I felt anger at the pain they went through, joy when they were together, and love when they let each other in. And while some of the choices frustrated me, I understood them. I walked away from this with a deeper understanding of true strength. Elio surviving and Crescent battling his inner demons whispering in his ear.

Through these two, I saw how strong we can be, even at our lowest.

Most people are on the outside looking in when it comes to domestic abuse. They can easily say that they would handle a situation in a certain way if it were them, or how there’s no way they would ever let themselves be in such a passive position, and how they would never stay. And it’s easy to say that… when you haven’t experienced it.

I saw a clip from a show about a day before I started reading that explained why people often don’t fight back and why they stay. As a species, we are engineered to do whatever we have to do to survive. Sometimes that’s fighting back with everything we have in us, and sometimes it’s adapting. We stay because our minds are telling us, after so much pain, that it’s the only way for us to make it. We stay because we’ve been broken down so much that we don’t remember what it’s like to be whole. We stay because we think this is the best we’ll get and it’s all we deserve.

With Elio, we see this manifested. He’s fighting. And while it won’t seem that way to some, he’s fighting in his own way, the only way he knows how. And Crescent is fighting too; for both himself and the love of his life. With Crescent’s patience and care, Elio is able to find strength. With Elio’s light, though dimmed, Crescent is able to fight the shadows threatening to drown him.

These two will forever hold a special place in my heart. I will think of their story, their fight, for years to come.

I got an advanced copy and this is my voluntary review.

[VicReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

𝙳𝚊𝚒𝚜𝚒𝚎𝚜 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚆𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚛

🄰🅁🄲 🅁🄴🅅🄸🄴🅆

5/5 ⭐️
1/5 🌶️

↓↓
This book absolute destroyed me. We were taken on a journey of raw pain, grief, trauma, mental health struggles and the best of all, healing, through the books entirety.

Crescent and Elio do not have it easy. Friends since they were kids meeting for the first time, growing up together until teens, until one day Elio is pulling away and that pulling away leads to completely ending their years long friendship.

I think these two were always destined to be in each other's life one way of another. I mean, hell, they ended up in the same together unbeknownst to them, and reconnecting after almost ten years apart. Tragically, it was at the worst of Elio's situation. Elio has endured years and years of abuse at the hands of that monster. Cres came back in to his life at just the moment he needed him the most, when he needed hope and his wings to fight back and get out of that situation.

Watching these two struggle the way they did, trying to undo years of trauma on top of their mental health struggles, was raw, it was real and it was emotional. The bond between these two could be seen the instant they reconnected, despite everything and the years lost, they picked up as if no time passed between them.

I loved watching these two fall back in love with each other, slowly healing the broken pieces in them. The amount of support and love bled through the pages as you were reading, you could feel how much they cared about each other and wanted to ensure the other felt, seen, protected, and most of all safe.

That plot twist?!?!?!?!?!?! I DID NOT see that coming, jaw dropped, left gasping as I was reading. WTF?!?!?!?!

I try to keep my personal life, well personal, but raw and vulnerable moment for me. This hit on some pretty dark and heavy topics that I can relate to first hand. The amount of tears that I cried while reading this, with it touching so close to home with certain things, was cathartic in a way.

Thank you C.W. for bringing such a heartbreakingly beautiful story to life in the way that you did.

𝕋𝕣𝕠𝕡𝕖𝕤 / 𝕎𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕥𝕠 𝔼𝕩𝕡𝕖𝕔𝕥
🌼 Hurt/Comfort
🌼 Mental Health Rep
🌼 Sun/Moon pairing
🌼 Found Family
🌼 It was always you
🌼 Childhood Best Friends to Lovers
🌼 First Times
🌼 One Bed

[Ash · Rating 5 out of 5]

6 ⭐
2.5 🌶️

Did you know that daisies are one of the most resilient flowers? They can live in the harshest of environments and still thrive. That is exactly what this book embodies. What Elio and Crescent are. They are daisies. They both go through so much individually and together but even in those terrible moments, they still open their petals to the light.

Elio has been living in torment for years. Living with cruel words and harsh hands. But underneath all of that he is still a fighter. Even when he’s just trying to survive another day, he still woke up and chose to fight, to live another day. My heart broke for him time and time again. I think the beauty of Elio is that he didn’t need anyone to save him, he had it in him all along. Crescent just shined a little hope and love to help him.

Crescent, sweet baby Cressy-roll. Even in dealing with his own struggles he showed up time and time again for Elio. He was the steady presence, the healing touch Elio needed. He was his crescent moon shining light on all his wounded parts and helping him to be whole again. C.W. handled Cressy’s mental health with such care and tenderness.

One of my favorite things about C.W. writing style is the poetry he infuses in every line. The beauty of connecting things in the way he does gets me every time. Elio may have been broken but at the end of it he embodies the sun, strong and unwavering in the warmth he brings. Crescent is the healing moon that orbits Elio’s sun and the imagery of that is just so beautiful to me.

I also have to shout out to the side character that stole my heart, Moon. I love your blanket burrito self and I just want to squish you.

Please check the trigger and content warnings provided prior to reading. This book handles extremely difficult topics.


WHAT TO EXPECT
☀️ Painter x Baker
🌙 Found Family (For a second time)
☀️ Only One Bed
🌙 Hurt/Comfort
☀️ Childhood Best Friends to Lovers
🌙 First Times
☀️ Mental Health Rep


Cheating:No
Third-act breakup:No
POV: Dual POV (First Person POV)
ARC REVIEW

[Amanda Winter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was not prepared for the emotional damage this book was about to do to me.

From the very first page, I was completely pulled into Elio’s story. His fear, his mental state, the way he’s slowly been made smaller by someone who claimed to love him...it all felt painfully real. Watching him be so alone, so conditioned, and so unsure how to escape was genuinely hard to read.

When Elio and Crescent reunite after years apart, it’s immediately clear they both still need each other, just in very different ways. Crescent is kind, steady, and quietly unraveling himself, while Elio is trying to relearn the most basic things: trust, safety, food, and what “home” even means. The way they support each other is beautiful. Crescent gives Elio unconditional love and the space to reclaim his autonomy, and Elio gives Crescent calm, comfort, and something solid to hold onto. Together, they’re soft, tender, and honestly just adorable.

This is a slow, emotional healing journey, and it hurts—but in the best way. The mental health rep is handled with so much care, especially Crescent’s struggles, and the contrast of Elio slowly getting better while Crescent starts to fall apart absolutely broke me. Every small moment between them feels earned, from their first touches to the way they cautiously imagine a future together.

The side characters were fantastic (and yes, I was right to be suspicious of some of them), but Crescent’s family—Moon and Star especially—completely stole my heart. Found family is done so well here.

The plot twists had me holding my breath, and when everything finally came crashing together, it was chaos… but emotional, meaningful chaos. The ending gave me exactly what I needed: healing, closure, and hope for two boys who went through hell and somehow found their way back to each other.

This book is pain and hope stitched together. It destroyed me, and I loved every second. It’s absolutely a new favourite and one of those stories I know will stay with me for a long time.

[CJ Minton-Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC Review:

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
Spice: 2/5
Tags: Childhood friends to lovers, slow burn, hurt/comfort, forced proximity, first times, mental health/trauma rep, found family
TW: Abuse, Suicidal Ideation, Depression, Anxiety, PTSD, death

He loves me. He loves me not. He loves me. He loves me not.

Crescent and Elio, each fighting their own demons, each searching for the happiness they once experienced simply by being together, find each other after nine long, dark years of separation. And this time, Crescent isn’t letting Elio go so easily. He finally found him, and he’s not letting anything separate them again. Their bond reminded me so much of the red string of fate, the Chinese folklore that connects us to our soulmates. These two are meant to be together forever, their lives and fates intrinsically intertwined for the rest of this life, all of their previous lives, and all the lives they have yet to live.

It took me a while to write this review. Not because I didn’t like the book, but because the range of emotions it made me feel, left me unable to put my feelings into words. This book broke my heart and then gave me hope. I want to wrap these characters in a blanket and tuck them in for safety.

Watching Elio heal, while Crescent was completely unraveling, left me feeling two opposing emotions at once. The joy of finding each other again, wanting to be open to happiness, but having a past that holds you back and keeps you from feeling any hope…it’s absolutely heartbreaking.

C.W. Scott is an incredible writer. This is the first book I’ve read from him, and I immediately had to go read The Intimacy of Skin, as soon as I finished this book. There is so much depth to his writing. It’s so eloquent and he conveys emotions so deeply and beautifully, that you’re able to feel the emotions of the characters, right along with them. I look forward to more books written by Scott and was honored to be part of the ARC team for this book.

“Okay.”
“Okay?”
“Okay.”

[ljreads_13 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was everything I wanted and more—an entire universe of emotion carved into sentences that felt like breath. It hurt me in ways that felt necessary, like pressing on a bruise just to know you’re still capable of feeling.

It healed me, too—slowly, gently, like sunlight warming a place you thought would stay cold forever. It made me weep until my chest ached, and yet I cherished every tear, every tremble, every moment it demanded my heart.

Elio and Crescent’s story is a story of survival, a hymn for the broken and the brave. Two boys who lost each other in the storm, only to find one another again in the ruins.Their love is the kind that stretches across time and trauma, the kind that reminds you that some souls recognize each other long before the world gives them permission.

And the spice… my god, the spice was poetry. Not loud or showy, but tender—achingly, reverently tender. Their intimacy felt like a soft exhale after years of holding breath. For Elio, it was the first time a hand touched him with love instead of ownership, a moment where his body finally understood it was allowed to feel safe. It was watching a wounded creature realize it no longer had to flinch. And for Crescent, those moments were the quiet unfolding of a lifelong dream—realizing, piece by trembling piece, that the boy he’d never stopped loving was finally his to hold without fear.

By the end, when their dreams finally knit together—when fear gives way to truth, when longing becomes something they can touch—you never once have to wonder Does he love me?

This story breathes the answer into your bones:
He loved him then.
He loves him now.
He will love him always.

This book is beautiful. It is marvelous. It is something to be cherished—held close, remembered, and reread whenever your heart needs reminding that love, real love, survives.

[Nany · Rating 5 out of 5]

🌼 ARC Review — Daisies in the Water by C.W. Scott
Releasing on Dec 8

I’m still sitting here with a knot in my throat while writing this, because this book hurt… but in the way that only the right books does. This is one of those stories that quietly breaks you, piece by piece, only to stitch you back together with so much tenderness.

Daisies in the Water is a deeply emotional, heartbreaking journey. It’s heavy, it’s painful, and at times it’s almost hard to breathe — but it’s also full of hope. Watching these characters fight their battles, both seen and unseen, felt like healing alongside them. There’s one moment in particular, when Elio finally opens up about what he’s been enduring… and that’s where I completely fell apart. I was genuinely crying.

What struck me the most is how it reminded me that in real life, not everyone is as fortunate as some of us who’ve never had to go through something like this. It’s the kind of story that stays with you, makes you reflect, and makes you hold gratitude a little tighter.

The plot twist? I sensed it coming, but that didn’t soften the blow. 💔
And yet… the HEA made every tear worth it. My heart slowly mended as theirs did.

This was my first book by CW Scott, and it definitely won’t be my last. The Intimacy of the Skin, you’re up next — before the year ends, for sure.

Fav Quote:
“When you hold me in these arms, nothing matter as long as I’m in them. When I’m lying on this chest, I can hear your heartbeat, and my own can follow your rhythm. When I look at this face, I can feel the entire world fade into the background. All I can see is you. My crescent moon. The love of my life”

[Zoë · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay this book is interesting and I have some thoughts.

Solid 4 ✨

This story is told with a lot of poetry. A lot of similes and metaphors and poetic comparisons. It’s quite beautiful. Very sad, but beautiful.

Both MC’s are struggling with their own demons, some real and some only real to the individual. There are graphic descriptions of DV in here so please read the trigger warnings in the front and back! The mental health stuff is constant and vivid too.

This is a slow burn, best friends- strangers- to lovers, sort of second chance-ish romance. The classic they were the only two who didn’t see how in love they were kind of vibes.

The spice was minimal and toward the end 2/5 🌶️.

Not for my issue… I’ll try to be as spoiler free as possible.
The twist…. It was honestly quite unbelievable. I was waiting for the other shoe to drop the whole book and when it did I was really let down. It seemed forced and doesn’t really make any sense in terms of classic abusers behavior patterns and such. It could be a possibility BUT it’s highly unlikely specifically with the timing of it all and the people who collaborated to execute everything. The aftermath was satisfying and justice was served in its own way but man… the road to it was just not it. I think that if a specific character was not involved the way they were it would have been much more believable or if they were even involved a smidgen less. But again, it’s super unlikely that an abuser would be soooo…. Patient, for lack of better words. They don’t ever want to see their victims happy or content so it just didn’t fly with me.

[Chasary Mendez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whoosh!! This book this book!! Daises in the Water by C.W. Scott had me in a chokehold a vise grip around my heart.. before you read this book please check your trigger warnings. How can I describe this book… Elio & Crescent oh how my heart hurt. Elio our angel with broken wings so much hurt and pain he endured physically mentally and emotionally it all started with a daisy you know that game he loves me he loves me not that set the tone for this book. Though he had a family who loves him like his own and a best friend since kindergarten through high school left it all behind for love. Now no spoilers here lol until one night on a bridge when he meets his best friend crescent who he hasn’t seen for 9 years! Crescent his best friend he loved with his whole heart but didn’t understand until this beautiful heartbreaking story unfolds. The universe has a funny way of showing people who their soulmates are that’s what Crescent & Elio are.. they had to endure so much heartache so much pain to get back to each other. This book is so beautifully written I felt all the pain all the emotions all the fear but I also felt all the hope all the love in each word in each sentence chapter yes I had a WTF MOMENT! A plot twist I don’t see coming at all!! This is an MM book Mental health rep Domestic violence found family low angst a lot of first in this beautiful book. So grab your tissues, water, cozy blanket and get ready for an emotional roller coaster ride it’s worth it!!

[Tonya Druckenmiller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Crescent hasn’t seen Elio in nine years. They were childhood best friends—practically family—until the day Elio suddenly disappeared. Crescent was heartbroken, and neither of them ever expected to cross paths again… until one unexpected night brings them face-to-face.

Elio has spent years buried under trauma—from his parents and later from Jude, the man he thought he loved. Jude isolated him, convinced him he had no one else, and kept him trapped in a deeply abusive relationship. Elio came to believe he didn’t deserve love at all.

Seeing him again, Crescent refuses to let him slip away. He slowly and gently works his way back into Elio’s life, offering safety, comfort, and a place that truly feels like home. Even while battling his own demons, Crescent gives Elio the space and love he’s been denied for so long.

Watching their relationship grow into something deeper than childhood friendship was so moving. Their story hit close to home for me—my one true love is also my childhood best friend. We went our separate ways after high school due to circumstances not unlike Elio’s situation with Jude. Over a decade later, we reconnected, and we’ve been together ever since.

This story is beautifully written, tender, and full of heart. And the HEA? Absolute perfection.

** I received a complimentary copy of this book. **

[Taylor Dawicke · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was enjoyable! An emotional story of Elio escaping his abuser while finding a home in his best friend. From the start I knew this would hit close to home with the statistics given and the premise of the plot.

From the start I was sucked in by the characters. Picking up immediately with Elio you just know things are bad for him physically but the more I read the more I saw how everything affected him mentally as well. Feeling alone, desperate for an escape yet resigned to enduring Jude’s wrath, Elio spent his days in the daisies daydreaming of a place where he could fly with his wings that had been broken.

After a particularly bad night Elio finally (in a way) reaches out to his best friend and gets some help from Crescent and a potential new friend in Sarah a waitress at their local diner. Crescent and Elio are just made for each other from the time they were kids to adulthood despite the years apart.

This story has a lot of ups and downs. THAT ending! While I expected some turmoil at some point I was not expecting the way that ending just kinda came out of nowhere. I liked the accurate portrayal of depression with psychotic features and the mental health rep. This was overall a good time!

Thank you C.W. Scott for this arc!

[Lore · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,5⭐️

Ever since I applied for this ARC, I knew this story would be for me, and let me tell you, I was not wrong.
Those who know me are aware that among my weaknesses are broken babies and good hurt/comfort stories, and this one perfectly delivered both of these tropes. This love story touches on difficult subjects with such care and authenticity that it is impossible not to be moved by their journey.

Elio and Crescent were perfect for each other. All the hardships they go through, and trust me besties, there are plenty and heartbreaking, only serve to shape the idea that they were always meant for each other. Truly soulmates, if you will.
Theirs is a love story about courage, second chances, learning to live, love, and hope again, and I greatly appreciated how the author approached some heavy topics and delivered a plot twist, that I didn`t necessary see coming.

Release Date : 08/12/2025

Tropes :
Mental Health Rep
Friends to Lovers
Forced Proximity
Found Family
(so much) Hurt/Comfort

[Asia Farrar · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25

From the first words on the page this story pulled at my heart. I was immediately taken through so many emotions reading through everything that Elio went through. His pain, struggle, and fight while seemingly cowardly to some was one of pure strength and grit. The journey to understand that you are worth so much more is truly a struggle but once you get to the to the other side…it’s worth it. Crescent was pure perfection. I resonated with him so much, my whole heart feels for him. His depth of love, his forgiveness, and his selflessness were remarkable. This story was done with so much care and represented both of these character’s tremendously. C.W has done it again and created a masterpiece that shows us that we can heal and aren’t defined by our trauma. Take that paintbrush and draw the life that you want for yourself, don’t let someone else draw it for you!

[Meli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Daises in the water follows the story of Elio and Crescent finding each other after a decade of not seeing each other. Both having drastically changed no longer the teens they once were. Soon the heavy topics are introduced which are depressive disorder and domestic abuse. I found that Elio was a strong person because it takes courage to leave someone that you depended on financially, emotionally and socially. As you are conditioned to think by your abuser that nobody wants you and will eventually leave you. I also loved that we saw his journey of going back to what he once loved and was passionate about even going back to finishing what was once destroyed. Crescent was admirable as well as he waited patiently for Elio even while he battled his own depression. He also knew when it was bad enough that he needed extra help. While this story is not dual timelines we get flashback chapters of the past that add context to the story. While this is a heartbreaking story I think we need more books that show how often this does happen. But it is also important that when you read such stories you are in the right head space.

[Natalia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book tells the story of two boys who were once best friends. Over time, one of them meets someone else, falls in love, and slowly distances himself from his friend. That relationship eventually turns abusive, though it takes years for him to fully see it.

Almost ten years later, the two reunite and come to realize that what they feel for each other is much deeper than friendship.

It’s a touching and realistic story about abusive relationships, emotional dependence, and how fear and insecurity can blind us to the people who truly care about us. The themes feel very human and relatable, and the emotional growth of the characters is handled thoughtfully.

While some parts felt a bit heavy, overall the story is engaging, meaningful, and heartfelt. I gave it four stars for its emotional depth and honesty.

[RadeanReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

♾️🌟
I genuinely have no words. I’ve tried writing this review so many times and nothing I say feels good enough… which honestly tracks. Not an author here 😅 But seriously. Read this book. You will not be disappointed.

CW grabs you by the heart in the very first line. No warning. No easing you in. Just a straight up emotional sucker punch as we meet Elio. This sweet baby angel who has been THROUGH IT. He can’t catch a break, and when we meet him, he’s at the absolute end of his rope.

And then fate swoops in (looking STUNNING, by the way) and drops Crescent right into his path.
Crescent—Elio’s childhood best friend.
Crescent—who hasn’t been the same since Elio disappeared years ago.
Crescent—who is also struggling, also hurting, and maybe needs Elio just as much as Elio needs him.

I had the absolute honor of reading Elio and Crescent twice, and both times this story had me in a full emotional chokehold. You will feel everything, wrapped in CW’s signature lyrical, breathtaking writing.

If you love emotional character journeys, found-again friendship, and healing wrapped in a bow… this book will absolutely wreck you in the best way. 🖤

✨ SPOILERS BELOW ✨
(skip if you want to go in blind!)
What shattered me wasn’t just watching Elio survive all the trauma he’s endured—it was Crescent. His mental health took a downward spiral the moment Elio vanished from his life. People always talk about romantic breakups, but friendship breakups? They hit just as hard, sometimes harder. And Crescent never truly recovered from losing him.
So when Crescent sees someone standing on a bridge, the same bridge where he once thought about ending everything himself, he pushes aside his own fear and pain to help. And discovering that the stranger is Elio? That moment felt like fate stitching their lives back together. That tiny spark is what pulls Crescent back toward himself, back toward the light he lost. His Sunshine.

[Marilyn (yuu.nemi_reads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such an amazing story with so many moments that just broke my heart in so many ways, but it also put it back together in the most beautiful way possible. Crescent and Elio, these two have my entire heart.

Elio is suffering at the hands of his abusive boyfriend; he is lost and has been suffering for a long time. Life before everything changed feels like a distant dream for him, and the loss and absence of his best friend haunt him so much.
Crescent is giving it a try at a new life and also somehow dealing with his own struggles. Fate puts him in the right moment when he finds Elio in a very bad situation, but he is determined to do everything in his hands to help and never leave his side again.

These two put me through so much with what they were dealing with. From the fallout of their friendship to how they were able to find each other again, despite the time apart, their connection was strong in so many ways, and it’s just beautiful.
They both were battling so much, and letting it out with each other is proof of how much they trust and love each other.
The writing is beautiful, so poetic that it makes you feel just like what the characters are feeling, which sometimes can be heart-wrenching and other times make your heart so full and warm.
Their very deserved HEA was worth the journey because they slowly but surely started to heal and were able to love freely and with so much care in their relationship.

[Sarah Pinkstaff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elio and Crescent

“A bouquet of daisies, all in different colors, bloomed across my skin. They fell around us, creating a field just for us to exist in, making space in the world that only we belonged in. A beautiful landscape, perfect for painting.”

a 6 star read. i was completely and utterly captivated by elio and crescent. please, be sure to read the content warnings before enjoying. c.w. scott’s writing is whimsical, poetic, and somehow created beautiful metaphors about abuse and depression. so many of the phrases in this book made me physically shiver. the same plot has been told over and over again, but this book made me feel like i was reading it for the first time.

also, that plot twist? i never could’ve seen it coming and this will haunt me forever