First Echo by Rebecca A. Jackson

First Echo is an emotional slow-burn romance about identity, pressure, and the fragile, breathtaking moment when two girls who were never meant to matter to each other begin to mean everything.

When perfectionist Brooke Winters reluctantly agrees to tutor popular girl Madeline Hayes in chemistry, she expects nothing but frustration. Madeline represents everything Brooke avoids—superficial popularity, social politics, and the emotional messiness of getting close to others. Since losing her mother to cancer four years ago, Brooke has kept everyone at a distance, finding safety in solitude.
Madeline Hayes has her life perfectly arranged—popular friends, handsome boyfriend, and the carefully cultivated image everyone expects from her. But beneath her confident exterior lies uncertainty and a growing awareness that the person she pretends to be isn’t who she really is.
When they go on a senior ski trip with school and end up sharing a room, their carefully constructed walls begin to crumble. Between snowboard lessons, quiet conversations, and moments of unexpected vulnerability, Brooke and Madeline discover a connection neither was looking for—one that challenges everything they thought they knew about themselves and each other.

First Echo is a lyrical, heart-stirring story about grief, identity, and the exhilarating terror of allowing yourself to be truly seen. With authentic characters and emotionally resonant prose, it explores how the most meaningful connections often come from the least expected places—and how sometimes, finding yourself means finding the courage to let someone else in.