Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

Prior to reading And Always Coming Back, I would have said I had no interest reading a story set during the pandemic. In this case, it was delightful to be proven wrong! And Always Coming Back is a beautiful and achingly intimate portrayal of a relationship in peril -- by the end of the story, David and Evan's relationship is a safe place to land in an increasingly uncertain and fraught public health crisis. In a sparse number of pages, Jude Sierra cradles our weather-beaten hearts in her hands and holds it safe for a brief romantic respite. Absolutely lovely.

This was such a sweet, tug at your heart-strings type of story because you know that this is something that a lot of couples had had to endure during this pandemic. I liked that the author allowed the reader to get a glimpse into the connection between David and Evan and how they yearned to make things work. Honestly, I wouldn't mind reading more about this couple--their beginning and their life after this.

All in all, a short yet captivating story.

As wonderful as always. Jude understands the minutiae of intimate relationships better than most. I would read an entire book about any of her couples.

Sierra presents a bittersweet look at one couple during the pandemic lockdowns. Evan and David reflect two very different perspectives/experiences with the Covid-19 quarantine. The cynical will latch onto some of the cliches that get used to expedite the story. Those with fatigue regarding the pandemic may not appreciate some of the subtle nuances Sierra provides here. The fact that Evan and David are having such contrasting emotional and financial journeys benefit the storytelling. In only a few pages, Sierra does some deep character building with the key details that helps a reader understand the struggles they both face and how it manages to deepen their relationship with each other. It's a solid story, yet it may be getting released too soon for it to be fully appreciated since we're not fully past this phase yet.

Interlude Press's "Come What May Short Story Project" continues for me with "And Always Coming BAck" by Jude Sierra. ​ In this story, married couple David and Evan are in Covid lock down together. At first, they find they are spending lots of time together, reconnecting. After enough time passes though, the two men seem to be retreating in their own ways. Ultimately, David experiences a profound loneliness that challenges his ability to keep his depression at bay.

I haven't wanted to read many pandemic stories for obvious reasons but this one was quite moving. I think many people who are living with someone will related to the feeling of relief at having that person there... but also loneliness. This story really manages to address how you can be lonely in someone's company. Sierra also manages to capture the experience of living with depression. I know this is a short work, but the author has a handle on the way that depression can descend upon someone when it's not all expected.. and also, how it can be next to impossible to explain what is needed to help.

The closeness these partners shared is expressed in such a lovely way by Sierra's writing. The small things that make up the weave of a relationship appear in this story in such subtle ways that I began to think I knew the characters intimately. The connection between them was lovely and illustrates the way in which all relationship can stumble and it's how you try to reconnect that makes or breaks you.