This was a truly pleasant surprise. I wasn't very sure what this book was even about (I don't like to thoroughly read descriptions; plus it is Steve Martin!) but it is short so I took a chance. If you love Steve Martin's movies, don't expect to love this book unless you have an open mind.
This novella is a very interesting character study - older and younger men and women and the relationships between them. Martin really gets into the minds of his characters in ways that can ring true with just about everyone. It's such a bittersweet story, where Ray and Mirabelle misinterpret conversations as typical people might and progress in an unidentified relationship that turns into what it's always meant to be. It made me laugh and broke my heart. I hoped for things to work out but in the end we always get what is better for us. A tad predictable, this book still takes a path you aren't completely expecting. The use of present tense always gets my attention, and I love its feel of uncertainty of what is going to happen next. Martin does throw in hints of what happens in the future, but present tense for the story is wonderful. Definitely one of my new favorite books!
Side note - Only 4 stars because of minor grammatical mistakes and continuity errors. Those things do matter to me! So maybe it would be 4.5 stars. Excellent story with some slight distractions. Also, I listened to the audio book version of this, read by Martin himself. Definitely a recommended way to take in this story!