#88 No and Me, by Delphine De Vigan (Bloomsbury)

Unable to get to the library after running out of books to read, I actually had to invest in a new book to maintain my momentum as the final month of this challenge approached. I didn't have much time, I was only able to dash into a WH Smith while collecting some contact lenses from the store opposite, and the novel I ended up with was No and Me.

The last time I hastily selected a book emblazoned with a sticker denoting it had been chosen by Richard and Judy's Book Club, I was rewarded with a novel of surprising excellence: How to Talk to a Widower, which I've praised many times before. Unfortunately, No and Me didn't have quite the same impact.

Despite having previously studied French Literature and the likes of Moliere and Camus, I read the translated version, and I'm afraid I was left a bit disappointed.

The tale of a child genius, Lou, who befriends and starts to care for a homeless girl, No, after she agrees to help her with a school project, it's by no means bad or without interest. But for a book which has homelessness as its main subject, it's a bit too light and frothy for my taste, not grimy enough at all. Indeed, I've since been interested to learn that this was marketed as an adult book in France, but has been targeted at the more teen and chick-lit market in this country.

There are some nice touches. The impact of No on Lou's family and how she helps them to heal while her own life continues to disintegrate is a poignant contrast, and I enjoyed Lou's random experiments on everyday objects.

But while their relationships between the duo, and older, cooler friend Lucas ring true, I can't help feeling the way the story puts a lot of emphasis on the fact the Lou has an incredibly high IQ of 160 for a 13-year-old is partly used by the author to get around the issue of her precocious language, which never seems realistic.

So, rating time:

#88 No and Me, by Delphine De Vigan (Bloomsbury) - 6/10

Next up: Breathing Lessons, by Anne Tyler (Vintage)

Click here for the full list of books so far, and their rating