Horseshoe Garage by Hitesha Deshpande

Though he has gotten used to his salary and his job at Grant Motors, Sarvesh still finds himself waking up in the middle of the night, his heart pounding with the excitement of a Neo-Racing dream. The technologically advanced cars and the smell of the burnt rubber of the tyres haunt him all the time. When Neo-racing creates space for a team from India, Sarvesh is determined to be a part of it. Tagging along as a non-description member of another giant team is not going to suffice. Along with his best friend Rags, he is determined to lead his own team on to Neo-racing race circuits. Naaz is an orphan who has been raised in a garage and has never studied beyond the fourth grade. She has taught herself all that she knows about cars by working alongside sweaty mechanics. This knowledge allows her to deduce in three seconds that the car design created by Sarvesh and Rags will not qualify for New-Racing. Friendship is tested, loyalties are questioned and spirits are broken in this challenging race to achieve an impossible dream

This is Hitesha's second book I read and it was worth the wait. [ Read the review of her first book here ] I remember staying awake all night to finish this one and that does not happen often now-a-days.

Nothing pleases me or tempts me to pick a book more than a neat and meaningful cover after the synopsis has been processed by my brain.

So for first impressions and the excitement to go on a journey for fulfilling one's dreams was spot on for me.

Personally , when I know the end of a story , it is more endearing to me [ I read the end of any thriller after 100 pages and then continue to finish the book ]. It is a good enough challenge to fill in the blanks of how , who , when , where about every single event that leads one to the climax.

So , yes , the story had a bit too many twists for my liking . The plot had few cliches which I certainly did not understand or like now that I reflect on the book. BUT , did I think of these as much when I was reading the book ? Hell NO ! I finished the book in 2 days and I loved every bit of the attention this book demanded.

When it comes to Indian fiction that is not entirely based on finding love or spending your day plotting how to woo your next-door-girl character , I will totally recco this book , specially to guys.

Dude ! such terms and such details about making a car .. Hats off Hitesha for so much research and details. And to even make it bearable for an technologically challenged person like me !

what I loved most about the book [ and the previous too ] are the characters ! So damn real , so much possibly flawed and yet heroes in their own stand. I totally love Rags and his girlfriend for being the most adorable couple I have read in recent times.

there is a dream , there is friendship , there is action , there is drama , there is love and then there is more of melodrama. There is a wedding , there is the same  dream still alive , there is victory , there is joy and then a very happy ending.

Ah! I can still imagine my smiles when I closed the book (washing away any bit of frustration I had as the book's end dragged a bit )

My rating : 3.5/5