Rani Deshpande Takes the Wheel

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rani Deshpande
Nineteen-year-old Rani Deshpande is on a mission to reinvent herself the summer before transferring to her new university. After a challenging freshman year, Rani can’t help but feel like she’s playing catch up. To that end, she’s crafted a packed summer to get back on track: a dream internship, adventures with her hometown best friend, and regular driving lessons so that she can finally lose her passenger princess reputation - even if it means learning from her aggravating family friend (and childhood crush), Kush Khanna.
 
 Kush and Rani grew up together, but they couldn’t be less alike. Within their close-knit Desi community - a Jane Austen style cast of ridiculous, meddlesome families - Kush is the beloved model son; Rani is more the black sheep. Kush is pre-med; Rani plans to teach elementary school. Kush is cool and collected, bordering on reticent; Rani couldn’t keep her mouth shut if her life depended on it. So when their mothers first force the pair to drive together, the arrangement feels like a recipe for disaster. As the lessons progress, however, Rani discovers there’s more to the boy she’s known her whole life than meets the eye.

Editor review

1 review
Navigating Road Rules and Romance
(Updated: June 25, 2026)
Overall rating
 
4.0
Plot
 
4.0
Characters
 
4.0
Writing Style
 
4.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
 
N/A
Rani Deshpande Takes the Wheel takes the wheel makes a perfect seasonal read as it’s set during the summertime or readers who are looking for a sweet romance. The story follows Rani navigating the many roads (figuratively and literally) of her life while attempting to get her driver’s license and transfer to the university. While trying to gather herself old crushes, family members, and changing friendship dynamics threaten to shake things up in a new way. Will she be able to handle everything that comes her way?

Rani is a character who has too much on her plate, but many aspects of her personality will make her a likable character. She’s passionate about school, is struggling to keep old friends and make new ones, and is very vulnerable about her struggles. These are just some of the many things that will make her a relatable character to the novel’s intended audience Being a third parent to her siblings is an added stress, but I love how tight-knit their relationship is throughout the book.

Even though the novel is framed as romance novel it also has an overarching coming-of age theme too because of the hard decisions Rani must make. The romance element feels developed and has smooth progression throughout the story. Because Kush and Rani have known each other for a long time their relationship progression feels natural as they make a possible shift to more than just friendship. I loved their cute coffee dates at the local café, how they connected over each driving lesson, and the open conversations between the two.

It’s a book that showcases South Asian culture while also being a story that balances romance, family, and self-discovery. It reminds readers that no one has all the right answers and that their journey ahead is full of uncertainty. This novel was such a fun reading experience and I recommend it to those who love a good contemporary fiction story.
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