As the Wheels Turn
Skating, Dating, and Long-Distance Love
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Pub Date 22 Sep 2026 | Archive Date 22 Sep 2026
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Description
In the summer of 1978, long before his hometown rink ever opens its doors, a New Jersey teenager meets a girl from Missouri who captures his heart at first glance. What begins as a fleeting vacation romance deepens into something neither time nor distance can easily erase.
Soon, a new roller rink becomes the center of his world-a place of flashing lights, pulsing music, and new love in constant motion. Weekend by weekend, he comes of age beneath the glow of the rink, caught up in its rhythms and rituals. Yet beyond it all, the letters from Missouri keep arriving, each one a quiet reminder that his story may be unfolding somewhere far beyond New Jersey.
But then the letters stop.
In the silence that follows, heartbreak gives way to determination, sending him in search of the girl he never forgot. As the phone rings, one question lingers: Was their connection truly lost-or simply waiting for him to find his way back?
Inspired by real experiences and told with warmth, honesty, and vivid nostalgia, As the Wheels Turn captures the exhilaration, innocence, and ache of coming of age in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
A Note From the Publisher
Available Editions
| EDITION | Paperback |
| ISBN | 9798897472499 |
| PRICE | $18.95 (USD) |
| PAGES | 220 |
Available on NetGalley
Average rating from 2 members
Featured Reviews
Reviewer 1638222
As the Wheels Turn is a heartfelt, immersive coming-of-age story that nails the look, sound, and feel of the late 1970s.
The roller rink setting is drawn with incredible detail — the music, the lights, the rituals of teenage weekends — and it becomes the perfect backdrop for a tender long-distance romance. The letters from Missouri give the story its quiet ache, and when they stop, the shift from innocence to heartbreak feels earned and real.
It’s nostalgic without being heavy-handed, honest about first love and loss, and written with real warmth. The mix of motion and stillness, rink and letters, captures what growing up actually felt like.
A beautiful, evocative read. I loved this book.
Melanie G, Reviewer
As the Wheels Turn has a sincere, personal quality that makes it feel more like someone sharing an important memory than trying to manufacture a dramatic love story. Jack Dieteman captures how intense young relationships can feel, especially when distance, uncertainty, and limited communication leave so much room for hope and imagination. The handwritten letters add a tenderness that would be difficult to recreate in a story set in the present day.
As a child of the 1980s, I also enjoyed getting a glimpse of what teenage life felt like in the 1970s. The roller rink culture, the music, and the slower pace of communication made the setting feel distinct without overwhelming the story. I appreciated the way the book looks back on adolescence without mocking the characters for how deeply they feel things. Some parts moved more slowly than others, but the emotional honesty kept me invested. My sincere thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a free advance review copy.