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Pinned: A Novel
When a video of Olivia surfaces on social media, she and her friends realize something sinister has been taking place beneath the glossy veneer of their affluent town.
As Olivia and her friends seek to uncover the truth, parents and school officials try to protect the reputation of their school, causing them to slide deeper into denial and cover up.
Emboldened by the failure of the justice system, the girls seek their own kind of revenge, causing adult friendships to implode, families to shatter, and a community to face its reckoning.
What People are
"In PINNED, Rebecca Chianese expertly captures the angst, the joys, and the terrors of being a teenager in the modern world. This shimmering novel feels so real you want to search the web to see if it actually happened."
~ best-selling author, Jessica Anya Blau
“Pinned is simultaneously haunting and prophetic, and dear to me for its honest, riveting depictions of troubled parents and their children. Set in the wealthy suburbs of New York City, Chianese exposes what Americans get up to when they have too much time, money, and all the wrong priorities. At the tender heart of this novel is a community torn apart by sexual violence, secret keeping, and unexamined trauma. Chianese has written a perfect book for our current political crisis. You don’t want to miss it.”
~Carley Moore, author of Panpocalypse and The Not Wives
“Pinned is a novel filled with portraits of powerful family dynamics and issues of corruption and the wellsprings of victimization. It surveys the conundrums faced by Emmett Ainsworth and other characters who find their personal values and objectives clashing with forces outside of their control. Readers will find Pinned’s focus on how predators are born and evolve frighteningly realistic. This is the mark of a well-done plot which pulls readers into the real world of threats, predators, and survival tactics.
These very elements are a huge draw, not just because they emerge within well-crafted, believable characters and situations, but because they provoke much food for thought as the story forges unexpected new territory. Rebecca Chianese is adept at juxtaposing the perceptions, concerns, and motivations of a disparate group of characters. She creates important opportunities not just for individual reflection, but for adult and teen discussion groups.”
~D. Donovan, Sr. Reviewer, Midwest Book Review
As Olivia and her friends seek to uncover the truth, parents and school officials try to protect the reputation of their school, causing them to slide deeper into denial and cover up.
Emboldened by the failure of the justice system, the girls seek their own kind of revenge, causing adult friendships to implode, families to shatter, and a community to face its reckoning.
What People are
"In PINNED, Rebecca Chianese expertly captures the angst, the joys, and the terrors of being a teenager in the modern world. This shimmering novel feels so real you want to search the web to see if it actually happened."
~ best-selling author, Jessica Anya Blau
“Pinned is simultaneously haunting and prophetic, and dear to me for its honest, riveting depictions of troubled parents and their children. Set in the wealthy suburbs of New York City, Chianese exposes what Americans get up to when they have too much time, money, and all the wrong priorities. At the tender heart of this novel is a community torn apart by sexual violence, secret keeping, and unexamined trauma. Chianese has written a perfect book for our current political crisis. You don’t want to miss it.”
~Carley Moore, author of Panpocalypse and The Not Wives
“Pinned is a novel filled with portraits of powerful family dynamics and issues of corruption and the wellsprings of victimization. It surveys the conundrums faced by Emmett Ainsworth and other characters who find their personal values and objectives clashing with forces outside of their control. Readers will find Pinned’s focus on how predators are born and evolve frighteningly realistic. This is the mark of a well-done plot which pulls readers into the real world of threats, predators, and survival tactics.
These very elements are a huge draw, not just because they emerge within well-crafted, believable characters and situations, but because they provoke much food for thought as the story forges unexpected new territory. Rebecca Chianese is adept at juxtaposing the perceptions, concerns, and motivations of a disparate group of characters. She creates important opportunities not just for individual reflection, but for adult and teen discussion groups.”
~D. Donovan, Sr. Reviewer, Midwest Book Review
294 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 8, 2025
About the author
Rebecca Chianese
4 books14 followersRebecca Chianese is the author of "Mercy" and "Unspoken." Rebecca studied fiction writing at Sarah Lawrence College and went on to get her MSW, from Hunter College School of Social Work.
Walking along the Hudson River is where most of her characters come to life and boss her around until she tells their stories.
She is hard at work on her next novel. If you would like to know how she is progressing (and all of the ways she is procrastinating) please visit her at Rebecca Chianese on Facebook, at rebecca_chianese on Instagram and @RebecChianese on twitter.
Walking along the Hudson River is where most of her characters come to life and boss her around until she tells their stories.
She is hard at work on her next novel. If you would like to know how she is progressing (and all of the ways she is procrastinating) please visit her at Rebecca Chianese on Facebook, at rebecca_chianese on Instagram and @RebecChianese on twitter.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 12, 2025
Though not the kind of book I normally read, I thoroughly enjoyed this well-written commentary on the 'burbs, community, morality and family . Tautly-wound, anxiety-producing but with a satisfying ending. I can totally see this as a movie or miniseries.
March 14, 2026
story of resilience
Wow. You really never know someone fully- won’t say more and ruin the book. This is about predatory behavior and the power of young women banding together and breaking the silence.
Wow. You really never know someone fully- won’t say more and ruin the book. This is about predatory behavior and the power of young women banding together and breaking the silence.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews