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Conquering Chaos
MTV stars Catelynn Lowell and Tyler Baltierra share their story of teen pregnancy, adoption and breaking the cycle
Since Catelynn Lowell and Tyler Baltierra shared their story of teen pregnancy and adoption on the MTV's 16 and Pregnant and Teen Mom , they've been known for their inspiring commitment to growing up right. Between their experience placing their first daughter for adoption, and their struggle to cope with problems in their families, Catelynn and Tyler were challenged in every imaginable way. But against all odds, the childhood sweethearts rose above the dysfunction to become responsible adults whose story has inspired many others.
How did two troublemaking kids from the trailer park make it through the storm of family dysfunction, teen pregnancy, and adoption without letting go of each other? What gave them the strength to conquer the chaos of their lives and go on to become people their children could be proud of? And what really happened when the cameras weren't there?
Now, in their debut book, Catelynn and Tyler tell the story in their own words...and they leave nothing out. From the wild behavior that went down before MTV to their experiences learning and teaching about adoption, Catelynn and Tyler lay it all out on the table. Open, honest, raw, and real, Conquering Chaos is an incredible look at two young people who beat the odds and used their victories to give hope to others.
Since Catelynn Lowell and Tyler Baltierra shared their story of teen pregnancy and adoption on the MTV's 16 and Pregnant and Teen Mom , they've been known for their inspiring commitment to growing up right. Between their experience placing their first daughter for adoption, and their struggle to cope with problems in their families, Catelynn and Tyler were challenged in every imaginable way. But against all odds, the childhood sweethearts rose above the dysfunction to become responsible adults whose story has inspired many others.
How did two troublemaking kids from the trailer park make it through the storm of family dysfunction, teen pregnancy, and adoption without letting go of each other? What gave them the strength to conquer the chaos of their lives and go on to become people their children could be proud of? And what really happened when the cameras weren't there?
Now, in their debut book, Catelynn and Tyler tell the story in their own words...and they leave nothing out. From the wild behavior that went down before MTV to their experiences learning and teaching about adoption, Catelynn and Tyler lay it all out on the table. Open, honest, raw, and real, Conquering Chaos is an incredible look at two young people who beat the odds and used their victories to give hope to others.
160 pages, Paperback
First published March 3, 2015
121 people are currently reading
1495 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 121 reviews
March 6, 2015
I want to be nice. I really like Catelynn and Tyler and their strength and story is so inspiring. However, the book was a really hard read due to the fact that there were many grammatical errors, too many redundancies, and sentences/thoughts that started but never finished. The book read as if you were sitting in a room with them and just listening to them talk, of which I can guess that, that is how they intended, yet I expected it to read like a memoir, but they didn't even come close! I was so disappointed, I returned the book and requested a refund. As a writer, I continued to want to do a re-write throughout the book. I am the type of person that, when I start something, especially a book, I must finish it. I spent my reading time annoyed and "yelling" at the incompetent editor that had his hands on this book...what a way to make Catelynn and Tyler appear as though they never made it out of the trailer park, when they are in fact educated. I do wish that they had better guidance when telling their story.
July 23, 2015
The writing was crap, and I didn't learn much that I didn't already know from teen mom, which is to say, Catelynn is a sweetie and Tyler is a poop.
October 19, 2016
Interesting but repetitive.
I've followed Teen mom since the beginning so I was very interested in reading about Tyler & Catelynn's childhood and hearing their in depth thoughts and feelings about their adoption experience. I really enjoyed learning about their pasts but I felt the rest of the book was pretty repetitive. I pretty much just skimmed through the last 2 chapters because of that.
I've followed Teen mom since the beginning so I was very interested in reading about Tyler & Catelynn's childhood and hearing their in depth thoughts and feelings about their adoption experience. I really enjoyed learning about their pasts but I felt the rest of the book was pretty repetitive. I pretty much just skimmed through the last 2 chapters because of that.
June 17, 2015
just loved it.. being adpoted myself was eye openning read
August 10, 2016
I liked this short book, and I think it reflects well on its co-authors (plus, I'm assuming a ghostwriter/helper), as it is refreshingly honest, if a bit precocious at times. Catelynn and Tyler do not sugar coat their hardships, their early experimentation with drugs and sex, their tumultuous relationships with their parents, but they also do not let all of those past elements define or contain them in who they are today, or who they hope to be in the future. There is an underlying sweetness, resiliency, and strength to these two Michigan kids, and this book makes you really want to root for them in the future. A good read for Teen Mom fans. Three stars.
April 29, 2016
I do think it's great that these two shared their story through a book. But I found it quite repetitive. And I weren't overly keen on the writing style
But I do feel way more educated on the adoption process. So hopefully this has helped some people!
But I do feel way more educated on the adoption process. So hopefully this has helped some people!
January 27, 2019
Catelynn and Tyler are my favourite couple from the 16 & Pregnant/Teen Mom franchise. Their decision to place their daughter with a family who could provide her a future they were unprepared for was both heart wrenching and heart-warming.
While they were very young when they discovered Catelynn was pregnant the camera showed their struggle to decide to place Carly. As a mother I know how heart breaking that decision would have been and I cried right along with the rest of the world who saw their episode. They displayed phenomenal courage, especially when faced with such resentment and negative response from both Catelynn’s mother and Tyler’s father.
I followed their story via Teen Mom and they continued to amaze with their strength and conviction in their decision. They have made amazing strides to become independent, financially secure and stable in both home and relationship. Their journey through life is nothing short of admirable.
Perhaps it is the transition from t.v to paper that fell a little flat but I struggled with their first book and theirs was one I was most looking forward too.
Generally this book is an engaging, interesting, transparent honest account of their lives thus far.
Their book begins with a back story of how they became a couple and reveals insight into the people they used to be. If I hadn’t been following their story via MTV I would have thought this was a book by much older individuals.
Their lives were not easy and borderline abusive. Catelynn suffered tremendous amounts of neglect from her mother and in fact became a mother of sorts to her mother who was in denial about her addictions.
The couple is upfront and honest about their experiences and revelations that led them to their decision to place their daughter.
It pains me to give this book anything less than an amazing review because I truly admire everything they went through and their candidness about their life and what they wanted for the daughter is truly inspirational, unfortunately this didn’t translate into written word very well.
The book lagged in many places and was often repetitive with Catelynn and Tyler each describing their version of the chapter and then with closing thoughts at the end of each chapter rehashing everything that had already been said.
Some crucial events that helped shaped them as both individuals and as a couple were only barely explained and I would like to have seen less passive voice, especially within the high emotional sections of the book. Regrettably the last few chapters give the impression of being rushed to get to the end of the book.
It would have rounded out the book some more if extra time had been taken to really go in deep when talking about placing their daughter on an emotional level. Some pictures of the couple, especially in their younger day would have made a wonderful addition to their sweet story.
Catelynn and Tyler complement each other in their strengths and weaknesses; this is clearly evident within the pages of this book and they don’t shy away from each other’s faults, or their own. It is clear to see the experience of having a baby at 16 and the decision they made for their daughter has helped them break a long standing cycle of addiction and abuse and forge a life they know will make her proud one day.
This is a couple I admire and while I wouldn’t want my children to come home pregnant or get someone pregnant at 16, I do hope they find a partner and relationship as strong and equal as the relationship Catelynn and Tyler have.
While they were very young when they discovered Catelynn was pregnant the camera showed their struggle to decide to place Carly. As a mother I know how heart breaking that decision would have been and I cried right along with the rest of the world who saw their episode. They displayed phenomenal courage, especially when faced with such resentment and negative response from both Catelynn’s mother and Tyler’s father.
I followed their story via Teen Mom and they continued to amaze with their strength and conviction in their decision. They have made amazing strides to become independent, financially secure and stable in both home and relationship. Their journey through life is nothing short of admirable.
Perhaps it is the transition from t.v to paper that fell a little flat but I struggled with their first book and theirs was one I was most looking forward too.
Generally this book is an engaging, interesting, transparent honest account of their lives thus far.
Their book begins with a back story of how they became a couple and reveals insight into the people they used to be. If I hadn’t been following their story via MTV I would have thought this was a book by much older individuals.
Their lives were not easy and borderline abusive. Catelynn suffered tremendous amounts of neglect from her mother and in fact became a mother of sorts to her mother who was in denial about her addictions.
The couple is upfront and honest about their experiences and revelations that led them to their decision to place their daughter.
It pains me to give this book anything less than an amazing review because I truly admire everything they went through and their candidness about their life and what they wanted for the daughter is truly inspirational, unfortunately this didn’t translate into written word very well.
The book lagged in many places and was often repetitive with Catelynn and Tyler each describing their version of the chapter and then with closing thoughts at the end of each chapter rehashing everything that had already been said.
Some crucial events that helped shaped them as both individuals and as a couple were only barely explained and I would like to have seen less passive voice, especially within the high emotional sections of the book. Regrettably the last few chapters give the impression of being rushed to get to the end of the book.
It would have rounded out the book some more if extra time had been taken to really go in deep when talking about placing their daughter on an emotional level. Some pictures of the couple, especially in their younger day would have made a wonderful addition to their sweet story.
Catelynn and Tyler complement each other in their strengths and weaknesses; this is clearly evident within the pages of this book and they don’t shy away from each other’s faults, or their own. It is clear to see the experience of having a baby at 16 and the decision they made for their daughter has helped them break a long standing cycle of addiction and abuse and forge a life they know will make her proud one day.
This is a couple I admire and while I wouldn’t want my children to come home pregnant or get someone pregnant at 16, I do hope they find a partner and relationship as strong and equal as the relationship Catelynn and Tyler have.
March 22, 2017
In this book it shares the story of Catelynn Lowell and Tyler Baltierra and the struggles they have with not only there family relationships but also there relationship together and the adoption the but them self thought. The couple first met when her mom and his dad where married, that's when this whole story started. There parents marriage did not last,so that's when they decided to give there relationship a go. The two of them fell madly in love, but they where not very good kids they both got in trouble with drugs, and her mom was not happy her mom was a very aggressive and abusive person. Cate did not have a good self esteem. when they both turned 16 they decided that they were both ready for sex, "Everyone was doing it, it seamed." A few months later they found out that she was pregnant. They told her mom and she was upset because she was 16 but there was not much she could do. she and Tyler sat down to talk and decided that they did not think they where not ready to have a baby. together the went thought all there options (Abortion not going to happen to strenuous on her.) ( adoption something they where willing to consider.) And (to keep the baby but they are not ready.) With put tell their parents they decided to go thought with adoption. When her mom found out she hit Cate saying. " I will take care of it its my blood." But care knew her mom was unstable. Tyler and Cate relied on one another for help. Cates mom got help and started a good healthy relationship.
I loved this book they are one of my favorite teen mom og couples and it shows there struggles. I love there story , and also there love for one another. I dint like the lay out of the book it went back and forth between Catelynn and Tyler. But I would still recommend this book to anyone looking for a amazing book.
I loved this book they are one of my favorite teen mom og couples and it shows there struggles. I love there story , and also there love for one another. I dint like the lay out of the book it went back and forth between Catelynn and Tyler. But I would still recommend this book to anyone looking for a amazing book.
January 5, 2018
Sigo la relación de Catelynn y Tyler desde 2012 por lo menos, yo misma tenía 16 años. Me interesaba muchísimo su historia, siempre ha sido así. Así que he decidido leer su libro. Ha empezado muy bien. Y no lo digo porque los primeros capítulos sean los más morbosos, sino porque tienen un mensaje claro. Por otro lado, me ha dado la sensación de que a medida que pasaba las páginas, se desviaban, especialmente a partir de la adopción de Carly. Los últimos capítulos muy aburridos ya que como digo se desvían pero, sin embargo, dan consejos muy útiles de pareja. Son la pura representación de la unión, el respeto y la comunicación. Un 3/5.
December 19, 2016
Interesting as it provided a little more insight into their worlds but very little details beyond what was already seen in the show. I was disappointed it didn't go into more detail about their individual histories. The last part of the book came across as more self-help which just seemed odd it me.
May 11, 2017
Enjoyed
After watching them on Teen mom- and being one of my fav couples with their own unique story- I figured I would check out their book. I enjoyed it. But did I learn anything new, probably not anything I didn't already know from their show. Still love them and wish them the best!
After watching them on Teen mom- and being one of my fav couples with their own unique story- I figured I would check out their book. I enjoyed it. But did I learn anything new, probably not anything I didn't already know from their show. Still love them and wish them the best!
December 30, 2017
I wasn't expecting much from this book, but it was enjoyable enough. If you're a fan of Teen Mom and Catelynn and Tyler's experience, you'll probably enjoy this. I didn't learn a lot of new information, but they tell their story in a pretty self aware way and offer advice for others who might be going through the adoption process or being raised in a dysfunctional family as they were.
August 28, 2019
Very uplifting!
Catelynn and Tyler lay open their lives in an honest and sometimes painful way. Their story shows that each person can overcome adversity by facing the consequences not only of their dysfunctional family but also by choosing to do the right things. Their story should be read by anyone faced teen pregnancy.
Catelynn and Tyler lay open their lives in an honest and sometimes painful way. Their story shows that each person can overcome adversity by facing the consequences not only of their dysfunctional family but also by choosing to do the right things. Their story should be read by anyone faced teen pregnancy.
September 9, 2025
Cate and Ty have always been very open and honest about their lives. I think this gave a little deeper look into their childhoods, which ultimately played into their teen pregnancy and choice of adoption. I enjoyed that each of them could give their thoughts separately based on the topic of each chapter.
September 18, 2017
One of the better Teen Mom memoirs, enjoyed Catelynn and Tyler's perspective on their journey, and I like the reflection/advice at the end. Shared their story and I think really tried to help others.
August 18, 2018
Awesome
This book was fun to read with great messages. I loved how honest they were about who they used to be and how they changed their lives for the better. You guys are awesome and are making a difference in so many peoples lives
This book was fun to read with great messages. I loved how honest they were about who they used to be and how they changed their lives for the better. You guys are awesome and are making a difference in so many peoples lives
January 17, 2022
It was a good book, and went into their childhood a bit, a lot of it kinda was repetitive. But I enjoyed it. They have a strong good relationship together. It was more like a possibility book with a lot of the same positive quotes they repeated over and over
January 17, 2024
This book was really good I liked the dual points of view from catelynn and Tyler. Most of this I knew from watching them in 16 & pregnant and teen mom. But it was still nice to read about it to. It was a good book I would recommend reading it if you like watching them and the story behind them.
February 18, 2025
In the past year, these two have rampage against their daughter's adoptive parents. What they're saying now totally contradicts this little tome.
This book reads like exactly what it is...an essay written by two struggling kids. Make of that what you will.
This book reads like exactly what it is...an essay written by two struggling kids. Make of that what you will.
June 17, 2025
Some good messages and interesting info about their lives before TV, but hard to read. The same info and stories could have easily been delivered in 1/4 of the text. Too many words saying the same thing over and over or just rambling.
September 20, 2017
Grest book
So loved this book. So proud of both of them. Feel like they are family. Can't wait til their next book!
So loved this book. So proud of both of them. Feel like they are family. Can't wait til their next book!
January 1, 2018
Insightful young Adults
I agree with most of their advise. No matter our situation, it is up to us yo make it better. They are very mature for their age.
I agree with most of their advise. No matter our situation, it is up to us yo make it better. They are very mature for their age.
March 12, 2019
It was good but i feel like watchimg the show goves you this emtire view. Was hopimg for more indepth on their adoption process along with overcoming their childhoos struggles.
August 29, 2019
Eh. I wanted more in-depth from them. This felt more like pro adoption then an open tell all from them. This one fell flat for me.
September 13, 2020
This is a very quick read. It was nice to get some insight into them before they were on MTV. Worth a read I think.
February 20, 2022
So repetitive. I struggled through the second half 😩
May 27, 2022
Insightful beyond their years. An amazing story of transformation. Catelynn and Tyler thank you so much for sharing your story.
May 3, 2023
Love Cate and Tyler. I have watched their lives grow since 16 and pregnant. They have both been through so much. Their book didn't disappoint
March 9, 2024
Great overview of their beginning
February 14, 2025
Absolutely love this book
Connected so much to it in way
Connected so much to it in way
Displaying 1 - 30 of 121 reviews