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Pregnant at 17: An Action-Packed YA Thriller from Lifetime About Survival and Courage
In this action-packed and romantic thriller based on the “can’t pull your eyes away” series on Lifetime, one girl discovers that your life can change in an instant.
Seventeen-year-old Chelsea doesn’t go looking for trouble, but somehow it always manages to find her. Not only is her father taking off to work on a dangerous crab boat, the man she testified against is getting out of prison, and she's just discovered she's pregnant.
So when help comes in the most unlikely of forms—Sonia, an odd but generous woman who comes into the shop where she works—Chelsea isn’t sure how to react. As the two women begin to form a friendship, though, Chelsea begins to believe she's finally found someone she can trust.
But Chelsea should know better than anyone that people aren’t always what they seem, and when she discovers Sonia’s true identity she’s left reeling.
Faced with a difficult decision at the same time her past comes back to haunt her, Chelsea must do what she's never had the courage to do before—fight for herself. And now, fight for her baby as well.
Seventeen-year-old Chelsea doesn’t go looking for trouble, but somehow it always manages to find her. Not only is her father taking off to work on a dangerous crab boat, the man she testified against is getting out of prison, and she's just discovered she's pregnant.
So when help comes in the most unlikely of forms—Sonia, an odd but generous woman who comes into the shop where she works—Chelsea isn’t sure how to react. As the two women begin to form a friendship, though, Chelsea begins to believe she's finally found someone she can trust.
But Chelsea should know better than anyone that people aren’t always what they seem, and when she discovers Sonia’s true identity she’s left reeling.
Faced with a difficult decision at the same time her past comes back to haunt her, Chelsea must do what she's never had the courage to do before—fight for herself. And now, fight for her baby as well.
269 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 5, 2018
8 people are currently reading
323 people want to read
About the author
Christine Conradt
3 books24 followersOriginally from Nebraska, Christine Conradt moved to Los Angeles at eighteen years old to attend the University of Southern California, where she obtained a BFA in screenwriting. She worked briefly in development before making a name for herself as a screenwriter, producer, and director. Focused on writing thrillers and crime dramas, Christine went on to receive an MA in criminal justice from Boston University. She has penned more than sixty movies, which have aired on USA, Lifetime, LMN, Fox, and Showtime. She is the primary writer behind some of Lifetime Network’s most successful franchises, including the At 17 series. When Christine is not writing or directing a film, she enjoys traveling and has been to sixteen countries throughout North and South America, Europe, and Asia. She resides in Los Angeles with her husband and their two rescued cats.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
April 11, 2020
As my first “thriller” I don’t think it was that bad. There wasn’t much thriller aspect until the last few chapters. I did enjoy the book enough to want to read more thrillers and dapple in the genre. There are 2 other books in this series that I will also read!
August 1, 2018
3/5
This was a trashy read that had potential but didn't try hard enough to thrive past a Lifetime movie. I've never seen the movie, but a book needs more depth, unlike a movie. And I found myself rolling my eyes at how naive Chelsea made herself out to be because originally she seemed badass in the first few chapters, and then she wasn't...
And then everything became very standard for a Lifetime movie. Girl is naive when she starts up affair. The husband guy doesn't actually love her, but gets her pregnant and she is surprised he doesn't want it. She meets a stranger but then finds out.... (gasp) it's her boyfriend's wife! And there was just this horrible subplot to the story with Greg and Lauren. Like even the dialogue seemed overdone and just plain terrible.
Literally the only good thing was Adam. But he wasn't even a really big character.
Like I felt like this book should have been longer and detailed and edited to be something more than what it became.
This was a trashy read that had potential but didn't try hard enough to thrive past a Lifetime movie. I've never seen the movie, but a book needs more depth, unlike a movie. And I found myself rolling my eyes at how naive Chelsea made herself out to be because originally she seemed badass in the first few chapters, and then she wasn't...
And then everything became very standard for a Lifetime movie. Girl is naive when she starts up affair. The husband guy doesn't actually love her, but gets her pregnant and she is surprised he doesn't want it. She meets a stranger but then finds out.... (gasp) it's her boyfriend's wife! And there was just this horrible subplot to the story with Greg and Lauren. Like even the dialogue seemed overdone and just plain terrible.
Literally the only good thing was Adam. But he wasn't even a really big character.
Like I felt like this book should have been longer and detailed and edited to be something more than what it became.
January 24, 2022
You knew it was a Lifetime movie/book when you picked it up. Other than that, it was a really good book.
December 13, 2025
Pregnant at 17 left me with many of the same concerns I had with the author’s other work. The novel continues a troubling pattern of portraying age gap relationships involving minors in a way that feels normalized rather than critically examined. Instead of addressing the ethical and emotional consequences of these relationships, the story often glosses over them, which is especially concerning given the intended audience.
The book also presents teen pregnancy in a way that feels overly simplified and, at times, almost romanticized. While stories about difficult topics can be powerful when handled responsibly, this novel does not fully explore the long-term consequences or emotional realities of pregnancy at such a young age. As a result, the narrative feels incomplete and unrealistic.
From a structural standpoint, the plot is overcrowded. In addition to the central storyline, the book introduces unnecessary background elements involving the protagonist’s parents and unrelated criminal activity. These details do little to enhance the main narrative and instead distract from it. The story would have been stronger and more focused if these elements had been removed and the author concentrated solely on the protagonist’s personal experience.
Overall, I believe the book would have been significantly improved if the main character were written as eighteen rather than seventeen and if the excessive subplots were eliminated. While the novel attempts to address serious themes, its execution ultimately undermines its message, making it a disappointing and frustrating read.
The book also presents teen pregnancy in a way that feels overly simplified and, at times, almost romanticized. While stories about difficult topics can be powerful when handled responsibly, this novel does not fully explore the long-term consequences or emotional realities of pregnancy at such a young age. As a result, the narrative feels incomplete and unrealistic.
From a structural standpoint, the plot is overcrowded. In addition to the central storyline, the book introduces unnecessary background elements involving the protagonist’s parents and unrelated criminal activity. These details do little to enhance the main narrative and instead distract from it. The story would have been stronger and more focused if these elements had been removed and the author concentrated solely on the protagonist’s personal experience.
Overall, I believe the book would have been significantly improved if the main character were written as eighteen rather than seventeen and if the excessive subplots were eliminated. While the novel attempts to address serious themes, its execution ultimately undermines its message, making it a disappointing and frustrating read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 21, 2024
I had high hopes for this book, and it didn't reach it by a longshot, the story was so far-fetched and doesn't even really make sense to the title, it was more of a crime novel than anything and didn't even do a good job at that.
July 12, 2018
I enjoyed this book but considering the topics at hand I’m not sure I would label this a YA book.
January 27, 2021
The story was so-so but it wasn't horrible. There was so much room to make this story more complete but it just fell the typical way of trouble?!, oh no danger!!, then absolute serenity happy ending.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews