Down the Rabbit Hole: Curious Adventures and Cautionary Tales of a Former Playboy Bunny

I love Holly Madison, and this book really gave an amazing view of what went on behind closed doors. It kind of pieced together the puzzle of the oddities I noticed when watching the show. Kendra really needs to sit down and chill out, because this is Hollys story, and this makes a lot more sense then her version of the tales. I read this cover to cover in about a day. Super addicting. Which really says something, as I am not an avid reader. Holly took enough time out between making this book and leaving the mansion to obviously leave behind the anger and speak only of facts and what she remembers. For those whom have never been in a negative or bad relationship, it is easy to leave the bad memories behind and basically make them not exist in your mind. Some of the book, she either left it out because nobody wants to read the truly graphic details, or if she legit forgot those details, which reinforces how bad it truly was in the Mansion. Yes, she made mistakes, which she owns up to. Just about every 20something can say that they thought it was love when they are asked why they were with someone. You do everything we can to make it work, which she obviously did. I mean, when you have made it this far, what else can you do? There is no shame in that. Sometimes starting over is harder then sticking around. Especially when your relationship is the cornerstone of a major television series, and everyone sees your life as perfection. She was young, stupid, and was in love with the glamour. I would have been as well! I think she did honestly love him. And then when she stepped back and looked at what was around her, she saw so much more. and how she was worth more then he let her believe. For all the posters in here that say "it cant have been that bad, she stuck around for 9 years!"....clearly they are lucky enough to have never been in a negative relationship, an abusive relationship. Leaving is not so easy, because you just don't see things the way they really are. And while I don't think she was financially motivated to be with him, he also made it financially impossible for her to leave. She explains that while the rest of us are thinking 1000 a week is a lot of money, he also made a point to monopolize a lot of that money. She said it wasn't easy for her to even pay off student loans with that amount, let alone save anything enough to get out and find somewhere to go and get a job. If she had too much money in savings, she was expected to go buy more clothes or makeup. And getting that 1000 a week was not always easy. Also, he gave them all vehicles, which they had to give back if they left. Holly had literally nothing but clothes, dogs and makeup, unlike Bridget and Kendra, who all had their own rooms and thus their own stuff. (Remember her pathetic little closet and corner of the room?). So where was she going to go with nothing to drive, nothing to sleep on, and no money to pay for things? I liked how she was very factual and explained everything through, including her thought process. As opposed to just pointing fingers and calling names. I think she owns up to her own issues, which a lot of posters on here say she doesn't. Hef has been quick to refute statements she made, but they really do make sense. I dont think she rewrote history at all. However, I think Criss Angel comes off even worse then Hef did. I think everyone expected that behind closed doors, Hef was an eccentric, perverted weirdo. But Criss came off as the biggest jerk in history, which was new. I had never heard of Criss until Holly came around, and now I would never give him a penny of my money for one of his shows. I find it interesting that Izabellas book and Hollys book do seem to parallel in many ways, whereas Kendras tale is quite different. (hmmm....) So if you are interested in a further read, check out Bunny Tales (I think thats the name of her book). So.... when do we get to hear Bridgets take on life in the mansion? She has wisely kept pretty quiet on the topic, has taken no sides, but also has done a really good job of staying clear of the Playboy name. Which leads me to believe that Kendra is still on payroll, and Bridget probably had a similar experience to Hollys.

This is not a book I would normally be drawn to, however, I did watch a couple of seasons of The Girls Next Door many years ago, so when I went looking for a GENUINE distraction from some difficult housing issues (mold in a rental that threw us into a hotel without a home to speak of) this book was a real life-saver. Holly Madison (or her likely ghost writer) does an admirable job of exploring the lifestyle of a playboy bunny, what emotionally abusive relationships look, and how women repeatedly miss the signs, do not acknowledge the patterns, and repeat the process. Not insightful enough to recognize the core of what brought her to these choices, but insightful enough to journey down the rabbit hole to explore the possibilities, I found it poignant on occasion, and, generally entertaining. She paints herself as the heroine, the one who didn't have ulterior motives, the smartest of the bunch, and the one who was always trying to really connect while the others were catty, fake and cruel. Of course this is one person's account and as every person has their own perspective and lack of objectivity - read it with a grain of salt. So what about the content: Is it surprising to discover that Hugh Hefner is a clinical Narcissist with borderline features? Absolutely Not. Was it a surprise to hear that most of the women she encountered were "fake, materialistic and nasty"? Nope. But it is interesting to read, and the details about her process and what she was interested in editorially gives the book some depth I might not have expected and was glad to find. Those looking for graphic detail of sexual experiences will be disappointed, but she does elaborate on the sexual exploits of Hefner and how the Harem works. Her pontifications of her intelligence and authenticity get a little wearying, and she is not really able to see the shallowness within herself - as she touts getting a Prius instead of a Mercedes as evidence of her lack of materialism or caring about what others think — but then years later after a slight from a bodyguard about her car trades it in for a Mercedes convertible). Ms. Madison aims to be an independent thinker — but isn't insightful enough to understand she has a longer way to go than she might think. And after being with Hefner jumps right into a relationship with a famous magician who was also abusive, and she writes "there were no warning signs". Wow. How about glaring red flags...? So yes, much of this book is a wonderful example of what a classically emotionally abusive relationship looks like and how a woman repeatedly denies/rationalizes/explains away evidence of bad behavior. As a tool for women learning how to recognize what abusive men look like this could be quite useful (I'd recommend "Men Who Hate Women and the Women Who Love Them" by Susan Forward first and foremost, however). The book does also give a real voyeuristic look into a lifestyle that many of us, perhaps despite ourselves, are a little curious about. Overall I enjoyed it quite a bit, which was a pleasant surprise, and I wish her continued success on her journey in discovering herself. The only journey worth taking is inward.

Really enjoyed this book. I read a lot of celebrity autobiographies and I'm always bored by the first few chapters where they write about their childhood. Unless something tragic happened in their childhood, readers aren't interested. We just want to get to the good stuff. Holly gets right to the good stuff. She starts with detailing her first mansion party and talks about her early life in LA and then chronicles moving into the mansion, becoming a girlfriend, then becoming the main girlfriend through to leaving the mansion, moving to Las Vegas, her relationship with the illusionist, her stint on Dancing with the Stars, getting Peepshow and then Holly's World through to meeting her husband and having her baby. The Playboy days are fascinating. She has an insight that one can only get after they escape a bad situation. It's clear that she's not ungrateful for the opportunities but she's now recognising how unhealthy the situation was for her. It's a raw chronicle of those times. There were a few moments where I could truly relate to how she was feeling. Some of the tabloid stories based on excerpts of her book are painting her in a negative light and I think it's important to read the book in its entirety to truly understood Holly.

Lots of details, complete storyline, insightful and well written with a nice lesson in the end. I recommend this for the GND fans.

Un libro para relajarte, chismes, intriga y una perspectiva interna de vivir en la Playboy manssion. Es una lectura agusto y divertida, no es trascendental ni nada, pero es entretenido para relajar la mente un rato de los problemas de la vida. Me gustó mucho y no podía dejar de leerlo, que al final es lo que buscamos en un libro.

Love this book hardcover

Loved it was so insightful and interesting what she had to do for fame and also the raw truths was gold