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1.37k reviews for:
Down the Rabbit Hole: Curious Adventures and Cautionary Tales of a Former Playboy Bunny
Holly Madison
3.45 AVERAGE
1.37k reviews for:
Down the Rabbit Hole: Curious Adventures and Cautionary Tales of a Former Playboy Bunny
Holly Madison
3.45 AVERAGE
Don't judge me. I needed a light and fluffy book to read and started looking at this at the bookstore and actually got into it. It was entertaining for the most part. It did drag out too much and certainly isn't worth spending the money for the hardcover but it held my interest well enough. I have to admit that I haven't seen the show so when other reviewers say that it is very different than what it appeared, I can't speak to that. However, this woman simply can't take any responsibility for her own life. The reason she moved in with Hef was because she would be HOMELESS if she didn't, she had NO other options. O FFS, woman. There is a lot of drama in the book but NONE of it is her fault, she is a victim of circumstances every single time. She is a nice wholesome girl who just wants to be loved not like all of the those horrible women in the book (which would be just about every woman she ever came into contact with). Seriously? You can't get along with anyone but it's NEVER your fault? O! And she is continually frustrated when after moving out the mansion, people associate her with "The Girls Next Door" show. HAHAHA! Seriously? Why does she think she got the part on Dancing with the Stars and the Peepshow in Vegas? Because she was Hugh Hefner's girlfriend. If you don't want to be associated with it, then you can't use it to further your "career" in show business. O, also it's filled with zingers such as "it's a good thing I'm sure a nice wonderful person or I would say the truth about "insert any name" and that they "insert every nasty thing you could say about them". Ummmmmm......self righteous while being down right mean-spirited. AH well, I finished the book but wouldn't really recommend it.
holly didn’t do herself a lot of favors with this book. she really did try to play up the whole “innocent not like other girls” vibe through the whole thing and it got old fast. like girl… we know why you were with hugh hefner. you do not have to lie and pretend. plus i think she tried hard to make kendra look bad, then tried to twist around to make herself look less harsh. like i don’t think kendra and the other girls were saints, but i also don’t think holly was an ice queen just because hefner’s weird mind games steeled her into one. i believe she really did think she was better (smarter, more virtuous, more interesting, driven, etc) than the other girlfriends. to top it off she was delusional too. did she really think carrying her geriatric husband’s fifth child was going to secure her future?
i did like and appreciate her insights about the playboy lifestyle and unglamorous it truly was. and her revelations about hugh hefner. he did seem like a manipulative bastard and i don’t doubt that he really warped those women’s brains. but holly madison is not the most sincere person in the world. the book made me feel bad for all of them as unit but i didn’t feel particularly worse for holly.
also didn’t know criss angel was that much of a dick so that was fun to learn
i did like and appreciate her insights about the playboy lifestyle and unglamorous it truly was. and her revelations about hugh hefner. he did seem like a manipulative bastard and i don’t doubt that he really warped those women’s brains. but holly madison is not the most sincere person in the world. the book made me feel bad for all of them as unit but i didn’t feel particularly worse for holly.
also didn’t know criss angel was that much of a dick so that was fun to learn
This book is easy to read. I always thought Holly and Hef were sweet and there was nothing else to it. Boy was I wrong. It's a good read if you're curious about life in the Playboy mansion.
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
"Don’t you miss the mansion?” squealed a round-faced, wholesome-looking 20-something girl in a high-pitched voice...
- Down the Rabbit Hole: Curious Adventures and Cautionary Tales of A Former Playboy Bunny, 00:01
🎧 listened to the audio book
As a teenager, I was a huge fan of Girls Next Door.
Back then, it was still the beginning of Reality TV, which was nothing like todays (2025) Tsunami of all kinds of Shows. I always pictured the life of the Girlfriends super glamorous, they lived in a beautiful house, had everything they needed without having to go to school or work, had cute pets, went on trips, met celebrities etc. and I was sure being a Girlfriend of Hugh Hefner was just for show, nothing besides a small peck on the mouth every now and then. I thought, that's a small price to pay... In fact, Teenage Me made these relationships out to be like a grandpa-granddaughter-like relationship. Yes, my Teenage brain was clearly not fully developed...
What I'm trying to say: I understand, how someone could get into the net of an abusive master manipulator like HMH. Our society of normalizing men having much younger gfs as a status symbol, while they get money, fame etc in return is just one small contributing factor... Little did I know, in my teenage naivite, that things like these are very often accompanied with abuse, toxicity and lasting trauma...
Thank gods, I am smarter now, and so is Holly.
I am really impressed, how well she reflected on everything that happened to her and how she got out of it on top. I admire her strength. This book was released 10 years ago. Nowadays Holly has a podcast with Bridget, called "Girls Next Level", where they watch old episodes and comment on them.
I find it really curious, how much hate this book (or better: the author) gets on here.
Yes, one could (not very kindly) argue, that Holly was dumb for getting herself in debt because of her boob job, which made her want to move into the Playboy mansion in the first place... but this is America! Everybody has debt because of all kinds of things, plastic surgeries not even being the absurdest cause (even back in the 2000s, in Hollywood)...
And yes, Holly did scheme against the "mean girls", which makes her look like a hypocrite in some peoples opinion... but have you ever heard of people coming up with all kinds of survival strategies in abusive situations?
It's easy to judge books (and people!) by their covers... So maybe before doing so, give it a second read (or listen), because you might have overlooked a lot of things before.
If not: just admit you are here for the juice (which is not a bad thing!), and stop being offensive towards Holly (or any other woman for that matter - maybe just stop being misogynistic altogether).
To sum it up:
It's not the best (audio)book I've ever listened to, but I certainly appreciate the build up (every chapter starts with a quote from Alice in Wonderland) and the story Holly has to tell. I'm impressed on how she moved on, as a survivor of an abusive relationship, and built herself a new life and career from scratch. I found it very interesting and I wish Holly all the happiness and health for her future.
Back then, it was still the beginning of Reality TV, which was nothing like todays (2025) Tsunami of all kinds of Shows. I always pictured the life of the Girlfriends super glamorous, they lived in a beautiful house, had everything they needed without having to go to school or work, had cute pets, went on trips, met celebrities etc. and I was sure being a Girlfriend of Hugh Hefner was just for show, nothing besides a small peck on the mouth every now and then. I thought, that's a small price to pay... In fact, Teenage Me made these relationships out to be like a grandpa-granddaughter-like relationship. Yes, my Teenage brain was clearly not fully developed...
What I'm trying to say: I understand, how someone could get into the net of an abusive master manipulator like HMH. Our society of normalizing men having much younger gfs as a status symbol, while they get money, fame etc in return is just one small contributing factor... Little did I know, in my teenage naivite, that things like these are very often accompanied with abuse, toxicity and lasting trauma...
Thank gods, I am smarter now, and so is Holly.
I am really impressed, how well she reflected on everything that happened to her and how she got out of it on top. I admire her strength. This book was released 10 years ago. Nowadays Holly has a podcast with Bridget, called "Girls Next Level", where they watch old episodes and comment on them.
I find it really curious, how much hate this book (or better: the author) gets on here.
Yes, one could (not very kindly) argue, that Holly was dumb for getting herself in debt because of her boob job, which made her want to move into the Playboy mansion in the first place... but this is America! Everybody has debt because of all kinds of things, plastic surgeries not even being the absurdest cause (even back in the 2000s, in Hollywood)...
And yes, Holly did scheme against the "mean girls", which makes her look like a hypocrite in some peoples opinion... but have you ever heard of people coming up with all kinds of survival strategies in abusive situations?
It's easy to judge books (and people!) by their covers... So maybe before doing so, give it a second read (or listen), because you might have overlooked a lot of things before.
If not: just admit you are here for the juice (which is not a bad thing!), and stop being offensive towards Holly (or any other woman for that matter - maybe just stop being misogynistic altogether).
To sum it up:
It's not the best (audio)book I've ever listened to, but I certainly appreciate the build up (every chapter starts with a quote from Alice in Wonderland) and the story Holly has to tell. I'm impressed on how she moved on, as a survivor of an abusive relationship, and built herself a new life and career from scratch. I found it very interesting and I wish Holly all the happiness and health for her future.
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
As a fan of Girls Next Door growing up (which now just feels icky), I was interested in her story. However, her narrative was too repetitive, so I got bored. The writing wasn't the worst I've read, but I couldn't stay engaged.
lighthearted
reflective
I guess I liked it because I finished it? I am still not sure. It was an okay book, not very well written BUT It was compelling enough that it kept me going, slowly but truly. I would say it is a 2 1/2 stars book, I think. I don't know. I am lost, it's the first celebrity nonfiction book I've read and I really want to like it, I still don't know if I do.
I like Holly Madison, I do appreciate the candid way she (or her writer) tells her story. I find it brave that someone would come out with a book with so much details about their lives, but again, I am not a celebrity and I don't make money off my image.
I am really undecided on how to feel about her story, her life, and her experiences. She certainly could be a victim like many of us: we put ourselves in situations and we suddenly realize it's not at all like we were hoping for. And we get sucked in and hoping things will change, improve, or get better. But maybe she is just a narcissist. I don't know...
All in all, I still like her, and I think the book is interesting even though, for a great chunk of it, it seemed like I was a reading a collection of drama that I didn't care for... (about Kendra or other people I don't care about)
I like Holly Madison, I do appreciate the candid way she (or her writer) tells her story. I find it brave that someone would come out with a book with so much details about their lives, but again, I am not a celebrity and I don't make money off my image.
I am really undecided on how to feel about her story, her life, and her experiences. She certainly could be a victim like many of us: we put ourselves in situations and we suddenly realize it's not at all like we were hoping for. And we get sucked in and hoping things will change, improve, or get better. But maybe she is just a narcissist. I don't know...
All in all, I still like her, and I think the book is interesting even though, for a great chunk of it, it seemed like I was a reading a collection of drama that I didn't care for... (about Kendra or other people I don't care about)
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
Poorly written, but kind of funny. Spoiler alert: don't become a playboy bunny. But also never focus too much attention on outer beauty - it fades.