Down the Rabbit Hole - Holly Madison

Down the Rabbit Hole

By Holly Madison

  • Release Date: 2015-06-23
  • Genre: Biographies & Memoirs
Score: 4.5
4.5
From 4,458 Ratings

Description

The real, untold, and unvarnished story of life inside the legendary Playboy Mansion—and the man who holds the key—from the woman who was Hef’s #1 girlfriend and star of The Girls Next Door.

A spontaneous decision at age twenty-one transformed small-town Oregon girl Holly Sue Cullen into Holly Madison, Hugh Hefner’s #1 girlfriend. But like Alice in Wonderland after she plunged down the rabbit hole, what seemed like a fairytale life inside the Playboy Mansion—including A-list celebrity parties and her own #1-rated television show—quickly devolved into an oppressive routine of strict rules, manipulation, and battles with ambitious, backstabbing bunnies. Losing her identity, her sense of self-worth, and her hope for the future, Holly found herself sitting alone in a bathtub contemplating suicide.

But instead of ending her life, Holly chose to take charge of it.

In this shockingly candid and surprisingly moving memoir, this thoughtful and introspective woman opens up about life inside the Mansion, the drugs, the sex and the infamous parties, as well as what her relationships with her Girls Next Door co-stars, Bridget and Kendra were really like. Holly talks candidly about a subsequent abusive relationship, her own successful television series, and the hard work of healing, including her turn on Dancing with the Stars. A cautionary tale and a celebration of personal empowerment, Down the Rabbit Hole reminds us of the importance of fighting for our dreams—and finding the life we deserve.

Reviews

  • Love it

    5
    By lillllly432
    Yesssssss!!!
  • Awful, no, beyond awful!

    1
    By Amigo73
    I was tasked with reading a memoir for an upcoming writer’s workshop, and selected this book at random. Oh what a mistake. There’s nothing redeeming between these pages, nothing redeeming about this author, her life, her choices, etc. Take a hard pass on this drivel and save yourself a lot of eye rolling.
  • Addicting

    5
    By whippedmods
    Loved it!
  • Love the Book, Holly!

    5
    By headlessgeorge
    Thank you for speaking out on Hugh Hefner’s abuse of power! What a disgusting, controlling, and wholly pathetic old man he seems to have been! I stand with you, Holly!
  • Great insight

    5
    By daisbxhdishbs
    I truly enjoyed Holly’s story as to what really happened behind the scenes in her life
  • Bunnies aren’t meant to be caged

    5
    By Awakeaholic
    It took me a while to get through the first half of this book. Nothing against Holly- A lot the beginning is about her relationship with Hugh Hefner at his mansion/bunny prison and, sorry, but Hugh is just not a person I have ever had much interest in. Anyway, when I reached the second half of the book I couldn’t put it down! The 2nd half was inspiring. It’s more about her personal/professional experiences, struggles, and triumphs. Overall, it was a good & insightful read. Good for Holly!
  • Holly

    5
    By Aubrehh785
    Holly Madison is everything. Insightful and wise.
  • Great read!

    5
    By Litadelazari
    I couldn’t put it down. She did a great job at keeping me engaged with the story.
  • Eye opening

    5
    By uhauljoe
    As a girl that grew up in the 2000s, I thought the Playboy girls were everything to aspire to, they were beautiful and people loved them and they got to just dress up all day and party all night. This book was a heart wrenching and eye opening look at what was going on behind the scenes of the public facade we all adored. My heart hurt for Holly, as I read how she stuffed her dreams down and felt stuck with no way out. Having finished the book I feel incredibly proud of her subsequent success and happiness. It is so deserved.
  • Avid reader

    2
    By Snowynight66604
    Kind of boring mostly felt sorry for all the girls that lead that kind of life. I guess it’s just being young and stupid. Don’t recommend reading