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 149 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

  • MUST READ

    5
    By trillezt
    The overall book was super enjoyable to read! It definitely wasn't what I was expecting but it's such a page turner and the quickest book I've ever read because I loved it so much and now a wee bit of a fan girl over holly x
  • Definitely recommend!

    5
    By Jessica Mauricette Bernadette
    Truly an eye-opening book that shows you that things aren't always as they seem behind closed doors. Very inspiring in the way that if you're not happy, it's never too late to recreate your life as you had always imagined and to never give up on your goals! Towards the end of the book I was holding back tears from such an incredible story.
  • Love love love

    5
    By Hannah..maree.d
    Loved this book and hearing hollys story
  • Down the Rabbit Hole:

    4
    By Miraclesforyou
    I used to love watching the 'Girl's Next Door’ so I was really interested in the behind the scenes exposure, as I had always wondered what really went on. I certainly wasn’t disappointed and having watched so many of the re-runs, I started noticing things myself. I was so relieved when Holly left the mansion in the book and not surprised by her attracting a similar situation. Her line about being a 'Stepford Wife’ is eerily spot on; who wouldn’t lose their own identity in that almost cult like situation. I’m glad I had the chance of the audible book as listening to holly read it was an added perk. Overall a good fan book.
  • Captivating story of hope !

    5
    By Keisha1212
    Loved the book ! What a beautiful story. After following Holly's story through the media it was exciting to find out how things actually went down.
  • Real eye opener- couldn't put it down

    5
    By Laurenatorrr
    As a girl in her 20s, I grew up watching girls next door. This book really highlighted the amount of editing that goes into this type of entertainment! I am truly inspired by Holly at this point - her story has given me a newfound respect as a woman and as a driven career woman. Definitely recommend to everyone looking for a new addictive read. It's quite simply a book you can't put down!
  • Readable

    3
    By Bellabookworm
    Readable book. I liked the writing style. Could go without the numerous spelling/grammar errors. The story lacked a lot of gritty, dirty details and skimmed over a lot of the scandalous plot lines. You could watch the E! THS and basically get the same story. Not going to judge someone's life story or perspective but this book isn't at all what I expected. The publicity for the book tells you everything worth reading. Maybe I'm a bit desensitized but I found it a tad dull...
  • Great read

    5
    By Stargazer of d.l
    Eye opening, interesting good read could not put it down!
  • The "other side"

    4
    By sMLBrt
    Whilst some of the contents of the book might have been exaggerated on (wouldn't make for the drama if it weren't) I'm sure most of it is accurate. It's a refreshing and addictive book, which I struggled putting down. Pity the editors didn't pick up on the typos/grammar when they reviewed...