Down the Rabbit Hole

Curious Adventures and Cautionary Tales of a Former Playboy Bunny

By: Holly Madison

Narrated by: Holly Madison

Length: 10 hrs and 51 mins

Publisher's summary

The shocking, never-before-told story of the bizarre world inside the legendary Playboy Mansion - and finally the secret truth about the man who holds the key - from one of the few people who truly knows: Hef's former number-one girlfriend and star of The Girls Next Door.

A spontaneous decision at age 21 transformed small-town Oregon girl Holly Sue Cullen into Holly Madison, Hugh Hefner's number-one girlfriend. But like Alice's journey into Wonderland, after Holly plunged down the rabbit hole, what seemed like a fairy tale life inside the Playboy Mansion - including A-list celebrity parties and her own number-one-rated television show for four years - quickly devolved into an oppressive routine of strict rules, manipulation, and battles with ambitious, backstabbing bunnies. Life inside the notorious mansion wasn't a dream at all - and quickly became her nightmare. After 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, the abuse, the infamous parties, and her real behind-the-scenes life with Bridget, Kendra, and, of course, Mr. Playboy himself.

With great courage Holly shares the details of her subsequent troubled relationship, landing 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.

©2015 Holly Madison (P)2015 HarperCollins Publishers

Good beach read.

I never bought anything Hugh Hefner was selling. Not his cheap, trashy, idea of beauty, not his bs idea of the "playboy lifestyle" and definitely not the girl's next door. So I was actually kind of interested in Holly Madison's story. It's an easy, dishy, funny read and to be honest she's the least interesting part. Once the story gets into her post-mansion life it gets boring. It's definitely something for a long boring plane/car ride! By the time you're through the good stuff you'll probably be at your destination.

I am ashamed I enjoyed this!!!

The Walking Dead books are my guilty pleasure. You know, something with no literary value, but you just really just enjoy listening to. This book isn't even intelligent enough to fall into my guilty pleasure category! I am actually kind of ashamed I enjoyed it so much! Holly Madison is her own biggest fan, and she will tell you about it for hours and hours in this memoir. She was always my least favorite GND, but now, I think she is lipstick (and a big boob job) on a skinny runt of a pig. Talk about biting the hand that feeds you! This gal has the audacity to mother-F almost everyone that she ever used as a stepping stone in her B-- career. I can't lie though, I did enjoy all the BS! Holly and I are the same age (or at least the age she claims to be) so this pop culture phenomenon is from my generation. I had a go as a Hooters Girl and a swimsuit model, and I related to the way she described her early days doing the same. So that being said, there was something in me that always enjoyed GND. They were enjoying my same lifestyle but on a much more grandiose scale! I grew up and left that all behind so this book transported me to a time and place that will never be again. I enjoyed that so much and thank Holly for the instant time machine, BUT I am leaving this book with absolutely no respect for her. Throughout the book she will try and convince you that she was a victim but her calculating ways always manage to shine through. She is like a junior high girl in the way she blames everyone else for every single bad choice she made. Just own it, girl! Plus, at our age, it is really in poor taste to talk about others the way she did throughout her book. And to all of those who thought Madonna had the absolute worst fake English accent ever SURPRISE!!! You know the feeling, the one where your skin crawls because you are embarrassed for someone? Well, you will get it every time she introduces a new chapter using it. All that being said, if you are curious at all about this lifestyle, you will never regret spending this book credit!

Entertaining!

I managed to listen to this book within a day, I really liked it. Overall, I liked Holly despite her sometimes sounding a tad bitter. I thought she did a great job narrating and found her voice impersonations of Kendra and Criss Angel hilarious. I enjoyed getting a peak behind the curtain, so to speak, and appreciate her candidness.

Respect Miss Madison

Great story about a women who took what life handed her and made something better than the sum of the parts. Deserves all she now has.

Better than expected

What made the experience of listening to Down the Rabbit Hole the most enjoyable?

Holly seemed very candid and real. I was curious about the strange lifestyle within the walls of the mansion and this was a great peek inside. I never got bored but I wish she could have used real names in some of the stories. It's classy that she didn't, but Im still curious. I also have to say that she did a great job narrating. Glad it bought it. Light and easy listening.

Interesting read

Holly seems to be a genuinely sweet individual. Her performance and voice were a pleasure to listen too. Although I times I found myself annoyed At the fact that she couldn’t except that Hef was who he was And he had long been that way before she was probably even in existence. I definitely enjoyed this read. she is a relatable individual a rags to riches story that everyone likes to root for. I wish her nothing but the best and I’m actually very happy that I took the time to listen to this book.

Great book

Fun story, good book if you don't want to think too much and just want to wind down at the end of the night! Even my boyfriend enjoyed it whenever I would play it on long car rides

really interesting and could not stop listening!

listened to in less than a day so captivating i could not turn it off!

Holly is a great storyteller!

I could not put this book down. Every chance I could I would listen to it.

I grew up watching this

Wow, I'm really glad I took the time to listen to this. The only complaint I have is when she changes her voice level and tries to imitate Heff, and other characters as well. However, despite that minor issue, she genuinely seems like a good person and I love that things worked out okay for her. It's always inspiring to hear stories of resilience and personal growth.