Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

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

11 reviews

emileemaree's review

emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective slow-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body shaming, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship

scifi_rat's review against another edition

dark reflective medium-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Confinement, Drug use, Infidelity, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual content, Trafficking, Alcohol, and Classism

jessthemess8112's review

emotional informative inspiring sad medium-paced

3.25

I went into this book knowing nothing about Playboy.  Reading about Holly's experiences, learning about the behind the scenes of that lifestyle and seeing how she overcame everything that man put her through is beyond inspiring. I think it's very brave of Holly to write this and as a reader,  I enjoyed the insight into such a huge celebrity that definitely played to his audience.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Drug use, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Addiction, Cancer, Death, and Alcohol

chronicallyplotting's review

emotional funny informative reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

Holly Madison, Hugh Hefner’s number one girlfriend for a period of time shares her “Adventures Down the Rabbit Hole” in her debut memoir. 

I thought this memoir was very telling about the life of a playboy house bunny. Through the eyes of someone who came from nothing and mostly went into the mansion needing a place to stay. I am glad Holly’s life panned out after everything that went on inside that house. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Body shaming, Bullying, Drug use, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

adrienanthony's review

emotional funny informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Incest, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

hydr0jen's review

funny informative reflective medium-paced

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body shaming, Sexual content, and Gaslighting

jackieyvette's review

adventurous emotional funny hopeful sad medium-paced

4.25

I read this book when it first came out (I was like 8 years old watching GND what do you expect) and have read it probably a handful of times, but have never listened to it, so with Spotify adding an audiobook section so I decided to listen this time. 
I loved hearing Holly's voice tell her own story since a big part of it is Holly finding her voice in so many different ways. I still follow Holly's life now and listen to her podcast Girls Next Level with Bridget Marquardt and love to hear them talk about their time at the mansion and flesh out more of the stories I heard in her book. 


Crying score: of course 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, and Gaslighting

lizacorn's review

emotional informative lighthearted reflective medium-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Emotional abuse, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Confinement, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Drug use, Incest, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, and Alcohol

bzliz's review against another edition

lighthearted fast-paced

3.75

I’ve been listening to Holly and Bridget’s podcast Girls Next Level and thought I should reread this to compare new feelings with old ones. I was a big Girls Next Door fan when it aired. I especially loved Bridget and Holly (Kendra always gave me bad vibes) and I liked how fun the show was at its core even though these women were living a lifestyle I definitely couldn’t relate to. As I get older, it makes sense that the reality of the situation didn’t match up to the reality show. 

People can debate all they want about the truth of Holly’s words but now that she and Bridget are doing this podcast and doing interviews with people who were also in the Playboy circuit, I think their stories of mistreatment are pretty credible. Note: Kendra fans will probably not enjoy this. 

There are a few editing errors that jumped out at me but it wasn’t terribly distracting from Holly’s message. She does repeat herself at times and the allusion that her life had similarities to that of Marilyn Monroe seems a little grandiose but I think that overall I’m glad she seized the opportunity to tell her story and hold very little back. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, and Alcohol

lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny hopeful informative lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

 I picked this up because I have recently fallen down the rabbit hole (pun intended) of rewatching The Girls Next Door and exploring the dark and twisty world of Playboy.
"Down the Rabbit Hole" is Holly Madison's memoir that mainly highlights her time at the Playboy mansion. In the early 2000s, Holly was Hugh Hefner's number one girlfriend for several years. During her time at the Playboy mansion, she also starred in the E! hit "The Girls Next Door".
I really enjoyed reading more about Holly's life. I have recently binged listened to her podcast with fellow Girls Next Door costar, Bridget Marquardt. This book definitely explores some different aspects of her life and she does a great job of not repeating herself across all of her platforms. Holly is eloquent in her delivery and balances honesty without being unnecessarily mean about those who have mistreated her.
The book does highlight the beginning of her career in Vegas after she left the Playboy world, and it does chronicle her relationship with Criss Angel, if you were curious what her life post Playboy looked like.
If you were ever curious about what went on behind closed doors at the Playboy mansion, or you wanted to learn more about Holly's life in the earlier 2000's, this book is a must read. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol