Rating: 5/5

Holly Madison is probably best known for starring on the E! TV show The Girls Next Door. For many that’s where their knowledge of Holly Madison begins and ends and until I listened to this audiobook that’s all I knew as well. While the book narrates Holly’s life in the Playboy mansion and the obstacles that she had to overcome during her time there, it is also the story of a young woman coming into her own despite the people in her life who attempted to hold her back.

I remember watching The Girls Next Door when the show aired on E! and really liking Holly; she always seemed so smart and nice. So when I saw that she had written a book and that she narrated the audiobook I grabbed it immediately. I’m a sucker for celebrities narrating their own memoirs and wondered what kind of gossip Holly would be revealing in Down the Rabbit Hole. Though I suspected that some type of drama had to have occurred to make Holly leave the Playboy mansion while the show The Girls Next Door was still airing, I had no idea just how dark life in the mansion truly was for the women that lived there.

Holly narrates her rise to fame as she went from college student to the TV personality that we all have come to know. Hearing her narrate her own story made the experience that much more personal. Despite the obstacles that she faced, Holly was still able to put a positive spin on otherwise bad experiences. Though I thought this book was going to be fluffy and full of gossip, I found that it was much deeper than that as Holly spoke of her own personal growth in the mansion and on the set of The Girls Next Door. In a way she grew up in the Playboy mansion and it’s fascinating to hear her talk about just how much that affected her personality. She also gives readers a peek into the behind the scenes of reality television and reveals what actually happened in the scenes that aired for The Girls Next Door. 

This audiobook kept me engaged the entire time that I was listening to it. I found myself doing chores more slowly so I could stretch out my listening time. It felt like it ended too quickly and I would definitely be interested in reading more from her in the future. Even if you aren’t a fan of Holly or The Girls Next Door this is a great read that delves into how far from the truth reality shows stray and how important it is to stay true to one’s self.