The Vegas Diaries

by Holly Madison

After making the sudden decision to reclaim her life, Holly broke free from the sheltered, deceptive confines of the mansion (which meant exiting a hit television show) and was determined to start her life over . . . from scratch. Without the security of a job or relationship, she set out to reinvent herself on no one's terms but her own.

Deciding to roll the dice and begin again in the glamorous and dreamlike city of Las Vegas, Holly quickly realized that while she may have left her past in the rearview mirror, the labels and stereotypes that came from it weren't so quick to leave her. With a fierce commitment to take charge of her own narrative, Holly dives headfirst into a journey of self-discovery.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Audiobook, Biography, Autobiography, Celebrity, Biography Memoir

272 pages, Hardcover

First published June 21, 2016

About the author

Holly Madison spent five seasons on the #1 rated E! hit reality show The Girls Next Door before landing the leading role in the Las Vegas Strip's smash hit, Peepshow. She also starred in two seasons of her own hit E! series Holly's World.

Madison divides her time between Las Vegas and Los Angeles with her husband and daughter.

Reviews

[Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin · Rating 2 out of 5]

So this came in through Overdrive today and I'm glad it was short. :-/

I really loved Holly's first book and I like her as a person. I had some trepidation going into this book because of the title. I figured it would be MOSTLY about the Vegas life again and it was for the most part. I mean it she talked about all kinds of other things she didn't talk about in the first book about her time in Vegas but I just didn't like it.

I would like her to write a book about what it was like when she met her husband and what they went through up until today. And truth be told I would like to read more junk about the mansion and the cray going on there. lol

Either way if she puts out another book I will get it from the library too. I do own her first book, "Down The Rabbit Hole" and I loved it like I said, but I'm not buying this one. It just wasn't for me.

[Lauren · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was really hoping for more of a sequel to Down the Rabbit Hole, but instead, I felt like I paid thirteen dollars to reread the last quarter of that book.

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was... really quite boring. I don't know what I expected, but all this seemed to do was take some of her last book ( Down the Rabbit Hole: Curious Adventures and Cautionary Tales of a Former Playboy Bunny ) and re-write it again. And her dating life was not all that interesting. At least, not interesting enough to require a whole book. There were a few bits that were funny enough to make me laugh, but in general... Yawn.

[Brandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once again I am a sucker for someone that can fall to the rock bottom and pick themselves up and come out on top. Whether you love or hate her, HM was a broken woman when she left the Playboy mansion. I know that both Hef and Kendra try to say that she is lying but you can see traces of these stories if you watch the show. So I tend to believe her, even if it is more of her perception. And lets face it if you have a bunch of beautiful, skinny women living together in a house competing for the attention of one man there will be drama and it will bring out the mean girls.

I really wish I would have seen Peepshow. It sounds so good! I also can't wait to see Holly's World, if only to put some faces and names together.

At one point after reading HM's other book I thought about reading Kendra's book, however I don't see it as being as entertaining or well spoken just in seeing the difference in the 2 women's....intelligence. I will have to remain on TeamHolly!

[Jeannette · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a waste of a book - she didn't name anyone and basically repeated her story and still just can't realize that maybe somethings might be her fault. Its time I won't get back to read a better book - at least her first book actually had some real substance to it.

[vyoletkyss · Rating 1 out of 5]

Made this mistake of reading this one first. Might have cared more if I had read "Down the Rabbit Hole" first but I doubt it. This really lowered my opinion of Holly. The whole time reading it I just wanted to yell "go see a therapist" but obviously that would not solve anything. This book is less awesome Vegas and more "Poor Holly, whine whine". Skip it, not worth the read.

[Talia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as polished and intriguing as 'Down the Rabbit Hole'. Sure, it's nice to know that she could find huge success as a single lady... Go girl! But still... her goals and successes were so materialistic and her personal issues so narcissistic that for the majority of the book I felt detached, disengaged and unsympathetic towards her. Still not a waste of time though if you have followed her for a while! I hope to read a next book focused more on her husband Pasquale and consequent family life!

[W. Frazier · Rating 2 out of 5]

There is not much to this book. It's almost like an extended telephone conversation -- this happened, that happened, and then it ends. Madison's first book, Down the Rabbit Hole, has a fun spark to it. This one doesn't have the same pull. If intent on reading it, I would suggest the audio version. (I switched between the ebook and audio editions). Madison delivers her story well in audio and the narration matches the casual content and conversational tone of the book.

[meghann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Holly Madison, and I was so excited about this sequel to Down the Rabbit Hole. This book focuses on her time in Vegas as she is figuring out what she wants her post-Playboy life to be. It details her time headlining Peepshow, her new reality show, and the new friendships she builds in Vegas. A good deal of this is devoted to her dating life, the mistakes that she made, and her journey to be true to herself in a relationship after years of being what others wanted.

This one didn't pack as much punch for me as DTRH. I mean, that one altered everything I thought about one of my favorite shows and the people in it. That was some life changing shit right there. I'm not as familiar with the people in this book, and many were given pseudonyms. I became obsessed with using the clues and google to try to figure out who Holly was talking about (did you know she dated a Backstreet Boy? What you read about him will beyond gross you out). I think I was hoping this would include more about when things turned around for her and she started having healthier relationships, met her husband, etc. Maybe that will be book three. Or maybe she doesn't want to write about her family. I get that. I was also a little sad this book didn't include photographs like the first one did.

There were some moments that had me laughing out loud ("Oh my god, my uterus is falling out of my vagina."), and I can definitely relate to Holly's social awkwardness. All conversations should occur in text. I hope Holly writes more books as I would love to know how she got from where this one leaves off to where she is now.

[Tonya Bush · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was extremely disappointed with this book. I very much enjoyed 'Down the Rabbit Hole' as it was a thorough documentation of Holly's mansion experience. However, the second I read the disclaimer inside 'The Vegas Diaries' that names and such had been altered, I was immediately let down. It's difficult to determine which individuals were fabricated and which were just exaggerated and renamed. The book just doesn't feel authentic or accurate. Some parts seem completely made up and she continuously portrays herself as an introvert. She barely touches on the characters from Holly's World and makes it seem like she expected to quit Peepshow when she did, even though we all know it's because she got pregnant and married. I was just horribly disappointed with this book. Hopefully her future books and "recollections" are better.

[Teri Beth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly, this was boring. Madison's first book, Down the Rabbit Hole: Curious Adventures and Cautionary Tales of a Former Playboy Bunny, was actually enlightening and interesting. This one not so much, it was basically a long list of everyone she dated in Vegas and how each relationship fell apart. There was barely anything about her friends or Holly's World. The writing was rough making Madison come across really whiny and with the disclaimer in the front, I don't know who/what was real or not. I was really hoping to read about her meeting her husband and getting married and having a baby, but I guess that'll just be another book now.

[Lindsay · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was very meh. I was expecting to hear a lot more about Peep Show and Holly's work in Vegas, and instead it was a bland re-telling of a bunch of catty drama and bad dates with douchebags without any actual names, specifics, or remotely juicy details. I couldn't believe that the book ended with a chapter rehashing Holly's first trip to Vegas as a girlfriend when she had spent so much of the book telling how much she wanted to be distanced from that. It was a weird way to end a book about finding independence. I listened to the entire book, but it's very forgettable.

[Jessie · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you just listen/read these books for what they are, they are really enjoyable and fun reads! Not life changing literature or a masterpiece but just a really fun book in between all the serious stuff

[Sami Boucher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Compared to Down the Rabbit Hole, Vegas Diaries is a disappointment. I thought this book would lead up to her meeting her husband and having her first child-not the case. I don't feel like I discovered much of anything new that wasn't in her first book or reality show. Although Madison tries so hard to distance herself from Hef and Playboy, it seems that without the revelation of behind the scenes events related to Playboy, her storytelling and plot is a dud.

[britt_brooke · Rating 2 out of 5]

After reading, and appreciating, Crystal Hefner’s new memoir, I decided to grab Holly Madison’s second one. I read her memoir Down the Rabbit Hole a few years ago and enjoyed, but this was pretty abysmal. Dating fail after dating fail was boring and very surface level. Know when to lower your expectations, I guess. 😂

[Savannah Hendricks · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't like this as much as Down the Rabbit Hole. My review https://theseashellsoflife.wordpress....

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yep, I read this.

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Remarkably boring. Holly highlighted tensions and drama where they did not actually exist. I was hoping for a seemingly salacious book, like her first one.

[Jennifer Brown · Rating 1 out of 5]

Another woe-is-me book by Holly. Not sure why I decided to listen to this one. I almost deleted it half way through. She is always the victim with everyone (except maybe with the one guy). And she won't name names but tells their story anyways...so are they true stories or tales to make her more interesting? Kind of glad I didn't waste my time watching any more of her shows when they were out.

[LC Cardadeiro · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn’t expect to like this book as much as I did. Very interesting.

[Sammi · Rating 1 out of 5]

I know, I know... I should’ve known better .

[Miz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm such a sucker for tabloid love interests and reality stars. This was a fun read - Now I want to drink all the vegas cocktails she mentions!!

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I first heard that Holly Madison had written an autobiography about her years in Vegas, I was confused. Although the majority of her first book was focused on her life at the Playboy Mansion, she did talk about her years with Peepshow and Holly's World, and I wasn't sure what else there was to cover.

Obviously, I was very wrong. Something that I find so interesting about Holly is that so much of her life in the public eye so far has been a mystery pretending to be an open book. People thought they knew who she was and what she wanted, even after she left the Mansion, which is probably why her last book was so shocking in its honesty. This book has the same candidness and focuses mainly on how she struggled to put herself back together emotionally after many years of being isolated and made to feel like who she was and what she wanted wasn't important. I really enjoyed this book - I couldn't put it down and ended up reading it in a couple of hours. She has a very clear storytelling style that gets the important points across while still being witty and entertaining. It's not something everyone can do in an autobiography, but she seems to have a gift for it. If she writes a third book - perhaps about her life after Vegas? - I would read it happily.

[Jackie G · Rating 1 out of 5]

Who doesn’t like some family friendly slut shaming to start off? Throughout this novel I found myself rolling my eyes at quite a few off-color things the author said. I’m not a doctor, nor do I play one on tv, BUT the way it’s written and read (I listened to the audiobook) it feels like she’s emotionally stunted. She talks about being 31 and growing into her goals and her life, but she talks and acts like she’s 21. Which spending those formative years under the control of Heff, I can see her being stunted.
Also my favorite was her rant about her one friend and how she’d usually join in on shit talking with her and then three pages later discussed how she doesn’t like when people talk shit.
That was *chefs kiss*

Ultimately she made me tired. It got tiring listening to her go on and on about needing a boyfriend and questioning her looks and voicing the same insecurities and not learning from any of her past issues. She probably would have done well in therapy.

Also, since I listened to the audiobook she definitely pronounced the “h” sound first in “wh” words
Hwere, hwether, hwat, hwiskey.

You want some fuckin cool hwip?

[Andrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

My library hold of The Vegas Diaries came in before Madison’s first book, so I listened out of order. I wasn’t even sure if I should bother with this one because so many reviewers said Down the Rabbit Hole was far superior, but when in Rome and all that (or when a book magically appears in Libby, to be more accurate)...
Madison seems very much like a lost soul at the beginning of this book, and I had hopes that she would at least begin to find herself by its conclusion (even though her life since publication would indicate otherwise). But honestly, there’s not a ton of personal growth here, and the endless complimentary physical descriptions of every person she meets just fuel the general consensus that she’s shallow and less than intelligent. It was a difficult slog for me, despite the fact that I genuinely wanted to like her more.
Here’s hoping I enjoy Down the Rabbit Hole SIGNIFICANTLY more than I did The Vegas Diaries.
2 stars

[Jacoba · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was disappointed. I LOVED Down the Rabbit Hole. But I am not sure why she decided to publish this book now. To be honest, her life in Vegas just wasn't that interesting...at least not how she told it. I would have loved to hear more about Peepshow and the routines and the show itself. She tried to be vague about relationships or encounters with other celebrities and I think that is great that she wants to protect other people's privacy but if you aren't going to name names then just don't write about it. I thought she would talk about meeting her husband but there was nothing about that relationship in this book. I guess she's leaving it for book 3?

I feel for Holly because it really does feel like she wants to ditch her playboy past but she just hasn't figured out how to do it yet.

[Candie Paulsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like Holly's voice and i appreciate her personal development and how she has reinvented herself since leaving Playboy. I also really enjoy how she ties each of her stories to a fairytale because, when looked through with the appropriate lens, anyone's life story could be a fairytale and it goes along beautifully with her personality. I think an added bonus in this book were the history tidbits she would include about LA neighborhoods, Las Vegas, and small stopping points between the two. A very enjoyable read if you're a fan of Holly Madison.

[Juan Carrillo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holly's story is just that Holly's story..she has a journey she went on and a way she grew and came into the next stage of her life..many people believe because she was connected to playboy she is less than however that's so far from the truth..a young woman searching for her self and trying to figure out life,how is that not good..also because she took the luster of the castle that Heff built and that's ok. Very enjoyable hope there's a third book.

[✨Cassie ✨ · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Down The Rabbit Hole by Holly, and thought this book would be like the previous one, but I was wrong. I got 57% into it and had to stop. It's seriously a retelling of her other book, just the back drop of Vegas and Peep Show. It wasn't enticing and fell flat. No humor, very blah. The only thing that gave me a little pep was going and trying to search who some of these guys were. Total flop, for me! And for $12.99 plus tax I was expecting way more!

[✨Cassie ✨ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Down The Rabbit Hole by Holly, and thought this book would be like the previous one, but I was wrong. I got 57% into it and had to stop. It's seriously a retelling of her other book, just the back drop of Vegas and Peep Show. It wasn't enticing and fell flat. No humor, very blah. The only thing that gave me a little pep was going and trying to search who some of these guys were. Total flop, for me!