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Look I love a trashy celebrity memoir but this one didn‘t fire. Was hoping for this to be more scandalous, or interesting, but this was bland and sad.

I'm so glad she told her story. So sad.

I thought this was a great memoir about Crystal's time in the Playboy Mansion.

I'm glad she's on the other side, figuring out who she is without someone telling her who they want her to be.

Crystal Hefner reveals a dark side to life in the Playboy mansion where a controlling and narcissistic Hugh Hefner preys on vulnerable young women. He‘s not here to defend himself but post ‘me too‘ his former lifestyle seems best left to a bygone era. I do think that framing herself as a ‘survivor‘ is a bit much but overall I appreciated how well written and insightful her memoir is.

This was a really well written memoir. It follows the story of the author from when she first attends a party at the Playboy mansion, through her time there as a girlfriend and then wife, and then when she leaves after Hugh Hefner‘s death. She does a great job of describing what happened but also reflecting on it and how the experiences were harmful or hurtful and how she‘s grown. It felt balanced and insightful.

Starting this one today… sounds very interesting! My third audiobook! Yay me! 😂

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My 3rd audiobook!! I‘ve always been very interested in the lives of those closest to Hugh… why?? Looking forward to hearing her story 🖤

Curiosity got the best of me on this one. I was curious as to who Crystal was and why she married Heffner, 60 years her senior. What I found is a terribly sad story from a young, naive woman. I wish for her happiness and I hope she‘s able to overcome the trauma of the ten years spent in the Playboy mansion. 💔

5🌟/5🌟 My usual rating for memoirs... unless really poorly written... I don't think it's my place to rate someone's life story.

I went into this book just being curious about what it was like to be at the Playboy Mansion, and to compare it to Holly Madison‘s book, to be honest.

This felt very honest and another confirmation that Hefner was just a predator and a narcissist. I‘m glad that Crystal found her voice and it just made me so sad for her and all the women that had to go through a similar experience at Playboy.

Definitely feel for her.

I‘m not sure why this drew me, except maybe morbid curiosity about the end of Hefner‘s life? I watched some of the reality show back when it was Holly and Kendra, but knew nothing of the later years and honestly was surprised he ever got married.

I‘m glad Crystal felt comfortable telling her story, and can only hope the more stories like these are told that maybe fewer women will fall into patterns and situations like this.

Nothing in this memoir from Hugh Hefner‘s 3rd wife surprised me but I loved that she found her own voice and had the courage to speak about her feelings and experiences in the Playboy mansion. Hef comes off as a total narcissist though she did feel love for him in some ways. Dr. Phil‘s family seems pretty yucky too, according to this!
Crystal‘s voice felt authentic though sad as she‘s deeply affected by two deaths earlier in her life.

A lot has come out about Hef and Playboy in the years since his death, and kind of surprisingly his last wife has one of the most nuanced looks at his complicated legacy and the role he gave her in protecting it. But she doesn‘t ignore her own conflicted feelings about how her 10 years at the mansion changed her for better and worse. Mama Love (tagged below) is Crystal‘s agent (and likely ghost writer), and I felt the same emotional detachment ⬇️

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I stopped watching Girls Next Door once the main three began to exit, so all I remembered hearing about Crystal was that she actually ended up marrying Hef‘s old ass. Her time in the Mansion was really sad and disturbing. I believe it was the same for all his “girlfriends.” All the rules and roles. Feeling trapped, indebted. What truly broke my heart was hearing about Crystal‘s first love. ⬇️