Behind Closed Doors at the Playboy Mansion - Bunny Tales

I recently bought this book hoping to find out what really happens behind the walls of the Playboy Mansion. It was promoted as a tell all of all the sex stories that went on at the Playboy mansion and what stars were doing what. THIS WAS NOT SO.
What a waste of time reading this. DON'T Waste your money on this. Most of the book is a self-ego, narcissistic bio of Isabella, and how she is so much better than everyone, how she didn't sleep with anyone, and all about her going to law school.
BORING!. She portrays herself as a high and mighty person, yet she uses Hugh Hefner for his money and to get fame. I have no respect for her at all. She is just like all the other people in that business, a glorified prostitute and mercenary that uses men. Get a job as a bartender if you wanted to put yourself through Law school. Her book is so bad. This book is basically a biography of this person, not aobut fun at the mansion.

DO NOT BUY THIS!!!!!

I found this book quite interesting although how do you become a girlfriend, live in the house, be paid weekly yet only have sex twice in a two year period?

God bless Izabella for wanting us to believe she is as pure as the driven snow while berating the women around her.

It gave me an understanding of how hard Hugh Hefner has to work for any sort of revelance and what some women will do for their 15 minutes.

Sad, pathetic yet a real page turner.

The book itself served its purpose, in giving an inside view as to the mansion, the girls, and the drama. It didnt stand out as an amazing must read, but I am glad I read it nonetheless. I have always been interested to hear about Playboy and life in the mansion. Some of the stuff she says in here are backed up in Holly Madisons book. This was the first book I actually read about life in the Mansion. She seems like a sweet girl, I would be interested to see where she is in life now.

This book is riddled with typos. Not just misused words, but commas in the middle of words and spaces in the middle of words and missing words. It's as if no one read through the book after it was written. The tone of this book is hard to pinpoint. Most of the time the author is trying really hard to let you know she's not like the rest of those girlfriends. She's smart, a lawyer, and she reminds you hundreds of times of that. There are times she tries to be self-deprecating, but it also sounds like a lot of excuses for why she was there. She judges Hef about how he used his money and rules to control the girlfriends, but were they not using him for free rent, food, and boob jobs? She exposes intimate moments with Hef and judges him and the other girls and whines about not getting money for certain things, but she participated in all the shenanigans as well. Overall, it's not very well written and the tone can shift and be annoying at times, but the reason we all bought this book is because we want to know what it was like to be one of Hef's girlfriends, and that part really is interesting.

Some people have written judgemental review about Isabella's charactor. I find her open mind and heart to be courageous. She is just a normal, beautiful, intelligent, young women who found herself in a strange and extraordinary circumstance. Most of us have to admit that if offered an opportunity to live at the playboy mansion, we would. There is a lot of depth to St James, the chapter about her childhood was moving. Her story is real, not perfect. Clearly any young woman who chooses a sugar daddy lifestyle and it's benefits will also be judged. Is it right is it wrong? I don't give a damn. This is an interesting read about Hugh Hefner's iconic and mysterious lifestyle.

I read Holly Madison book first then decided to read Izabellas book. Yes, they are similar but I will say that Izabellas has all the pros and cons of her life while living In the mansion and Hollys book is mainly focused on the cons of her time in the mansion. I do believe Izabella when she basically makes Holly out to be the sneaking little rat who told Hef everything and who kept a close eye on all the girls business. After all Holly is a self proclaimed noisy sneak. Holly claims she ran out all the mean girls from the mansion but you can only do that if you are an even MEANER girl. Both are good reads... You have Izabellas book, Hollys book then you have the truth.......

So, after indulging in the guilty pleasure that is "The Girls Next Door" on Cable TV - I heard through the media about this book.

So, as with the guilty pleasure that was the TV show- I thought I'd read this book. I thought, well -"what the hey?" - I mean, this woman named Izabella had been at the Playboy Mansion before the TV show and seemed like an intelligent woman.

The book was full of juicy details, and to be honest I rather enjoyed Izabella's honest and eloquent (ok, ok sometimes colloquial) style of writing. Her writing seemed so honest and open.

I would recommend this book to anyone who dares to wonder what really goes on at the Playboy Mansion.

Her writing style is addictive, and I couldn't put the book down.

A guilty pleasure!

Izabella delivers what she promises in the title, "Behind the Closed Doors of the Playboy Mansion". I read the book because I wanted the dirt on Hef and his girlfriends. Does he really have sex with all of them? Why do these beautiful women chose to live with this 80 year old man? Does he pay them? This book answers all that and more, and provides all the juicy details. The bedroom chapter was the most revealing. I'll never look at Holly the same way again! And the revelation that Hef has sex with so many different women yet doesn't ever wear a condom? Scandalous!

Of course she is catty and has sour grapes about her two years in the mansion. That's what makes the book such a fun read! I loved her honesty and candidness about the drama between the girlfriends. I knew it couldn't be as perfect as they claim it to be on The Girls Next Door - like 7 women could share 1 boyfriend without drama? Yeah, right! Thanks to brave Izabella, we know the truth.

Poor grammar and misspelled words usually bother me a lot, but it really wasn't as bad in this book as some other reviewers would have you believe. The book is a quick read and a guilty pleasure - exactly as I hoped it would be. If that's all you are looking for, I doubt you'll be disappointed!

I particularly enjoyed this book even though half way in I remembered the other reviews and id like to say that even though it seems thrown together I dont think it was poorly written given the perspective. She could only write stories strung together because it doesn't have a plot. Its just a look at the inside of a bunny's life. I am wondering though if her fellow bunny's sat there reading it blowing steam because of what she had to say about there relationships with hef. :P props for the braveness either way.

Entertaining recount of events that took place during her stay at the playboy mansion. While most seems amicable, it is clear the author holds no I'll will toward Hefner. Interesting notes on the other bunnies which became predictable after a few chapters.

The content of the book was good. Although there were so many spelling and grammatically errors it was ridiculous.
Slightly ironic when the author speaks of being 'more than just a pretty face, but an intelligant person too' with 5 or 6 errors on that page alone!

Never wrote a the store book review before. Writing this one to tell people STAY AWAY from this mess unless you literally get it for $2 or less, and are really nostalgic about the early 2000s celebrity culture in LA. Not that you will get a whole lot of it, as the author literally will not shut up about the pointless, meaningless details of her ridiculously banal life. She sees herself as a above the majority of the other girls in book because of her third tier law degree but is amazingly, amazingly stupid. Says she supports animal rights, but spend $4000 to buy Pugs, who are known for their numerous health problems due to their facial anatomy. Writes that Holly got plastic surgery to look like Barbi, one of Hef's old girlfriends, but cannot understand why he would date Kendra, who looks exactly like Barbi. Gets into a fight with Bridget over a seating dispute and brings up the fact that she used to take psychiatric medication as a insult, and genuinely wonders why she was painted as a "mean girl". With this total inability to make logical conclusions, I am completely unsurprising to find she has never been able to pass the bar exam. Furthermore, googling this simple question brought up a facebook page set up by the family of a little girl who Pug was stolen by Izabella in 2015 and who had to involve LAPD
( they eventually got the dog back). Pathetic. The only interested part is the stuff that Holly would not get into in her book- mainly sexual aspects of the relationship as well as more details about the other girls and Hef's reasons for dating them. Holly's book is also somewhat self-centered, but she is nearly as awful of a person as Izabella St. James, so it's not a torture to read it. But that one instead.

Fun, guilty pleasure read. I was working away from home, and had a long commute in a carpool, and this was the best read to just relax and decompress after work. I disagree w some of the negative reviewers, I think the author presents a balanced perspective regarding all involved, including herself.

This was a fun read. Everything about Playboy absolutely fascinates me. But oh man, this woman is pompous. She complains left and right about Holly. Everything is Holly's fault. When she didn't get the Cadillac Escalade she wanted and had to "settle" for a tricked-out Chevy Tahoe (that she makes a point to mention ended up costing as much as an Escalade in the end, as if that's what matters, how much Hef spends) instead, it was because of Holly, and at that point I actually started to feel sorry for Hugh Hefner. Yes, he objectifies women and fails to be faithful to anyone, but he was also used and hustled by these bratty women like there was no tomorrow. She complained that he didn't pay her school loans, that $1000 a week was not enough of an allowance, and so forth. I really couldn't stand her in the end, and when a blowout between her and Bridget ended up being the last straw, I cheered when Hef announced, "I can't take anymore of this s***!"

I enjoyed this book and it satisfied the curiosity I had about the enormously influential Playboy phenomenon. There are other tell all books about life in the Mansion but I found out all I need to know with this one.
It is primarily about Izabella: her life, her journey, her decisions, her experiences and her relationships. Some might be bored or disinterested in the events of her life outside of the Playboy years but I am glad she made the book about herself, putting the Playboy years into the context of a young woman's journey through life. There was always an element of detachment and inner grounding with Izabella which allowed her to complete her journey through Hefworld with a sense of gratitude and fondness, even though it became, in time, unsatisfying, frustrating and unsustainable. She makes many insightful and candid observations. She writes with authenticity. What more can one ask for?

The story was well written and I learned things that I had never thought about.
The amount of money and gifts the girls were given was mind boggling. I was glad I read about the mansion and some of what goes on behind closed doors, but I would never live there. The price would be far too great.

Read after her blast of Holly... Obvious to see who the coded mean girls are. As or one girl calling another desperate or an attention seeking... umm... is this not pot calling the kettle? At least Holly's book had some substance. This woman comes across as an uneducated individual who can't properly compose a book for starters...and despite it's juicy details, is just another dried up whore.

I bought this book some time ago, after watching THE GIRLS NEXT DOOR, just because I was curious to see what really goes on behind the scenes at the Playboy Mansion.

Izabella's motivation for moving to the Mansion and staying there as long as she did, while at the same time continually complaining about how hard it was there, is very disingenuous. It would appear that she was after the money just as much as the other girls, although she was acting as if she was above all of that. She continually contradicts herself; it is almost as if writing this book was a form of therapy to help her sort through these feelings. This book was also poorly written and edited and, as other reviewers have stated, it goes all over the place.

This book, however, does indeed shed light on the complex personality of Hugh Hefner. Despite being well-educated and generous at times, Hefner has another highly controlling and egotistical side that is well hidden from the public. This comes through in her description of his behavior at various times. For instance, Hefner has sex with multiple partners without using contraception or any type of STD protection, and just treats women as playthings and objects with which to have a superficial relationship. I found her account of how he behaved on "Viagra nights" very disturbing. She says "he is known to push and poke the girls forcibly..when he didn't get his way, things would quickly get ugly." This is clearly a man who is used to getting what he wants, when he wants it. I know that I saw some of that when I watched THE GIRLS NEXT DOOR. When Holly Madison was remodeling the gym downstairs, which was very outdated with old equipment, he made very rude comments because things were not exactly the way he wanted them to be. That controlling and rude demeanor came right out in the show. I could only imagine what he must be really like in private. UGH!

Ultimately,Izabella is not that much better than Hefner. All of these women are exploiting him, just as much as he is exploiting them.

I have to say this book delivered. I was curious, curiosity satisfied. I am usually upset about grammatical errors and typos in books, but i was able to look past them. I come across so many in high profile literature that I relaxed my expectations for this one. It was not as bad as people made it out to be.

Unlike some other readers, don't skip any of the chapters, the early ones giving the background story provide context and the other parts describing everyday, mundane life at the mansion give a total picture. I did get annoyed that she constantly referred to herself as educated. We get it, you wanted to emphasise that you had something to fall back on and wasn't a desperate bimbo like some of the others who stripped or waitressed. But interestingly enough did not mention Bridget was also educated. And despite the cattiness and negative attributes, people are not one dimensional, so constantly portraying other girls in a negative light, and oneself in a positive light, is not being completely fair or honest. In fact, everyone has reasons for doing what they do, but only the author gets to explain her reasons and the others are chalked up to desperation and greed.

I did thoroughly enjoy the book and it was interesting that I read this while visiting Krakow. I'll recommend it for anyone who is interested or curious to know what goes on in the life of celebrities.

Although I agree that this book was filled with too many contradictory statements and spelling/gramatical errors to count, it was nonetheless a very interesting read. I was intrigued to find out what actually happens behind the closed doors of the Playboy mansion, and I'm left wondering if what is shown on "The Girls Next Door" isn't all for show? I'm guessing it is, however what reality TV show isn't?

Saying that, it was almost revolting how many times Izabella felt the need to remind the readers of her intelligence and education. Yeah yeah yeah, I'm sure every Playmate/Girlfriend of Hef has tried to convince themselves of that before...that they are "too good" to have been at the mansion. Or at least that's what they think once they've been kicked out. Although I'm not doubting her intelligence, I just felt it was a bit tacky to bring it up several times in every single chapter. If she's so smart...why doesn't she make her money as a lawyer (what her education was in), and not "cheaply" by writing a tell-all book about an ex-boyfriend?

I also found the contradictory statements she made about Hef to be little much. In one paragraph she would be ripping him to shreds, actually stating she hated him on several occasions. Then below on the same page she would be praising him for being so generous, etc. Give me a break! Which one is it?

Overall I would recommend this book, but I remind you to take everything with a grain of salt.

Izabella does a fantastic job at portraying herself as a mean girl who is above everyone else. Having a law degree doesn't mean you are God in the flesh. She is ungrateful for the things Playboy provided her. She believes everyone who is looking her way is "checking her out." News flash, her face reminds me of a swollen face after an allergic reaction. Save your time and read Holly or Kendra's book.

Basically, I recommend reading the book, but with a grain of salt. Specifically:

- After absorbing the whole thing, Izabella seems like the catty one though she tries to make others look bad. She comes across like an entitled brat in several parts of the book. The part that struck me the most was she talked about how Hef will get them as much plastic surgery as they want, but he would not pay her law school loans off for her. True that may be a selfish priority on Hef's part, but why in the world would one expect anyone else to pay their law school loans for them? He's already paying for everything else for them. And she has the nerve to accuse other girls -- true or not -- of being a gold digger? Projection much?

I expected to finish the book having some sort of respect for her, but I do not believe she is any better than the people she bashes.

- This is probably the most poorly edited book I've ever read. In fact, I do not think it was edited at all. It reads like a draft; there are several spelling errors, sometimes commas appear in the middle of words, there are many run on sentences, etc.

*Very* often there are consecutive sentences and even paragraphs that say the same thing with similar but slightly different phrasing, like she wrote it two different ways and then never picked which phrasing she liked better. Where was the editor? This was the most distracting thing about the book, never knowing if the next paragraph would say the same thing.

- She is very inconsistent in describing her feelings about things. She whines about Hef not letting them have fun at parties, and a few paragraphs later expresses gratitude towards him for taking them to such fun parties. Same things about gifts, money, Hef, the other girls, etc. I understand that she has complex and conflicting feelings about some of the things that went on in the mansion, but several sections were not articulated as such and read as quite bizarre. Here again, an editor would have been helpful.

+ The only really good thing about this book is once you get past her autobiography, there is some interesting information about the mansion that I did not know beforehand. As for the interactions that went on, who knows.

not what I was looking for. Reads more "bitter" than "insider." Furthermore, if you want a juicy read on the playboy mansion, the years the author was there (early 2000's) don't seem to be the most poppin'. Can one of the women from the 70's write a book? An insignificant player from an insignificant time.