Sometimes, I choose books to read because I am curious about the person and their life, and this was one of them. I do know who Hugh Hefner was and I know what Playboy is and what it represents to the world. I have two copies of Playboy from February of 1965 which is the issue with The Beatles first interview. I also have a book called The Complete Playboy Interviews: John Lennon. It’s interesting when I scan through the 1965 issue and see the ads for cigarettes, cheap real estate, a Playboy subscription for $8/year, and lots of Playboy memorabilia.
Crystal was 21 years old when she was invited to the Playboy Mansion for a Halloween Party in 2008. She caught the eye of Hefner, and five years later, they got married. They lived happily after ever until he died in 2017. NOPE! That didn’t happen.
She did meet Hefner at that Halloween Party and they did get married. Hugh Hefner very much liked to control everything, especially the girls (he had a type and he always got what he wanted). Most of these girls thought that by sleeping or being with him, would increase their chances of being in the magazine. For Crystal, that did happen. But, she also really struggled with the expectations and strict curfews of living in the Playboy Mansion.
When the announcement of the engagement happened, she claims he never asked and she never said yes. It was just a big act for the reality show, The Girls Next Door.
Crystal ended up leaving the Mansion, but it took a lot of advanced planning. The person who helped her during that tough time was Jordan McGraw (Dr. Phill’s son), Dr. Phil also helped her with some professional advice. Crystal and Jordan became really close and she moved in with him. Later, she found some motherly emails from Jordan’s mom telling him to leave her! Dr. Phil was also overheard bragging that his son grabbed a Playboy Playmate. For Crystal, that was enough and she left.
She ended up back at the Playboy Mansion and married Hugh in a small ceremony. She not only became his wife but also his caretaker as Hugh was getting older and frailer. During this time, Crystal got sick with Lyme Disease and had to care for both of them.
Crystal did some good stuff for Hugh and the Playboy Mansion, as she did a lot of organizing and categorizing things in the house, especially all the scrapbooks.
After Hugh passed away, she finally felt free and moved on to bigger and better things.
I enjoyed the book, and am glad she was able to write freely about her experiences and hope that this can be a life lesson to others.
