AceShowbiz - Bunnie XO and Jelly Roll are undeniably country music’s power couple today, but their journey to the top was far from easy.

In her memoir, Stripped Down: Unfiltered and Unapologetic, Bunnie XO shares deeply personal and sometimes harrowing stories of trauma, both inflicted upon her and self-inflicted. The book chronicles a painful childhood that bleeds into an equally difficult adulthood, exposing the raw realities behind her and Jelly Roll’s current success and happiness. Their early years together, as she reveals, were marked by hardship and struggle.

Despite the darkness woven throughout her story, Bunnie XO’s resilience and will to survive emerge as guiding forces. Even during moments of suicidal despair—which, heartbreakingly, have occurred more recently than one might expect—something inside her pushes her forward.

Released on February 17, the memoir is a compelling and fast-paced read, yet it doesn’t shy away from the grim truths that make it tough to digest. Readers may find themselves frustrated with Bunnie XO for some of her choices, but the book makes it clear that her upbringing and young adulthood left her ill-equipped to make better decisions. It’s impossible not to root for her as she navigates trauma after trauma, striving to break free from the cycle.

Bunnie XO openly admits her survival is nothing short of a miracle, given the abuse from men who hurt her, multiple overdoses, ectopic pregnancies, suicide attempts, and a serious car accident that could have left her paralyzed.

Her honesty is unflinching, presenting a kind of survivor’s guide through her experiences. While she holds accountable many adults who failed her during childhood and the abusive men she encountered, she is equally candid about her own flaws. At one point, she writes, “I was an awful human. I hurt people, and I had no remorse. I sure as hell couldn’t be told otherwise.”

But as Maya Angelou famously said, when she knew better, she did better. Through extensive therapy—which she emphasizes required multiple attempts before truly helping—along with learning to love herself and building a nurturing relationship, Bunnie XO eventually finds happiness.

Ultimately, Stripped Down offers hope to women facing similar overwhelming hardships, showing them that healing and survival are possible.

Here are some key revelations from the memoir:

Why Bunnie XO refuses to wear blue

Mindy, her stepmother who entered her life when Bunnie XO was 17 and her father 37, was a destabilizing and abusive presence. Between Mindy, her sister, and the abandonment by her biological mother (with whom she eventually reconnects), Bunnie XO felt trapped and powerless. One lasting symbol of this trauma was a powder-blue bridesmaid dress she was forced to wear at age five—a dress she hated intensely.

“[Mindy] had picked the most hideous powder-blue bridesmaid dresses,” Bunnie XO recalls, highlighting how even small details from her childhood were sources of pain and resentment.

This anecdote illustrates just how deeply the wounds run in her story, yet also underscores the strength it took for Bunnie XO to reclaim her narrative and rise above her past.