Run, Rose, Run

by Dolly Parton and James Patterson

What do you get when a country music legend collaborates with the world’s best selling author? If the pair is comprised of Dolly Parton and James Patterson, then the creation is Run, Rose, Run. The two authors draw on each other’s strengths to write a fascinating thriller about a young singer-songwriter with the talent and drive to make it to the top. AnnieLee Keyes, unfortunately, has a past that haunts her present as she desperately tries to outrun some evil men. Her secrets are so painful that she can not bear to share them with anyone.

AnnieLee gradually goes from homeless to having a peek at what life could look like if she were successful in the tough music industry. She had the good fortune to meet Ethan who is also struggling financially and emotionally, but who is immediately attracted to this beautiful, talented “firecracker.” He introduces her to his famous boss Ruthanna Ryder who has retired from public singing and releasing new works, but continues to write songs and sing them in her private studio.

Run, Rose, Run moves from focusing on AnnieLee’s survival to her career development and back to survival again as she is physically attacked several times. She conceals on each occasion who is attacking her and why increasing the suspense for the reader.

Patterson brings storytelling skills and experience as an author to the book, and Parton contributes knowledge of how the music industry works. The reader gets glimpses of what success looks like, what is involved in attaining it, and how fame affects people. Quite unfamiliar with the music industry, I found myself looking up a few terms and was surprised by the difficult life endured by those at the bottom of the ladder. Without a doubt, parts of Ruthanna’s character are based on Dolly Parton’s life, especially her efforts to get books in the hands of children. Also Dolly Parton and the characters Ruthanna and AnnieLee have in common a love of song writing. I picture Ruthanna as a fictional Dolly Parton from her folksy, direct Southern expressions to her adherence to expensive clothes, full makeup, and glitzy stage costumes. Run, Rose, Run is a fun trip behind the scenes to learn how country music stars are made, told via a dramatic mystery that kept me turning pages and, at times, holding my breath.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Rating: 5/5

Category: Mystery and Thriller

Notes: 1. Contains lots of swearing.
2. Dolly produced an accompanying album. You can listen to the music composed by the characters in the book if you seek it out on YouTube.

Publication: March 7, 2022—Little, Brown, & Co.

Memorable Lines:

“If time is money, my friends,” she said in conclusion, “just think of all I’ve saved you by not rambling on and on. So be generous tonight, please, and help us give books to kids who need them. Who crave them. And whose lives will be forever changed by them. Because books, my friends, are true magic bound between two covers. Thank you.”

Ethan was funny, though, and Ruthanna had quickly developed a soft spot for him, partly because he thought he was so tough. One of these days she was going to tell him that a bullet wound and a Purple Heart didn’t make him hard as nails. They made him just like everyone else. Sometimes you could see the scars and sometimes you couldn’t. But everybody had them.

But Ethan had seen AnnieLee in her kitchen, and as far as he could tell, she barely knew a colander from a cantaloupe, Left to her own devices, she’d probably survive on canned beans, Pringles, and the occasional multivitamin at best.

Childhood memories to traveling the world. From one perspective to another will fill us with an exciting adventure.

I enjoyed reading this book though I felt it lacked a “thriller” feeling.
Just not a memorable read for me.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I had to DNF this at a quarter of the way through. I knew going into it that music would be a big focus, but there is no thriller/mystery at all which is what I was hoping for. It is just too slow paced for my liking.

This was so good! Great plot, fast paced. Enjoyed the storyline, didn't want to put this one down til I was finished

An awful past..., a bright future..., which one will win? Parton and Patterson are superb together!

Great story with compelling characters. I liked the behind the scenes look at the music industry. Flashbacks with no notice, made it a bit difficult to listen to on a drive, but did not detere from the story.

This felt like a very VERY predictable read and I was a little weirded out by the random storylines that were added but then never mentioned again. I love Dolly but don’t think this was a good representation of her talent. Probably won’t listen to the album either.

Thank you to the author, publisher and @NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

AnnieLee has moved to Nashville to try to get into the country music scene. She gets the opportunity to sing in a bar that happens to be owned by the retired star, RuthAnn. One of her bandmates convinces her that she needs to listen to AnnieLee, and before you know it, she is brought under RuthAnn's wing. Everything seems perfect except for the fact that AnnieLee is running away from her past, and someone is trying to find her to remind her of it. Will she continue her rise to fame, or will her past destroy what she has dreamed of? A great story by two great people. I loved the collaboration between James Patterson and Dolly Pardon, I really hope that they can make this into a movie! Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in return for my honest review.

It was a good story. I really wanted to read it because it was written with Dolly Parton and I liked the fact that it revolved around music. It wasn't a page-turner and had to keep reading, but it was well-written and it was a book that kept my attention.

Big fan of Dolly. Not so much of James Patterson. And unfortunately this book was more JP than Dolly, I feel like. It was a big disappointment to me. A seasoned author like JP should be able to not fall in to the cliches that riddled every chapter and the overall storyline. There was absolutely nothing original about it except Dolly’s songs that I would have rather listened to than really read through this. No surprises whatsoever. Nothing interesting either. And honestly, everything seemed to work out so perfectly for AnnieLee that it made me wonder the whole time how she wasn’t already a success. Everything in her music career came so easy. Every person who listened to who adoringly loved her, cheered for her, wanted more. There was never single critic to her music or career. Seems just so unrealistic and seems like both authors should know that!
The thriller/mystery portions felt forced to add some interesting storyline but there still wasn’t much interesting in it.
This was just a big miss for me. But I will seek out the original music that goes along with the book for sure.

This book was amazing and fast reading. The best part was the beginning and last part of the book. Im not really into country but it was a lovely book and I enjoy all of James Patterson book.

I haven't read anything by James Patterson before but I do love Dolly Parton so decided to take a chance on this book and I wasn't disappointed. The outside world thinks that being in the music business is a lot of glamour and money and there is some of that. But there is also a lot of hard work and disappointment while at the same time facing the everyday circumstances of life that a lot of folks face. Like abusive relationships and not knowing where to turn. Very enjoyable story.

I couldn’t wait to read this book by Dolly Parton and James Patterson. I love Dolly Parton but had never read James Patterson only heard all the hype. I can honestly say I will definitely be reading books by him in the future. From the hijacking of the 18 wheeler to get the Tennessee to the retired country singer to the guitarist who Jams in her band The characters or likable the secrets are deadly and the ending is definitely a showstopper. I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

Love James Patterson books and Dolly Parton. What a great combo. I truly enjoyed this one. I highly recommend reading this one.

This was a fun thriller with a Nashville twang. The characters were interesting, and showed some real growth. The story was a bit far-fetched, but still managed to be interesting. It's a very fast read, but enjoyable to the end. You really root for AnnieLee to make it!

I've been meaning to read this book for over a year now so naturally it was one of the first I turned to when I made the decision to tackle my Net Galley backlog. I just did a reread of Daisy Jones and the Six ahead of the show release and this book was the perfect one to pick up next. Weirdly, I've begun to turn to mysteries and thrillers instead of romance when I need an escapist read so I loved the whisper of secrets that ran throughout what was otherwise a fun rags to riches Nashville superstar story. My heart is still beating a bit wildly even 15+ minutes after I finished it but it was a good ride. It's been a while since I got so engrossed in a story that I forgot where I was and read through the dark as the sun set. I should have known though, books by James Patterson (and his army of ghost writers) have been dragging me into their different universes since Maximum Ride. If anything, this made me more excited for my planned reread of that series, which I might have to drag up sooner. 3.5/5

Run Rose Run was a surprisingly entertaining read. The story is about a young songwriter and singer who gets to Nashville attempting to escape her past. Not really a typical James Patterson mystery but an engaging story .Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Run, Rose, Run, a novel written by Dolly Parton and James Patterson, gives us an insightful tour through the world of country music. I am a Dolly Parton fan, and I enjoy many of Patterson's books, so I was excited about this book.

In Run, Rose, Run, singer songwriter AnnieLee Keyes finds her way to Nashville. Once there, AnnieLee is lucky and meets Ruthanna Ryder, the retired "Queen" of country music, and Ethan Blake, an army veteran who plays guitar and does studio work with Ruthanna. They all have their secrets; they all have their pasts. As the story unfolds, so do their secrets.

Run, Rose, Run is fun. It is not a work of literary fiction - and at times the plot might seem "hokey" - but it is a cohesive, enjoyable reading experience that also provides a look inside the world of country music from our real life "Queen".

When Run, Rose, Run was first published, I listened to the audiobook; after recently being approved to read and review an ARC, I read the book. Although I really enjoyed the book on both occasions, I highly recommend listening to this one. The narrators include Kelsea Ballerini and Dolly Parton. Either way, Run, Rose, Run is a fun reading experience.

Every song tells a story, sort of, and AnnieLee keeps pumping them out! She's a star on the rise, singing about hard life, bad choices and better days. She's also on the run and terrified. Hoping beyond all hope to find a future and lose the past. Nashville is where she's come to find her destiny. It's also where the darkness she's fled keeps finding her.

This story is a mixture of mystery, love and song. AnnieLee dreams of being a huge country star, but her past keeps creeping up on her and the choices she makes are at time, dumbfounding, if not just dumb. The story is mainly about making it big in the music business.

It's not a twisty thriller, it's more of a fun read. The prologue promised us an action-packed thriller, but it never really delivered. This is a quick and enjoyable read. Sadly, while most of the book travels decently, the ending feels rushes and leaves so much to ponder.

Dolly Parton is releasing an album that she has written for the book to be released on the 3rd of March, the same day the book is published.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #RandomHouseUk #Cornerstone and the authors #DollyParton #JamesPatterson for my ARC of #RunRoseRun in exchange for an honest review.