Run, Rose, Run was an entertaining story with some mystery and thriller thrown in. We follow AnnieLee Keyes as she quickly starts to rise to fame as a country singer-songwriter. She travels to Nashville to break into the music industry, but her dangerous past follows her there. She is discovered by a guitar player in a bar who talks to a famous country music performer to give her a chance. Ruthanna Ryder takes AnnieLee under her wing after some resistance and secrecy on AnnieLee's part. I wanted her to come clean much earlier in the book instead of drawing that part out. I could hear Dolly Parton's words and attitude throughout the story which was sweet and sassy along with James Patterson's usual style of writing. Overall, it was a good read and I really enjoyed it. Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown, and Company for the ARC!

Struggling artist trying to make it to the top in Nashville. The success story has been told many different ways but Dolly as an added author was a plus. Just an okay book.

Run Rose Run
Dolly Parton & James Patterson

Ever since reading The President is missing by Patterson and Bill Clinton I’ve been looking for another collaboration to read, well I found it in Run Rose Run. The partnership between Patterson and Parton might seem like an ill-fit but in reality it works beautifully and the audience will see just how big a mark on Run Rose Run is Dolly’s alone.

Along with an unputdownable story readers will enjoy a fast paced flowing narrative and get an ingenious mix of mystery and music while learning some real life country music making it or breaking it facts. They’ll also get an interesting and varied set of costars besides Ruthanna and Annie Lee especially Ethan Blake the enigmatic ex-military, guitar playing side kick/protector to Annie Lee, plus a couple of real bad guys.

Annie Lee Keyes arrived in Nashville with a song in her heart and nothing in her pockets hoping for a chance to make it big. After convincing a bartender at a dive bar called The Cats Paw to take a chance on her, her life was changed forever when the owner of said dive bar just happened to be retired Country Star legend Ruthanna Ryder. After hearing Annie Lee sing Ruthanna decides to take her under her wing and help Annie Lee make it in the business. Unfortunately, Annie Lee is hiding some pretty big and bad secrets and every time she takes one step forward her past takes her two steps back.

Ruthanna is all but an open book in the novel but Annie Lee is a puzzle and while fans will have no trouble liking her they will have a hard time deciphering what’s real and what’s smoke and mirrors with her, that is until her layers begin to be peeled away revealing the damaged woman underneath.

This was not your typical James Patterson book, but I found it entertaining. I loved the mystery of Annie Lee’s back story as well as the background information of the music industry. The very beginning of the book had me hooked instantly when a country star throws herself off a balcony. What?!

Besides the fast paced story, this was a great collaboration with Dolly Parton <3 I did get the audio from the library and was thrilled to her Dolly’s voice as the character of RuthAnna.

5 stars

Thank you to @netgalley and @littlebrown for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I've read other books by Patterson, and I love Dolly Parton, so I was interested in checking this one out.
I enjoyed the song lyrics throughout the book, as well as the insider's look at Nashville. I enjoyed the characters, but the unknown secrets trope was a bit overdone. A tighter edit and shorter chapters would've helped the pacing and make it easier to stay actively engaged. I liked the relationship between AnnieLee and Ruthanna. Sadly, the thriller/suspense angle was a bit lacking, though the opportunity was there.

I loved this behind-the-scenes book about Nashville and the struggle to make it in the music industry. The main character who portrays Dolly Parton is so loveable and admirable. She is fierce and headstrong. The supporting character who is up and coming shows that same drive to make it in Nashville. She's on the run and you always are on the edge of your seat to see if they will catch her. I was not sure about reading a book co-written by James Patterson because I am not a fan of his stories, but this book exceeded my expectations! Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy.

I have been reading James Patterson books for over 20 years. This one has to be one of my favorites. Annie Lee has had a rough life - she shows up in Nashville and gets her first break at a dive bar. One of Country Music Legend, Ruthann's band members, Ethan sees this performance and wants the legendary artist to hear her. I loved these characters. RuthAnn reminded me of Dolly Parton and how she would be. I loved the action and suspense in this book.
Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read a copy of this book all thoughts are my own.

One of my favorite talented and gifted authors, Patterson…one of my favorite singers, Parton…combined their talents to write this book…to me, the voices are evident…I liked this book…almost like reading true life…it was sent to me by Netgalley for review…thanks to the publisher for an electronic copy…a want to be singer…a friend helping her…friends actually…she lucked out in that department…a fun quick read with quirky characters…a hint of intrigue and mystery…after all, it is Patterson…Country singers…yes it is Parton…enjoy this book…I did…

“What a fun read! I knew anything Dolly Parton participated in would have to be good, and since I have enjoyed many books by James Patterson in the past I expected Run, Rose, Run to be an enjoyable read. What I didn’t expect was how big a part Dolly Parton must have had in writing the book because it was a close up look at what it takes to be a star in Nashville and what the life of a country singer is like. There was some mystery and there were some pretty intense action scenes, but the main story was all about the music. The characters were fascinating, and I assume were based in part on Dolly and on people she has known, and the book was filled with songwriting and lyrics to songs that I assume will be on the album that Dolly is making to go along with the book. The story was made even more enjoyable by the fact that I listened to the audio and having Dolly Parton doing the voice of RuthAnna and Kelsea Ballerini doing the voice of AnnieLee. I can't wait until the album based on songs from the book is released!”

"From America’s most beloved superstar and its greatest storyteller - a thriller about a young singer-songwriter on the rise and on the run, and determined to do whatever it takes to survive.

Every song tells a story.

She’s a star on the rise, singing about the hard life behind her.

She’s also on the run. Find a future, lose a past.

Nashville is where she’s come to claim her destiny. It’s also where the darkness she’s fled might find her. And destroy her.

Run, Rose, Run is a novel glittering with danger and desire - a story that only America’s #1 beloved entertainer and its #1 bestselling author could have created."

I don't think I've ever seen anyone's name ABOVE James Patterson's. Technically it is alphabetical, but more importantly, it's Dolly!

I ended up buying this one from the store, and loved the mix of Dolly Parton expertise and JP.....thanks as always, and Recommend highly.

This was an entertaining read, not a typical James Patterson book but I definitely see Dolly's influence (and who doesn't adore Dolly). It's more a book about making it in the music industry than thriller though and that was a bit disappointing. Still enjoyed it and would recommend it, but it wasn't what I was I was expecting.

Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for the ARC of this book.

I am a huge Dolly Parton fan so I was really excited that she was writing a novel. I have never read anything by James Patterson either so he was new for me . This book was just ok for me. It was good but a little to long. Things happened for her rather easily, and it took forever to find out who was after her. I wouldn't read this one again.

Loved this collaboration between Patterson and Parton! Great read for country music fans with a great story line and perfect plot!!

This was my first James Patterson, and it just wasn't for me.

Every song tells a story.

She’s a star on the rise, singing about the hard life behind her.

She’s also on the run. Find a future, lose a past.

Nashville is where she’s come to claim her destiny. It’s also where the darkness she’s fled might find her. And destroy her.

Run, Rose, Run is a novel glittering with danger and desire—a story that only America’s #1 beloved entertainer and its #1 bestselling author could have created.

I really wanted to love this book. I am a huge fan of Dolly and have seen her in person multiple times over the past several decades and was THRILLED to hear she was writing a fiction book.

However. James Patterson. Well. We know it's hard for middle age white men in the writing world so I'll give him a little credit. And I read a few of his books 20 some years ago and enjoyed the thrill and fast pace of them.

Now with Run, Rose, Run, I couldn't finish it. The writing wasn't great and it just seemed too cheesy for what I was hoping for, although if you were looking for a light thriller this could be appealing to you.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me the chance to read this, I'm sorry it wasn't for me but it is very popular at our library.

If you are looking for a simple book that keeps you delighted throughout, then this book is for you. It combines James Patterson and Dolly Parton as the authors, so what could go wrong?

This definitely isn't a normal James Patterson book. I enjoyed the storyline of country singer AnnieLee Keyes and how she became famous in Nashville, while running away from her past. I pictured her like Dolly Parton the whole time. I also enjoyed the lyrics of the songs throughout the book. Patterson, in an interview, said that Parton would just come up with the lyrics off the top of her head. Impressive.

This book wasn't an "edge of your seat" thriller like most Patterson books, but it did have a storyline that kept me interested.

I gave this book four out of five stars. I was given this book for my honest review.

Having read and enjoyed James Patterson’s memoir “James Patterson,” I thought it was finally time to read a Patterson work of fiction. Being the world’s most popular author, there was plenty to choose from. Thanks to Netgalley, I selected “Run, Rose, Run,” a collaboration with Dolly Parton. As I learned in his memoir, many of Patterson’s books are the result of an outline created by Patterson and a story generated from the outline and written by the collaborator. I can’t speak to Patterson’s style but this tale of country music, heartache and the love of a good woman sure captures Dolly Parton’s voice. The story of Ruthanna Ryder, a retired country superstar and AnnieLee, the up-and-coming singer she attempts to mentor has got it all. Two strong women, each with her own insecurities, a frank look into the world of music, song writing, touring, performing and business, danger from secrets kept from long ago, and the promise of a powerful love if singing hopeful AnnieLee can find the courage to trust the people in her life.
An added bonus is the collection at the end of all the great songs written by AnnieLee, Blake and RuthAnna. I just wish we had links to the music. I’m sure I’d be humming them all!

James Patterson is not a favorite author of mine, but I wanted to give this book a try since it is coauthored by Dolly Parton (and everyone loves Dolly). I just could not get into the story and did not finish the book about half-way through.

I wasn't sure what to expect of the combination of James Patterson and Dolly Parton. The result, a good ole country mystery. There was definately a lot of Dolly in Rose, spunk, talent, beauty and mystery. Add Patterson's writing style and you have a winning mystery that you can't put done. Thank you @netgalley