Jessica Ferri in the Los Angeles Times called it "the best book I've read this year," while in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Suzanne Van Atten wrote that it is a "dark, gorgeously crafted read". The Telegraph concluded that "the triumph of his book lies in its compassion. Instead of shaming Brodak, he shows respect to her trickle-down trauma. He diagnoses her – I suspect accurately – with borderline personality disorder. He tells us every awful truth about a toxic relationship. And he does it with real, unending love."
Molly also drew controversy. Author Sarah Rose Etter accused Butler of exploitation, describing Molly as "literary revenge porn against a mentally unwell woman who took her own life."[7]
