Publishers Weekly found it "thoroughly delightful"; they praised the character of Frannie refuted criticisms of the way she achieves selfhood through loving a man.[1]
Entertainment Weekly considered that it lacked the subtlety of Kennedy's debut short story collection Stripping, and said its attempts to link the characters with wider social trends were strained.[2]
Kirkus Reviews called it "deeply flawed, if admirable", due to the attempts to fit in social relevance, and Frannie's voice inconsistent, drifting between "faux-naif" and worldly.[3]
The Austin Chronicle thought that it was too short to do justice to its themes, despite its "great setting, great characters, and great writing".[4]
Alexandra Ganser in her study of female road narratives found it subverted the stereotype of the unhappy spinster by promoting sisterhood and offering a positive depiction of unmarried women.[5]
.jpg)