The book received mixed reviews, with Publishers Weekly remarking that while "Nugent manages to patch together the major beats of Smith's life, he can offer little meaningful insight" and that Smith's fans "will be disappointed by this short and shallow biography." PopMatters cited that Nugent "fails on a very basic level to discriminate between his privilege as a fan of Smith's unforgettable music and his responsibilities as a journalist writing an objective study of Smith's life" and the book "is murky, indistinct and woefully incomplete."
The book received mixed reviews, with critics expressing dissatisfaction with its lack of depth and objectivity.  Publishers Weekly and PopMatters both criticized Nugent's personal connection to Smith's music as a potential bias, while also highlighting the book's incomplete nature.