The song has earned very positive reviews from music critics, who praised its composition, mature themes and JoJo's vocal performance; some critics and media publications have included it on their rankings of the best breakup songs. Commercially, the song proved to be an international success, reaching the top-six in six countries in addition to the United States. When "Too Little Too Late" rose from number 66 to number three on the "Billboard" Hot 100 chart, it broke singer Mariah Carey's record for the largest jump to a top-three spot in the chart's history, which Carey had previously achieved with her 2001 single "Loverboy". However, the record was ultimately broken by Kelly Clarkson's "My Life Would Suck Without You", which jumped from number 97 to number one on the issue dated February 7, 2009.