Blueberry Boat polarized music critics due to its long, complex songs and esoteric lyrics.

[3] In a rave review, Chris Dahlen of Pitchfork described Blueberry Boat as "a record for the overgrown part of our brain that craves engrossing complexity".

[9] Heather Phares of AllMusic wrote that the album "can be appreciated in the same way you would a puzzle box with intricate, endlessly shifting parts: you can spend a lot of time trying to unlock (or describe) its riddles, or just enjoy the artfulness behind them.

"[9] Writing for The Guardian, Dave Pleschek found Blueberry Boat's lyrics and song structures to be overly "obtuse" and stated that the Friedbergers "will try anything but don't know when to stop", calling the album a "a crashing disappointment".

[5] Robert Christgau of The Village Voice gave the album a "dud" rating,[13] indicating "a bad record whose details rarely merit further thought.