[8] At the 2021 ARIA Music Awards, Tony Espie was nominated for Engineer of the Year for work on this album.

The album was recorded in Melbourne, produced by Evan Klar and features 11 songs about love and fear, memory and empathy, rage and redemption.

"[3][11] Guido Farnell from The Music AU said "Child in Reverse delivers eleven nuggets of finely crafted pop tunes that are soft, dreamy and impossibly silky smooth whilst moving to compulsive grooves."

Farnell commented on Miller-Heidke's lyrics saying "[She] is in an introspective mood, dealing with difficult haunting memories, disappointment and the hurt of a broken heart" adding "the struggle is real but a light touch, with airy synths and sweet pop hooks complete with the cheeky little operatic trills Miller-Heidke likes to slip in here and there, prevents this line of thought from getting completely depressing.

Farrell concluded saying the album "is adult pop music which, presented in fresh feel good tones, runs very deep.