[1][2] Some reviewers criticized the book for blurring the line between fact and fiction, especially with regards to combining anecdotes to create pastiche characters.

[7][8] Holly Dagres of The Cairo Review wrote that the book effectively creates empathy for its subjects, while noting that it "often strays into material that delights in having shock value.

"[9] Sohrab Ahmari, writing for The Wall Street Journal, criticized Navai's lack of sources and embellishing language.

[4] In a review for Financial Times, Azadeh Moaveni wrote that "Navai illustrates how Iranians are far more bound by what they have in common: a strong awareness of class, an irrepressible drive for upward mobility, daily clashes with the forces of modernity and tradition, and a profound disillusionment with the opportunities society has on offer.

"[10] Critics noted that the main theme of the book was deception, as government repression forces ordinary Iranians to present an outward face of piety that did not always match their life circumstances.