[5] Booklist's Courtney Eathorne called the book's main character, Kiara, 'an unforgettable dynamo," stating that "her story brings critical human depth to conversations about police sexual violence.

"[3] Publishers Weekly noted how "scenes of realism are rendered with a poet’s eye" and concluded, "This heartrending story makes for a powerful testament to a Black woman’s resilience.

"[5] Luke Gorham, writing for Library Journal, wrote that Nightcrawling is "undeniably bleak but littered with small beauties and a powerful discourse on the dehumanizing effects policing can have on marginalized communities, bodies, and minds (and especially on Black women).

"[4] In selecting the novel for Oprah's Book Club, Oprah Winfrey "said she was struck by Mottley's power to convey, in vivid and precise language, trauma, love, and everything in between," saying, "It always brings me joy to help introduce new writers to the reading community, and this young poet wowed me with her ode and elegy to Oakland, and her acute and insightful depictions of youth, injustice, the legacy of incarceration, and the resilience of community and chosen family.

"[1] Nightcrawling was an Oprah's Book Club pick in June 2022,[6] and AudioFile included it on their list of the best audiobooks of 2022.