[3] AllMusic reviewer Timothy Monger noted Armatrading's "heartfelt melodies", "quality songs" and "smartly crafted [...] pop" and praised her "consistent creative expression", giving special mention to the tracks "I Like It When We're Together" and "This Is Not That".

He concluded by giving the album four out of five stars, calling Armatrading's achievements "genuinely impressive".

[1] ON Magazine's David Schuster called Not Too Far Away "an astonishing album, with beautifully written songs", and "exquisite".

[4] PopMatters described the album as "vibrant, perky and totally committed, characterized by rock nous and pop sensibility".

[5] Digital Journal called the album "compelling" and a "well-crafted musical project", drawing attention to Armatrading's "sultry vocals" – which the reviewer referred to as "crystalline and bluesy".