[4] Like much of the duo's work, the songs on The Lemon of Pink juxtapose samples with folk and string instrumentation and other melodic elements, including guest vocals by Anne Doerner.

[5] "It isn't often that one finds an American artist with such a mastery of collage technique and a desire to incorporate traditional folk instruments and melodies", wrote AllMusic critic Daphne Carr, who added that the Books "open up territory for relaxed electro-acoustic listening without compromising their creative process.

"[6] Mark Richardson of Pitchfork found that several of the album's songs "are even better" than those on The Books' debut Thought for Food, "with more dynamic range and a greater sense of development.

Club said that while "some of the exposed-seam splicing sounds sloppy and/or twee", the Books "wield a solid musical hand over melodic figures that hint at swooning grandeur without falling prey to florid temptation.

[15] In a 20th anniversary review, Sadie Sartini Garner of Stereogum deemed Lemon one of the United States' "most comforting, confounding, and heartwarming pieces of experimental music".