Daniel J. Katz reviewed the album for the student newspaper The Tech and opined: "The first thing to get used to is Fleming's screeching soprano voice", which he compared to "Bjork covering Veruca Salt in a charming way".

Katz called The Way We Are "eclectic without being burdensome and entertaining without being shallow", and considered "The Pearl", "Sadder Day", and "Comfortable" to be standout tracks.

[1] AllMusic's Erik Crawford commended Fleming and John's unique musical stylings and acknowledged the duo's "intimacy and control" in the album that they wrote, produced and recorded on their own.

"[3] Dayton Daily News's Ron Rollins gave the album a "B-" rating, writing that the musical arrangements worked well on tracks like "Sssh!"

as one of the best rock songs he had come across in a long time, and noted that Fleming was able to make full use of her "limited" vocals on the tracks.