He remarks in the final chapter the irony of the title given that he has no children, let alone grandchildren (this changed when his son, Archie McGregor Everett, was born in 2017).

Things the Grandchildren Should Know received generally positive reviews from critics from the United States—such as Joel Stein of Time[4]—as well as British press—including The Guardian[5] and The Independent.

Everett's hometown press considered it "intellectual, wry and unflinching as it conveys complex emotions with simple, graceful language"[8] and "a heartbreaking story of staggering genius.

"[9] The book also received reviews from music publications, such as Spin, who considered the author "a clear-eyed and emotionally affecting writer"[10] and Q, who gave it four out of five stars.

Editions would go on to be published in Belgium, Denmark, Cyprus, France, Germany, Iceland, India, The Netherlands, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland[4] and Italy.