[8] Reviewer Elisa Bray noted that "The Rooms” is "one of the most tender tracks on the album" with "sparse piano, cello, muffled vocal samples and saxophone", with a soft and melancholic voice.

[8] The sleeve was a collaboration of several months with Tom Hingston (who had previously conceived the artworks of Massive Attack's Mezzanine and Nick Cave's Push the Sky Away).

[17] NME lauded it writing, Beth's solo debut "pulses with power and sensitivity", including tracks such as "Flower" described as "a trip-hop ode to a dancer" and "We’ll Sin Together" arranged with "delicate synths".

[15] AllMusic hailed "the complexity within Beth's songwriting" and "the sheer intensity" of the songs, including "the inclusion of a piano ballad as heartfelt and classically beautiful".

Reviewer Heather Phares concluded: "[it] is an unabashedly, thrillingly wild ride, and as Beth throws everything she has at her audience, she fully reveals the multitudes she contains".

[12] The Independent praised the record for, "taking you on a journey which reveals new landmarks and perspectives each time you listen, To Love is to Live is a compelling and real cinematic picture of the emotions that life throws at us.

[8] Q rated it 4 out of 5 stars and presented it as a "majestic solo outing", noting that the album was eclectic, including dreamy ballads and "fist-clenched chorusing".