 Critical reception to "I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You" was mixed to positive, with two reviewers for the School Library Journal giving differing opinions.One stated that the book "lacks the warmth and appeal of other teen while the other reviewer praised the book's unique voices, calling it an "excellent choice for young teens".Publishers Weekly praised the book's tension while stating that they wished the character of Macey had been more fully developed (the character was more fully developed in later books).