andrew mueller of "spin" stated that the song "flirts with a hitherto uncharacteristic liz phair-ish playfullness" and described it as "exuberant". christian david hoard, one of the authors of "the new rolling stone album guide" praised the song, writing: "on the bombastic and awesomely raunchy "this is love," arguably her best song ever, she says a big fuck-you to psychosis and sadness as guitars crunch and garments hit the floor."