"Love, Rosie" received generally positive reviews from critics, with many praising the chemistry between the leads and the film's lighthearted tone. The movie holds a 64% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with many critics noting that it's a pleasant, if unoriginal, romantic comedy.

Lily Collins delivers a performance of raw, unfiltered vulnerability. Her Rosie is not a manic pixie dream girl; she is a woman who makes bad choices (marrying Greg), stubborn choices (refusing to move to Boston without an invitation), and deeply human choices (prioritizing her daughter’s stability over her own heart). Claflin’s Alex, meanwhile, is the rare male romantic lead who is allowed to be frustrated, petulant, and deeply stupid about his own feelings. When he finally says, “You deserve someone who makes you look forward to getting up in the morning,” the line lands not as a pickup, but as an apology.

In an era of instant messaging and location sharing, Love, Rosie feels almost anachronistically tragic. Today, Rosie would text. Alex would DM. Their entire conflict would dissolve in a series of blue bubbles. And yet, the film’s power lies in suggesting that technology cannot fix cowardice. The real obstacle was never distance. It was the fear of saying, “I love you” when the other person might not be ready to hear it.