Upon its release, Are We There received widespread critical acclaim. At Metacritic, the album has an average score of 86, based on 36 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim." Fred Thomas of AllMusic rated it four out of five stars, praising its "inventive arrangements and advances in songwriting," describing it as "an undeniable step forward for Van Etten." In Rolling Stone, Will Hermes also rated it four out of five stars, noting that "like Nick Cave, [Van Etten's] darkness contains multitudes," and calling the album "magnificent" with examinations of romantic decay at a "cathedral-like scale." The A.V. Club's Emily VanDerWerff summarized that Are We There showcases an artist in full command of her voice and instrument, describing it as a "punishing epic of an album, intense and bruised and haunted," ultimately awarding it an A− rating.