Heart on My Sleeve received positive reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has an average score of 74 based on six reviews.
Clash critic Naima Sutton described
Heart on My Sleeve as "back and just as soulful as ever," praising Mai for investing "several incredibly personal parts of her psyche into the project.. She highlighted standout songs like "Not Another Love Song", "Break My Heart", and "Power of A Woman", concluding that while the album's "aural range [...] isn't massive," it remains cohesive, polished, and a strong follow-up to her debut.
Pitchforks Eric Torres described the album as a "solid follow-up that centers her strengths as a singer and songwriter," praising them its lush instrumentation, tactile elements, and well-chosen guest appearances. While noting occasional filler tracks such as "DFMU" and "Feels Like," Torres highlighted how the "best songs are closely in tune with Mai's emotions," with her "sumptuous voice and attention to detail2 making the record a "beguiling delight." Damien Morris from
The Observer observed that
Heart on My Sleeve moves beyond the "happy 90s nostalgia" of Mai's debut into "tricksy rhythms and odd magic," noting that while the album is again filled with love songs, Mai demonstrates her skill in "parsing the everyday dramas of twentysomething relationships in relatable [...] language." He highlighted tracks like "Fallen Angel", "Pieces", and "Trying"for their inventive production and forward-looking sound, though he suggested the album could benefit from more local London influence amid its polished American-style production. Kate French-Morris, writing for
The Telegraph described
Heart on My Sleeve as an album where she continues "swimming in [her] feelings," blending 1990s-inspired R&B with modern self-love and sprightly beats. While noting the album is "still too long," French-Morris praised its emotional maturity, and contributions such as
Mary J. Blige's cameo, concluding that Mai demonstrates her intent "not just on orbiting, but becoming” a major R&B star."
AllMusic editor Andy Kellman noted that the album continues "Mai's signature style of "spacey slow jams and lingering ballads," describing the album as "writing a little more openly than before." While praising her collaboration with Mustard and other producers, Kellman observed that the album's "lack of variance in tempo [...] makes
Heart on My Sleeve downright torpid at points," though he acknowledged that Mai's subtle vibrato and occasional upticks enhance the record. == Commercial performance ==