 Allmusic 's Tim Sendra also named the song a standout on the album , calling it " catchy " and " well @-@ sung " . Megan Vick of Billboard said that while Gomez did not have the vocal power of Demi Lovato , she " makes a strong effort to attack the high notes as she croons the chorus " . Vick stated that the song " is compelling enough to separate the singer from other Disney @-@ groomed pop stars . " Wairarapa Times @-@ Age writer Kim Gillespie named " A Year Without Rain " one of the album 's highlights . David Welsh of musicOMH noted Gomez ' mature performance and wrote that the song " reaps rewards with an impressively heartbroken stab at euro @-@ dance " . In contrast , The Washington Post critic Allison Stewart was unfavorable of the lyrical content of the song , commenting that it was " the sort of exercise in teenage co @-@ dependence ... that should be long extinct . " 
