In the 8 April 1975 issue of Record & Popswap Mirror, a review of The Best Years of Our Lives commented: "Forget No 1 singles; this will change everything.
Donald A. Guarisco of AllMusic retrospectively reviewed the album, stating: "By his third album, Steve Harley had developed a strong grasp of how to combine his artistic ambitions with strongly crafted pop tunes that win the casual listener over to his artsy cause.