Heather Phares of Allmusic gave a positive review of the soundtrack, awarding it three out of five stars. She praised Duff's songs, noting that they "display a little more edge and depth while still remaining appropriate for a teen pop singer like Duff and her audience," and added that they were complemented by the contributions from other artists. She claimed that Duff contributing to the majority of the album would "tide [her] fans over" before the release of her eponymous third album. Phares finalized her review stating, "A Cinderella Story is an admittedly lightweight but solidly entertaining soundtrack that delivers exactly what its audience wants from it."[1]