This got me thinking ‘what if they married…’ I became intrigued by what it would be like for Nick, a Jew, to be placed in that particular society during the 1930s.”[1] Because Williams is not Jewish, she did not want to include overt messages about Judaism or antisemitism into A Hundred Summers; instead these ideas exist as a "subtle strain" throughout the text.

"[1] Writing for Shelf Awareness, Jaclyn Fulwood called the novel "unrelentingly romantic" and noted that "Williams evokes the era effortlessly and delights in ripping the rug out from under the reader just when the riddles seem easiest to solve.

"[2] Kirkus Reviews said the novel is "an elegant if somewhat old-fashioned delayed-gratification seaside romance with a flavor of Daphne du Maurier.

"[3] Library Journal's Jane Jorgenson provided a mixed review, writing, "While Williams's new novel [...] starts strongly, it becomes a bit mired in melodrama in the latter third."

"[4] Another mixed review came from Publishers Weekly, who noted that Williams "is good at is love (and, relatedly, sex)," but "complicated plotting" hindered the novel.