Is Manhattan Beach Based On A True Story?

If you're in Jupiter and looking for the Palm Beach County Library, the hours are pretty convenient for most of us. On weekdays, they usually open at 10 AM and close at 6 PM. Saturdays are a bit shorter, from 10 AM to 5 PM, perfect for a weekend read or to catch up on some research. Sundays, though, they're closed, which is a bummer if you want to dive into a cozy book before the workweek starts again. What I love about this library is that even if you miss a trip, you can access many resources online, including eBooks and audiobooks! It's a solid place for community events too, which is great if you’re looking to meet fellow readers or just want a change of scenery from your usual coffee shop. The atmosphere has this lovely calm that just invites you to find a comfy corner and get lost in a story. Libraries have become such essential hubs of knowledge and creativity, don't you think?

Sun, salt, and that slow golden-hour vibe — 'Tasting Summer' absolutely leaned into real beaches to sell its warmth. The bulk of the seaside scenes were shot around Sanya on Hainan Island, with Yalong Bay handling most of the wide, postcard-perfect visuals. You can tell by the sweeping, calm water and that soft, white sand; the crew also used Dadonghai Beach for some of the livelier daytime scenes where local vendors and boardwalk life add texture. Beyond the main stretches, several intimate shots — the evening chats on a rocky point and the snorkeling cutaways — were filmed at Wuzhizhou Island just off Sanya. That island’s clearer water and coral-backed coves gave the film a more authentic seaside feel than a studio tank ever could. Production notes I dug up mentioned that many background extras were local vendors and surfers, and that drone footage over Yalong Bay was key to selling the film’s summertime freedom. Personally, knowing they filmed on-location in Sanya makes me itch to book a trip; those beaches look even better in person than on screen.

I love coastal movie locations, and for 'Whiskey Beach' the filming landed squarely along North Carolina's coastline. The production used Wilmington as its base, but most of the on-location work happened at nearby shore towns — think Wrightsville Beach for wide, surf-swept scenes and Southport for those quiet harbor and historic-main-street moments. You can practically feel the salt marshes and the low, creaky piers in the finished shots. What really stood out to me was how the filmmakers leaned into the region's small-town charm: local lighthouses, narrow inlets, and quiet residential strips that give the story its melancholic, intimate tone. Folks I know who visited the set mentioned interior work being done at studios in Wilmington while the exterior drama unfolded along the beaches. It’s one of those adaptions where the setting almost becomes a character, and that honestly made me want to book a weekend there to wander the same boardwalks — big fan moment.

I've kept an ear out for Nora Roberts news for ages, and to be blunt: there hasn't been a sequel announced to 'Whiskey Beach'. I dug through the usual places—official newsletters, publisher updates, and Nora's social posts—and while she occasionally revisits themes or side characters across different books, 'Whiskey Beach' remains a standalone in her catalog. She writes so fast and so much that fans often hope for follow-ups, but she also loves crafting self-contained stories that wrap up cleanly. If you're craving more, the consolation is that her other novels capture the same coastal atmosphere, complicated pasts, and slow-burn romance vibes. I still hold out a tiny hope that she'll revisit those characters one day, but for now I'm happy rereading and recommending similar vibes to friends—there's comfort in returning to that salty, suspenseful mood of 'Whiskey Beach'.

There’s a hush about 'Mansion Beach' that clever novels wear like a second skin, and I love pulling that cloak aside. The house itself is practically a character: an ostentatious Victorian on a cliff with salt stains and a history that leaks through the wallpaper. One secret is architectural — hidden staircases and a sea-facing room that’s sealed off in the daytime and opens only when the tide hits a certain mark. That room contains old trunks, brittle letters, and a map with ink faded to the color of driftwood. Another secret is social: generations of one family pretending to be respectable while managing illicit trades on the shore. Smuggled goods, coded shell messages, and a ledger tucked into the stones of the garden wall reveal a network of favors and betrayals. The emotional heart of the mystery, though, is the quiet tragedy of identity — a long-hidden child, assumed dead, who’s been living under a false name as a caretaker. That revelation reframes earlier scenes and explains the haunting music that plays at night. I finished the last chapter feeling both satisfied and unsettled, the way you do when a book has knitted its clues into something human and messy — I still think about that sealed room and the tide that opens it.

I’ve always been drawn to Percabeth fanfictions that dig into their emotional struggles during the Battle of Manhattan. These stories often focus on Percy’s fear of losing Annabeth and Annabeth’s guilt over Luke’s betrayal. One fic I loved had Percy and Annabeth sharing quiet moments in the midst of chaos, where they confessed their deepest fears and insecurities. The writer captured their bond perfectly, showing how they leaned on each other for strength. Another story explored Annabeth’s internal conflict, torn between her loyalty to Percy and her lingering feelings for Luke. The emotional depth in these fics is incredible, with writers delving into their vulnerabilities and how they find solace in each other. I also appreciate fics that highlight their unspoken communication—how a single glance or touch speaks volumes. These stories make the Battle of Manhattan feel even more intense, as their love becomes a lifeline in the face of destruction. Some fics take a darker turn, exploring Percy’s PTSD after the battle and Annabeth’s struggle to help him heal. These narratives often show how their relationship evolves, becoming more mature and resilient. I’ve read a few where Annabeth uses her strategic mind to keep Percy grounded, while Percy’s unwavering support helps Annabeth confront her own demons. The best fics balance the action of the battle with quiet, emotional moments that reveal their growth as individuals and as a couple. For anyone looking to dive into Percabeth’s emotional depth, I’d recommend fics that focus on their shared trauma and how it strengthens their bond.

If you mean the old Hollywood picture titled 'Romance in Manhattan' from the 1930s, the romantic leads are Ginger Rogers and Francis Lederer. I love telling people that because Ginger Rogers shows up in so many eras of classic cinema that she feels like family to me; here she’s paired with Lederer, and their chemistry drives the story. The film leans into that screwball/light romance vibe even when it’s trying to be a little more dramatic, so the leads have to carry both charm and a touch of sincerity. There are other works that use the same phrase as a title, though, so if you were thinking of a novel, stage play, or a modern romcom with the same name, the leads could be totally different. If you want, tell me whether you meant a movie, book, or TV show and I’ll dig into that version specifically — I get a kick out of tracking down old credits and hidden cast lists.

Sun-drenched love scenes are my catnip, and beaches in romance novels hit that sweet spot of nostalgia, heat, and a little danger. I love how authors use sand and salt to strip characters down to their rawest emotions—think messy hair, bare feet, and a single heartfelt confession that feels inevitable. A few books come to mind instantly: 'The Summer I Turned Pretty' makes the beach into a living, breathing third character with bonfires, midnight swims, and that ache of first love; 'Beach Read' flips the trope by putting two very different writers in neighboring beach houses and letting the shoreline do the heavy emotional lifting. Some beach scenes are quiet and devastating, like the lonely cliffs and tidal pull in 'On Chesil Beach', where the setting amplifies tension and regret. Others are cinematic: fireworks reflected on wet sand, hands sticky with salt and ice cream, or a surprise kiss under a lifeguard tower. I also adore the way older novels use seaside towns—'Persuasion' at Lyme Regis, for example—to stage pivotal encounters that hinge on changing tides. When I flip through those pages on a hot afternoon, I can almost taste sunscreen and hear waves. If you want scenes that pair summer heat with romantic stakes, start with the ones above and be ready to get sandy.