Nothing Good Happens After 2am

by Niamh Hargan

From London to Los Angeles, Berlin and Tokyo, Nothing Good Happens After 2 a.m. is a story of friendship, ambition, creativity – and something more.Behind the unmarked door of Love and Death, a tiny speakeasy in East London, Robbie Saunders and El Tippett are cocktail-making stars on the rise.

As London's bar scene explodes around them, Robbie and El circle each other, connected by passion and competitive spirit. From Hackney to Soho in the small hours, as the city transforms itself, nothing – and no one – has ever felt so alive.

But when it all comes crashing down, something indefinable keeps drawing Robbie and El back into each other's orbit. Over the years that follow, in bars around the world, one unexpected, ill-advised, and utterly glorious late night after another, can they put aside professional betrayals to build something brand new?

407 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication January 29, 2026

Reviews

[Joana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not a perfect book, but it is a bloody excellent one. I think it’s very aptly described - very much a Daisy Jones x Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow x Deep Cuts x The Favourites. If you like any of those four books, or travel, or cocktails, you’ll love this.

Not sure why the release date was pushed back but you best get excited for Jan 2026🫡

[Bella Azam · Rating 3 out of 5]

A contemporary drama of two people working behind bars, mixing cocktails & concotions in an indie bar, a story of chasing dreams, love and hope. Spanning years, its not merely a romance story but on their passion & dreams. Ellie Tippet and Robbie Saunders met at the very young age mixing cocktails in the bar Love and Death, both had intense rivalry with each other, each competing to please Otto, their boss. El always felt like she and Otto had a bond closer more like a family as Otto helped her to find her footing in London after she ran away from home. Robbie who loves the art of mixology is on a break from starting a job and he decided to become an apprentice in the bar. His brilliance in making drinks made El jealous as Otto seems to take a liking on him. This sparked a sort of silent competition between two and ensued a 20 years mixed chances & undefined relationship from enemies to friends to lovers

This was not bad, its actually kinda good. More of contemporary drama than romance spanning years and the timeline is a bit vague to me but I do like seeing the development of relationship between the two. The story focused more on the these two characters of their relationship with others, what drives them into the passion of mixology as each of them try to find their place in the world. El was a messy character, she is flawed but strong headed, she tend to moves from one place to another when things started to become messy. Running away from problems seems to be her habit and it showed a lot everytime. Robbie whom tried to find stability in his life with his wife, to try to see his roots in the place is more serious but passionate, though he gets ruffled a lot by El's behaviour and how she keep him on his toes

The drama spanned 20 years with mishaps, fights, mixed chances and multiple flings but at the end, it showed how relationship progress in time to the tune of fate.

Arc courtesy Times Reads and publisher, thank you for sending me the review copy fin exchange for an honest review.

[Amy Rowland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant - I didn’t want it to end!

[aemynadira · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story follows rival cocktail geniuses, Eloise & Robbie, whose first fiery encounter over a whiskey sour sets the tone for a decades-long dance of push & pull. Their story jumps through time, from grungy Belfast pubs to sleek London speakeasies, charting a path of fierce ambition, professional one upmanship, & a stubborn, simmering attraction that just won't quit. It's the ultimate "enemies-to-something-more" story, delivered with witty banter & moments so cinematic you can practically hear the clink of ice in a glass.

This book was a blast, but it also offered a refreshingly sophisticated look at the world of mixology. The author makes it clear that for Eloise & Robbie, bartending isn't just a job. It's an art form, a science, & a high stakes creative pursuit. The passion they have for crafting the perfect drink, curating a vibe, & building an empire had me totally invested. I loved the vibrant, stylish atmosphere. Every scene felt alive, from the sticky floors of a busy night to the polished brass of their bar. It's fun, glamorous, intoxicating, & it cleverly frames ambition itself as a kind of romance.

My honest takeaway? This story is a reminder that the best things in life, like a perfect cocktail or a lasting love, are complex, require patience, & often come with a bit of a bite. Eloise & Robbie’s stubbornness & pride cost them years of mixed signals & near-misses, which was frustrating & utterly believable. It made their hard-won moments of vulnerability & understanding feel truly earned. This novel is a celebration of passion in all its forms: for your craft, for your dreams, & for that one infuriating person who challenges you to be better. A seriously stylish, sparkling read.

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

El & Robbie ❤️

🍸When recent Oxford Economics graduate Robbie convinces El’s boss to take him on as a bar back worker in his East London cocktail bar, it changes both of their lives forever.

🍸El left home at a young age, her American parents had dragged her around the world but with a mother suffering from depression and an unhappy home, she needed an out. Working as a bartender, she’s created a family like unit with her boss, Otto. He’s difficult, with fixed ideas but it seems like El can sway him when she wants to.

🍸Robbie and El eye each other out, both vying for Otto’s approval. When it blows up, and everything changes, nothing is the same at the Love and Death bar.

✏️This is the second book of Niamh Hargan’s I have read but the development of her writing seems to have happened between then and now. This story just feels like a book that people will be talking about once it’s released. There is intricate detail, decades of things happening, the cultural references and slow burn between Robbie and El. It seems to have taken them this long to find their true selves and accept the parts about themselves that need some peace. I really enjoyed this story ❤️

Read on Kindle
My rating 4.5/5 - ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 💫
Pub Date 29 Jan 2026

Connect with me: http://www.instagram.com/read.athon2021

[Joanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nothing Good Happens After 2am takes us into the world of elite cocktail making with Robbie, filling time before he takes a job in the city and El, an ambitious ‘mixologist’ I guess we’d say now. They work together in a tiny speakeasy, Love and Death, in a back street in London, owned and run by the enigmatic Otto who has very firm ideas about how it will operate: no photos, no phones, no name outside the door, no food, no jeans.

This book takes a different direction from Niamh Hargan’s previous novels which were rom-coms. There’s certainly romance in the book, although it’s not necessarily the main focus, but this is a much more contemplative kind of novel. Over the course of thirty years or so, quite a trip down memory lane in terms of cultural references, we follow Robbie, El and Love and Death as their stars rise and take them all over the world. El is the more travelled of the two but they seem drawn inevitably to each other no matter where they are.

This book has been described as ideal for fans of Taylor Jenkins Reid and I can see why. With a slowly unfolding storyline which allows us to get to know the main players in depth, Nothing Good Happens After 2am is a stylish novel from Niamh Hargan, with a credible and satisfying ending.

[Christina Pishiris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a big fan of Niamh's previous books but she'd outdone herself with Nothing Good Happens After 2 AM. What an epic, sweeping, romantic, heart-breaking story. I adored El and Robbie (and Otto) and it was a pleasure to follow them over twenty years from Shoreditch to Tokyo, via LA. The subject matter was fresh and original and I adored being immersed in the fascinating world of cocktails, (The term 'mixology' is never used, thank God!)

Niamh is so good at pinpointing a character's emotion, unpacking complex feelings but always with an elegant and light touch. It's a rare skill, and it's what gives her characters proper depth. At times, it felt she was describing history - things that actually happened - rather than inventing these people and places. I can think of few other authors who achieve this - what an exceptional writer she is..

An easy five-star read. I'm bereft to have finished it!

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great things can happen after 2am - I stayed up ‘til 3.37am finishing this book. It was just THAT good.

Niamh Hargan once again knocks it out of the park with this portrait of two opposites - chaotic El and steady Robbie - over two decades. The writing is sharp, well-paced and felt like I was reading a film with its astute observations. I loved the way we get to witness how their feelings sneak up on them and all the ways they try to ignore it - El in the prickly way she treats Robbie to keep him at arm's length, and Robbie throwing himself into his life plans with his girlfriend.

The story is jam-packed with cultural references over the past 20 years that really ground the sense of place and time. The ending? Genius but frustrating because I wanted more, especially because the prologue had me stressed knowing where the characters are in the present day!

Think Ten Years by Pernille Hughes meets Deep Cuts by Holly Brick vibes.

Thanks to HarperCollins UK and Netgalley for the ARC.

[Nichola Gorji · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in return for an honest review. This book has made it into my top 10 reads of the year! I absolutely devoured this story and was gutted when it ended. The characters were so well written that I felt as though I knew them. Robbie and El had so much depth and character building wrote into the story that I felt every emotion with them. Phenomenal storytelling and writing by the author. This book is highly recommended by me 5 stars!

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meeting as bartenders at the age of 20 and 21, instant rivalry for attention of undergoing bar owner Otto.
Following life's choices and changes.
Making a cocktail that becomes an internet sensation makes the bar a worldwide sensation.
Splitting the reputation and the working partnership for many years.
Then a tragedy brings them back together. Can it last?

[Nine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Passion, cocktails, late nights, competition and more. I loved this book it gave the thrill of the late nights as both the fmc & MMC challenge the new norm in the cocktail industry and try and elevate their careers. I loved how their characters evolved throughout the story and the plot kept me hooked

[Victoria Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

If there’s one thing I love, it’s a book that really builds up its characters and makes you feel like you know them and have followed them on their journey and this book did not disappoint. Add it immediately to your TBR!

[Milly Percival · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm very much in the minority here - which suggests it's a me issue and not a book issue - but I just felt this dragged. I struggled to get into it and I struggled to feel invested even though its objectively a good book 🤷‍♀️

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

[Cora · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was glamorous and very mixed up, following El and Robbie's complex relationship and their love of cocktail making. I did feel that it dragged a bit though.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

[Tracey Harriman · Rating 5 out of 5]

what a joy to read!
loved the setting, the characters, the writing.
I just didnt want it to end.
glorious!

[Louise Tomkinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Obsessed.
This is the third book from Hargan, and I've enjoyed each and every one. Nothing Good Happens After 2am spoke to me in a way the others didn't, though.

Is it because of the excellent depiction of the cocktail bartender culture - the late nights, the exhaustion, the hours and hours of work, research, trial and error that go behind the fruity pink cocktail you love so much? Perhaps. Having spent a number of years working in bars in my 20s, it's refreshing to see a fictional portrayal that highlights the dedication and hard work, the stress that working odd hours puts on a relationship and the community that forms between colleagues, without being dismissive of the trade and the career choice.
The romance too, slow burning - is it loathing, is it attraction, is it jealousy? I don't think our characters knew themselves for the longest time. Both Robbie and El were wonderful characters - deeply flawed, but so human, realistic in their struggles and the way they picked their way through life.

A book that will really speak to those who are still figuring life out, and feeling a little out of sync with their peers.

[Simona · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nothing Good Happens After 2am is an ambitious novel, but one that ultimately feels confused about what story it wants to tell.

At over 400 pages, there is clearly a story somewhere here — but it is buried beneath too many competing threads. El and Robbie’s relationship, their individual connections to Otto and bar culture, El’s coming-of-age, even unresolved parental wounds. None of these threads are explored with enough depth or consistency to fully land. 
The relationship between El and Robbie is particularly underdeveloped. The narrative spends far more time on their lives apart than on the moments that should make their connection meaningful. We should've gotten more scenes of them getting to know each other, irritating each other, being attracted to each other. But without all that groundwork, it is difficult to feel invested in their bond. Robbie’s marriage, which should have felt so important, because it would make sense for it to be important to him, is treated almost as a footnote. 
The novel also seems unsure whether Otto is meant to be the emotional axis of the story. At times, the narrative frames El and Robbie as parallel figures orbiting him. Yet this idea is never fully committed to, and the focus drifts back almost entirely to El’s personal relationship to him That raises the question: if this is primarily El’s story, why structure it around a romantic relationship that remains mostly unexplored?? Is the book about love? About bar culture and cocktails creation? About growing up and learning who you are? About unresolved parental relationships, even about religion? Each of these ideas surfaces briefly, only to be set aside for the next. The result is a book that feels scattered rather than layered, where none of the potential storylines are developed enough to feel fully satisfying.