SUMMER AT VILLA HILDA continues to conquer the world: Hungarian rights sold!

We are excited to let you know that the Hungarian rights for Summer at Villa Hilda, the upcoming feel-good novel by Michaela von Kügelgen, have been acquired by Athenaeum! The deal was closed by Sten-Erik Tammemäe at Elina Ahlback Literary Agency.

Pitched as Mamma Mia vibes at Swedish archipelago, Summer at Villa Hilda follows Louise, a former celebrity chef and Thomas, a journalist, as they both move to the island of Halsterö in the Stockholm archipelago and start working in the Villa Hilda guesthouse. Both have had their fair share of misfortunes on the mainland, so a summer on an idyllic island feels like a chance to start over. Although the villa isn’t going to treat them as easily as they’d expect, the island and its inhabitants eventually help them to find their way back to life.

This latest sale to Hungary marks the 6th pre-publication deal for Summer at Villa Hilda! Previous sales include four-way auction for the Dutch rights, three-book deals by the Danish, German, and Norwegian publishers, and a deal to Estonia. Summer at Villa Hilda will be published simultaneously in Finland and Sweden on June 10th and will kickstart the Villa Hilda trilogy with book #2 slated to be published in February 2026 and book #3 in September 2026.

Athenaeum praised Summer at Villa Hilda for being a hope-instilling and optimistic title for all times:

“This is a sort of ’sunshine’ novel, even though it involves difficult topics like dementia or #metoo. The story gives the reader hope that their life can turn for the better, just as the lives of the characters in the novel. A heartwarming and healing novel, that one can enjoy reading at any time.”
– Viktória Dian, managing director, Athenaeum, Hungary

Rights are still available in the UK, the US, France, Italy, Poland, Italy, France, Czechia, Japan, Greece…

Download materials for SUMMER AT VILLA HILDA here!

Summer at Villa Hilda

Michaela von Kügelgen

Many people dream of a second chance in life, but how many dare to take it?

Far out in the Stockholm archipelago lies the island of Halsterö. Journalist Thomas and former celebrity chef Louise travel there to work at the Villa Hilda guesthouse. They are both broken after many setbacks and are hoping for a fresh start. But setting up a summer paradise is not as easy as one might think, not even on the idyllic Halsterö island.

One day Louise stumbles across a collection of old love letters. Who wrote them, and what stories does Villa Hilda hide in its dusty attic? And how will Thomas manage to take care of his dementia-stricken mother while setting up an archipelago guesthouse?

Summer at Villa Hilda is about how difficult it is to be human among other people, but also about how, with the help of others, one can find one’s way back to life.

This novel is the first part of the Villa Hilda series and will be published in June 2025. The following titles will concentrate on the people living on the picturesque Halsterö island and will tentatively be published in February 2026 and September 2026.