Simona Ahrnstedt

Simona Ahrnstedt (b. 1967) was born in Prague and moved to Sweden with her parents at a very young age. Besides being one of Sweden’s best-selling authors, she is a licensed psychologist and cognitive behavioral therapist. Ahrnstedt’s rich and captivating character depictions, paired with her provocative and daringly executed plots, breathe life into the now rapidly growing genre of Scandinavian women’s fiction. Alongside her role as novelist, Ahrnstedt is a spokesperson for books by women, for women and about women.

“I am IN LOVE with Swedish author Simona Ahrnstedt’s books.”
Marian Keyes

Awards

Shortlisted for the Storytel Awards (Best Feelgood Fiction) Iceland – Bara lite till Just a Bit More 2024
Shortlisted for the Storytel Awards (Best Feelgood Fiction) Sweden – Ett otänkbart öde An Unthinkable Fate 2024
Shortlisted for the Feelgood of the Year Award Sweden – Ett otänkbart öde An Unthinkable Fate 2023
Shortlisted for the Storytel Awards (Best Feelgood Fiction) Iceland – En enda risk High Risk 2023
Shortlisted for the Feelgood of the Year Award Sweden – Nattens Drottning The Queen of the Night 2022
Shortlisted for the Storytel Awards (Best Feelgood Fiction) Sweden – Nattens Drottning The Queen of the Night 2022
Shortlisted for the Mofibo Awards (Best Romance) Denmark – Bara lite till Just a Bit More 2021
Feelgoodfredag (Best Romance Novel ) Sweden – Med hjärtat som insats Hearts on the Line 2020
Shortlisted for the Storytel Awards (Best Fiction) Sweden – Med hjärtat som insats Hearts on the Line 2020
Shortlisted for the Storytel Awards (Best Fiction) Sweden – Bara lite till Just a Bit More 2019
Shortlisted for LovelyBooks Leserpreis Germany – De skandalösa The Scandalous 2019
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Bibliography

Opposites Attract

High Stakes

Wadenstierna

Related news

The Swedish Storytel Awards 2024

The shortlists for the Swedish Storytel Awards of 2024 are now available and open for the public’s vote.

Among those competing for the title of best Suspense title are Hjorth & Rosenfeldt with The Guilt You Carry, and Jo Nesbø with Killing Moon. In the Feelgood category Simona Ahrnstedt vies for the top spot with An Unthinkable Fate. Lastly, the Children’s category sees Martin Widmark and The Dinosaur Mystery face up against among else David Sundin‘s The Audiobook That Did Not Want To End – Part 4, from the same universe as The Book That Did Not Want To Be Read.

The Icelandic Storytel Awards 2024 Shortlist Announced

The nominees for this year’s Icelandic Storytel Awards have been announced. 

The Storytel Awards are an annual event that highlights the best audio books of the year. The awards are granted within five categories: Suspense, Fiction, Non-fiction, YA & Children’s books, and Feelgood.

Yrsa Sigurdardóttir’s Forget Me Not is nominated in the Suspense category, whilst Jørn Lier Horst’s The Cabin is featured in the Fiction books award. 

Martin Widmark’s The Racecourse Mystery is in the running for the Children’s books award, and Just a Bit More by Simona Ahrnstedt is nominated within the Feelgood category.

Readers will be able to vote for their favorite titles, after which a jury will pick a winner among the five candidates with the most votes in each category.

‘An Unthinkable Fate’ and ‘Zoo Boy’ longlisted for 2023 Feelgood of the Year Award

Simona Ahrnstedt’s romantic historical novel An Unthinkable Fate and Peter Hammarbäck’s heart-warming debut Zoo Boy have been longlisted for the Swedish Feelgood Festival’s award Feelgood of the Year 2023.

To see the list of the nominees and vote for your favorite, click “Read more” below.

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‘An Unthinkable Fate’ published in Sweden

In the spring of 1884 the young society woman Alexandra Rosenkvist is living in the north of Sweden, exiled having caused a scandal that shocked the high society. Now she’s finally allowed to return to Stockholm, where modern inventions such as the telephone and electricity are seeing the day of light, and where intelligence and money are beginning to be considered more important than fine ancestry. The women’s fight is in its early stages and within Alexandra a longing is growing for independence and the prospect of devoting herself to her passion: art.

The one coming to collect Alexandra is Atle Falk, a man with a dark past. Together with Atle, her cheery maid Minna and the pious handmaiden Emmy, Alexandra will traverse through a Sweden that is rapidly changing. On the surface the young dreamy socialite Alexandra and the scarred and cynical Atle have nothing in common, but during the course of their journey they grow closer to one another and unthinkable feelings blossom. Alexandra’s dreams of an independent and free life begin to flourish. But at home in Stockholm her rich and conservative family await. And they have very different plans for her.

An Unthinkable Fate is the fourth stand-alone set in Simona Ahrnstedt’s Wadenstierna-universe.

The Icelandic Storytel Awards 2023 Shortlist Announced

The nominees for this year’s Icelandic Storytel Awards have been announced. The Storytel Awards have been bestowed to highlight the best audio books of the year. The awards are granted within six categories: Suspense, Fiction, Non-fiction, Feelgood, YA, and Children’s books.

Among the nominees for suspense are Johan Theorin’s Weathered Bones and Yrsa Sigurdardottir’s I See You.

We’re Just Trying to Have Fun by Hálldor Armand Asgeirsson is featured within the non-fiction category.

Simona Ahrnstedt’s High Risk is nominated in the feelgood category, whilst Martin Widmark’s The Saffron Mystery is in the running for the children’s books award.

Readers will be able to vote for their favorite works, after which a jury will pick a winner among the three candidates with the most votes in each category.

The Storytel Awards 2021 Shortlist Announced

The nominees for the Swedish 2021 Storytel Awards have been announced. The Storytel Awards have been bestowed since 2007 in Sweden to highlight the best audio books of the year. The awards are granted within six categories: Suspense, Fiction, Non-fiction, Feelgood, YA, and Children’s books.

Among the nominees for suspense are Kristina Ohlsson’s Icebreaker, Hjorth & Rosenfeldt’s As You Sow, Jens Lapidus’ The No-Go Zone, Anders de la Motte & Måns Nilsson’s A House to Die For, Liza Marklund’s The Polar Circle, and Anders Roslund’s Trust Me.

The nominees within the fiction category includes Fredrik Backman’s The Winners and Jonas Gardell’s A Happier Year, and Simona Ahrnstedt’s The Queen of the Night is featured on the Feelgood list.

Meanwhile, Anders Hansen’s Brain Blues and Måns Mosesson’s Tim – The Official Biography of Avicii features on the Non-fiction list, and David Sundin’s audiobook The Audiobook That Did Not Want To End – Part 2, from the same universe as The Book That Did Not Want To Be Read, is in the running for the Children’s books’ award.

Readers will be able to vote for their favorite works until February 9, after which a jury will pick a winner among the three candidates with the most votes in each category.

To cast your vote, click “Read more” below.

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Stefan Tell; Kiefer Lee; Kate Gabor Photo: Stefan Tell; Kiefer Lee; Kate Gabor

Natt och Dag, Hansen and Ahrnstedt on the October bestseller lists

Niklas Natt och Dag’s 1795 claims top placements on the official Swedish bestseller lists for the month of October across all formats, coming in at No. 1 on the hardcover and e-book list and No. 2 on the audio list. Anders Hansen’s Brain Blues, published only three days before the end of the month, grabs the No. 3 spot on the non-fiction list, while Simona Ahrnstedt’s The Queen of the Night takes the No. 5 spot on the e-book list.

The weekly Swedish bestseller lists

Niklas Natt och Dag’s 1795 continues to top the official Swedish bestseller list for hardcover fiction, keeping its No. 1 spot for the third consecutive week. Simona Ahrnstedt’s just published The Queen of the Night enters the e-book list at No. 4.

‘The Queen of the Night’ published in Sweden

Kate Ekberg is a star. She has single-handedly created the immensely popular night club Kate’s, which is on everyone’s bucket list. She’s a glamorous, tough, and savvy business woman. But no one knows that she is also in the grip of a blackmailer.

Outwardly, Jacob Grim is an uptight bank manager complete with a stern look, double-buttoned suits and sober ties. Ever since a tragedy unfolded ten years back, he has forced himself to suppress all emotions. It’s been working fine, until he comes across a desperate Kate.

Something occurs in the meeting of these opposites: the charismatic nightclub icon and the closed-off bank man. They are thrown into a whirlwind passion that changes everything and suddenly there’s a promise of something more. If they dare to do the most difficult thing: be vulnerable.

The Queen of the Night is a feelgood love story about falling for your complete opposite against all odds and re-evaluating everything you thought you knew in the process. The book is the fourth installment in the stand-alone series Opposites Attract.

The Mofibo Awards 2021

The Danish audio and e-book service Mofibo has announced this year’s nominees in the Mofibo Awards. The awards are split into six categories: Crime & Suspense, Fiction, Romance, Non-fiction, YA, and Children’s books.

Competing for the title of Best Crime & Suspense are: Katrine Engberg with Isola, Lars Kepler with The Mirror Man, Jo Nesbø with The Kingdom, and Stefan Ahnhem with X Ways to Die.

Annette Bjergfeldt’s debut title When Life Gives You Hippos is in the running for Best Fiction, while Simona Ahrnstedt features on the Romance shortlist with her Just a Bit More.

Lastly, the YA and Children’s categories see Lise Villadsen and Don’t Fall, Don’t Drown, Don’t Die and Bobbie Peers and The Explorers’ Club and the Turtle Cannon each grab a spot on the shortlists.

To cast your vote, click “Read more” below.

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