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4.5
360 Degrees of Valentina
ByPublisher Description
She asked for a promotion. She got a performance review.She asked for a promotion. She got a performance review.
Valentina Navarro is 29, single, and the first in her family to land a corporate leadership role in the U.S. She’s finally managing her own team at Orion Grocer—and four months in, her numbers are up, and leadership is pleased. There's just one her team hates her.
Haunted by guilt after pushing out a long-tenured employee, Valentina pours her shame into a self-drawn graphic novel alter La MacheteraLa Machetera, a machete-wielding villain forged by corporate dysfunction. But when the drawing lands in HR’s inbox, she’s forced into a brutal 360-degree performance review that threatens to unravel everything she's worked for.
Navigating office politics, old wounds, and an unexpected reunion with her ex, Valentina struggles to reconcile the pressure to lead with authenticity against a backdrop of layoffs laden with toxic positivity, double standards, and “feedback culture.” As her team turns from resistance to trust, she must decide what kind of leader—and woman—she wants to be.
A sharp, darkly funny, and emotionally resonant debut, 360 Degrees of Valentina is a coming-of-leadership story for anyone who’s ever felt like an outsider in a world that wasn’t built for them.A sharp, darkly funny, and emotionally resonant debut, 360 Degrees of Valentina360 Degrees of Valentina is a coming-of-leadership story for anyone who’s ever felt like an outsider in a world that wasn’t built for them.
Valentina Navarro is 29, single, and the first in her family to land a corporate leadership role in the U.S. She’s finally managing her own team at Orion Grocer—and four months in, her numbers are up, and leadership is pleased. There's just one her team hates her.
Haunted by guilt after pushing out a long-tenured employee, Valentina pours her shame into a self-drawn graphic novel alter La MacheteraLa Machetera, a machete-wielding villain forged by corporate dysfunction. But when the drawing lands in HR’s inbox, she’s forced into a brutal 360-degree performance review that threatens to unravel everything she's worked for.
Navigating office politics, old wounds, and an unexpected reunion with her ex, Valentina struggles to reconcile the pressure to lead with authenticity against a backdrop of layoffs laden with toxic positivity, double standards, and “feedback culture.” As her team turns from resistance to trust, she must decide what kind of leader—and woman—she wants to be.
A sharp, darkly funny, and emotionally resonant debut, 360 Degrees of Valentina is a coming-of-leadership story for anyone who’s ever felt like an outsider in a world that wasn’t built for them.A sharp, darkly funny, and emotionally resonant debut, 360 Degrees of Valentina360 Degrees of Valentina is a coming-of-leadership story for anyone who’s ever felt like an outsider in a world that wasn’t built for them.
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Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communities360 Degrees of Valentina Reviews
4.5
“LOVE TO SEE NICARAGUAN FMC (An author) REPRESENT!
This is a coming-of-age journey of a first generation Nicaraguan-American surviving corporate America.
Valentina Navarro is 29, single, and the first in her family to land a corporate leadership role in the U.S! She’s doing everything right managing her own team at Orion Grocer, her performance numbers are looking great and she’s on her way to achieving the “American dream” … The catch? Her team can’t stand her.
After nudging out a long-time (FAVE) employee, Valentina wrestles with guilt & the only way she knows how to deal with it… by sketching herself as “La Machetera”( the comic drawings within the pages made it so much more than I ever imagined, LOVED IT!) a machete-wielding villain born of corporate chaos.
But when her alter ego drawings ends up in HR’s inbox, she’s suddenly the subject of a 360-degree review, with peers, bosses, and direct reports weighing in on her leadership skills and likability-Cue the self-doubt and panic Googling phrases like “how to be vulnerable at work” “ How to be your authentic self at work”
And like if dealing with office politics, self doubt and overload of self-help mantras isn’t enough to deal with .. her ex re-appears (yep! the same one she proposed to back in college and he said -no-🫣)
Ana V. Ayestas captures the impossible balancing act so many first-gen professionals face..the guilt of success, the weight of family expectations, and the quiet, constant pressure to shrink yourself to fit into systems that was never built with us in mind. Valentina’s story hit me hard in the best way possible.
Through humor, Vulnerability and sharp insight, Ayestas shows the emotional cost of making our families proud while trying not to lose ourselves in the process. This book is a perfect reflection of what it means to “make it” and what it takes to survive while doing it.”
“360 Degrees of Valentina is a smart, darkly funny, and emotionally impactful novel that blends traditional storytelling with a hidden graphic novel element — a creative twist that makes the book stand out.
I truly enjoyed this read. Ana Ayestas does a fantastic job capturing the experiences of first-generation Americans, especially women trying to find their footing in the professional world. The story felt real and raw in all the right ways — both eye-opening and deeply relatable.
The blend of humor, vulnerability, and cultural insight makes Valentina’s journey compelling from start to finish. The author balances heavier themes with sharp writing and a strong storyline that keeps you engaged. It’s a refreshing take on coming-of-age fiction, and the graphic novel aspect adds a meaningful visual layer to Valentina’s inner world.
This is a must-read for anyone who’s ever felt caught between identities or struggled to find their place — whether in their culture, career, or personal life.”
“This how to manual disguised as a novel with a hidden graphic novel was interesting. Latina corporate life was not a genre I thought I would be interested in but this book does a great job of being relatable (I promise I’m not a machete villain). Oh and the second chance romance with two cabezudos made me lose sleep.”
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