4.25 stars

This book is so weird, I absolutely loved it! Though I support women’s rights, I also support women’s wrongs.

The book touches upon racism and sexism, and it does so in an incredible way. I was actually rooting for Ji-Won from start to finish. She had become one of my new favourite unhinged main characters. I just love unhinged women on a revenge mission!

The first time I heard about Monika Kim's The Eyes Are the Best Part was on Reddit while she was still querying the book, and it was instantly apparent that, if published, this was a book I was going to have to read. And, upon finishing it, I was absolutely right.

Ji-won's life is spiraling: her friends all left her behind for a prestigious university, her father abandoned his family for another woman, her grades are abysmal. When her mother starts dating a white man named George, all those anxieties and insecurities come to a head and Ji-won starts dreaming of George's succulent blue eyes and what she might have to do to possess them.

I always love a book that blends body and food horror together so well. The novel balances Ji-won's growth as she reconsiders everything she's known and what's still worth protecting. The relationship in the main family unit was probably my favorite aspect; it's a love that is almost toxic because of all its expectations, as if it could fall apart at any moment but still somehow stands. The portrayals of toxic masculinity work well to compare and contrast those characters, and both will crawl under your skin in unpleasant ways. Readers ride along on Ji-won's descent into madness and obsession, and she's a character you can't help but cheer for even as she does horrible things.

I did feel the climax and a few twists at the end needed a little more room to breathe, but there is an utter sense of satisfaction that Kim manages to accomplish in one of those scenes. The last scene won't work for everybody, but it didn't take too much away for me. Overall, this might be one of my favorite reads of the year for its quick pace, the family of characters, and the delicious violence. I recommend this book for fans of body horror, eldest daughters carrying the weight of the world, and those looking for novels with heavy hits of social commentary.

This is closer to a 4.5 than a 4, but rating is arbitrary anyway.

This was an exceptional read! Everything about this was phenomenal, the characters, the prose, oh my god, the prose, the horror, the culture, the imagery, everything about it. The POV is close which means we get to see Ji-won like we're in her head; we can see what it's like for her, specifically her deterioration, her growing discontent and cynicism and rage, her obsessive tendencies, her isolation and frustration, her sense of justice tempered by her fraught but motivating relationships with her family members. I, in particular, loved the juxtaposition of food and horror here, how something that could be treated with hunger and satiation could then have a completely different connotation attached to it, equally filling and horrible. The imagery is fantastic, as is the use of metaphor here, and I would be remiss if I didn't point out the nuanced, deliberate way in which race was dealt with here specifically. Ji-won's a proper, fantastic serial killer; you can see why her victims are her victims, and why she would turn to violence as a resort open to her. Frankly, I don't know if this makes me a horrible person, but I was kind of rooting for her the whole way through, but I would say this just means the author absolutely deserves the credit for drawing together such a remarkable, empathising character at the centre of a great work!

I wasn’t sure what to expect with this one. Based on the synopsis I thought we would get disturbing and/or unsettling, and that’s exactly what we got.

Kim’s use of language is evocative. It makes you feel like you’re in Ji-won’s head, feeling and experiencing everything she is right along with her. This is especially true during Ji-won’s dissociative periods and when she’s acquiring and eating the eyes. You could feel how visceral her cravings were, as well as her desperation to fulfill those cravings. These scenes were simultaneously engrossing and disgusting. Kim’s writing made it easy to imagine exactly how it would feel to bite into the eyes and how they would taste, and those images did stay with me for a while.

There was a little twist at the end of the book related to Ji-won’s condition and I wasn’t especially surprised by it, but I was a little worried that Kim would use this twist for a quick and easy resolution. I was pleasantly surprised that it didn’t go that way and that it ultimately didn’t change much for Ji-won.

While we did get to know Ji-won and her motivations fairly well, we weren’t as fortunate with the other characters. There was a lot of telling instead of showing when it came to learning about them, so it was a bit harder to understand and trust their motivations.

There was also a lot of time spent on the beginning of the story and the build-up of getting to know Ji-won and watching her start to unravel. I would have liked to have seen as much time spent on the ending and resolution. Things moved fairly quickly once everything started happening and we really got into the action and the ending felt somewhat abrupt.

This was a fairly quick and enjoyable read, but be prepared to get a little grossed out while reading it.

Thanks NetGally, Kensington Books, and Erewohn Books for the advanced copy.

I loved this book! I am honestly surprised I’m not hearing more buzz about it because it was captivating and unique, and I thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish. The story follows a Korean family in Los Angeles. Dad leaves, mom melts down, daughters struggle, mom finds new creep with an obvious fetish for Asian woman, and boom, eldest daughter starts to develop some seriously eerie and repulsive dreams and obsessions.

This story has quite a few layers and is part serial killer origin story, part cultural tale, and part family saga. It’s truly unique, and I was so impressed with how engrossed I was while reading. I would highly recommend to anyone who likes something a little different and isn’t afraid of some graphic detail that could make you a little queasy.

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington for access to this arc!

Thank you Kensington books & Monica Kim for this read!

I wanted to love this book but it took me a long time to finish. This book tackles some really horrific and pressing real world horror and blends it with revenge. I loved the strong female character and the contrast to the evil of the villians. I did feel a bit hard to connect to the protagonist and it was definitely a slower burn. I didn't feel the action happened until around 60%. It was hard to put down after the 60% mark and the pace definitely quickened. There were some satisfying moments but overall this missed the mark for me

This book creeped me out, and I LOVED it. What a gory read, that I couldn't put down. Fantasticly chilling and gripping. Would definitely recommend.

This is a new release psychological horror from Monika Kim. In this book, we are Looking at a young Korean-American girl, Ji-won Lim whose life has so badly fallen apart that she slowly and steadily rises into being a serial killer on her college campus. After her father abandons her, her sister, and mother, it sets off this chain of events to Ji-won slowly losing her reality where her thirst and hunger to kill must be sated in order to keep living her mundane life.

First off, thank you to NetGalley for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This book was an arc given to me by Netgalley a few months ago and can I just say WHY DID I WAIT TO READ THIS ARC FOR SO LONG!!!!! (I hate being a mood reader!) This book was great. It was a fast paced read, it was creepy, it had a surprising ending, and overall it had all the things I like in a psychological horror.
It amazed me how Ji-won was our protagonist and how I simultaneously disliked her as well and loved her. I also, while not feeling bad for her, also felt bad for her at the same time. It was interesting to watch her character development from loving and dependent daughter to a serial killer on the brink of despair.

There was a lot of moving pieces in this book, mainly with the different characters, and even though I was surprised by the ending, I was left with questions to be answered. I am hoping there will be a book two to continue Ji-wons journey because even if this is a standalone, I would, in fact, read a second book or a interconnected second book to this one. I ate it up and couldn’t get enough.

I overall gave this book 4 stars ⭐️. The plot was great, I loved the character development, and I loved the horror serial killer parts also. Creepy and yucky without making me gag 😄 I just wish I had more answers to some of my questions.

Thank you again to Netgalley for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

"There's an energy thrumming in my veins. An anger. Fury. The desire to punish, to exact justice."

I devoured this book. It was the perfect book to satisfy my craving for a revenge story. It was just so good. Unhinged female characters are right up my alley, and this book delivered.

If you expect this to be a fast-paced slasher, it's not. The story takes its time. We're introduced to Ji Won's family and the situation they find themselves in after her father leaves.

The story slowly becomes more unhinged as Ji Won struggles to adjust to life with her mother's new boyfriend. She becomes obsessed with eyes. Things escalate from there. I'll leave it at that, I'll just say things get juicy. Pro tip: do NOT eat while reading this.

The author perfectly blends psychological horror, gore, and social commentary. It touches on racism, sexism, and the fetishization of Asian women.

I know that this book won't be for everyone but it was definitely for me. If you're like me and you enjoy a slow decent into madness, read this.

Thank you to NetGalley, Kensington Books, Erewhon Books, and the author for providing me with an ARC for review.

I enjoyed this book. The pacing was off in some parts but not so much that I couldn’t finish the book.

"The Eyes Are the Best Part" by Monika Kim is a chilling feminist psychological horror novel that brilliantly explores the making of a female serial killer from a Korean-American perspective. Ji-won’s life spirals into chaos after her father's extramarital affair leads to his departure. Her mother is distraught, her younger sister is confused, and Ji-won’s college grades are plummeting. Her dreams, however, are horrifying yet strangely alluring, filled with rooms of bloody, succulent blue eyes—the same eyes as George’s, her mother’s obnoxious new boyfriend. George’s presence in their claustrophobic apartment is unbearable, and Ji-won decides that he deserves nothing from her family.

Ji-won's descent into darkness is marked by her increasing obsession with sating her hunger and rage, no matter the cost. As victims begin to accumulate around her campus, her deceptive and manipulative nature comes to the fore. Monika Kim's debut novel is not just a tale of revenge but a profound exploration of misogyny, racism, and cultural fetishization. Kim's narrative is both disturbing and compelling, making it impossible to put down.

This book touches on various heavy themes, including cannibalism, sexism, racism, PTSD, infidelity, and child abandonment. Kim’s portrayal of Ji-won’s unraveling is both horrifying and mesmerizing, and her critique of societal issues is sharp and insightful. The novel’s title is woven seamlessly throughout the story, and the intense scenes are described with a gory yet captivating detail that keeps the reader engaged from start to finish.

"The Eyes Are the Best Part" is a bold and innovative work that marks Monika Kim as a powerful new voice in horror literature. The book's combination of psychological horror and social commentary creates a unique and unforgettable reading experience. The complex character development, especially Ji-won's, and the well-crafted plot make this a standout novel in the genre.

Thank you to Erewhon Books and NetGalley for the ARC. This review reflects my honest opinion.

The Eyes Are the Best Part is not a story for the faint of heart and truly fits within the horror genre. Monika Kim has written a story with a lot of intellectual depth surrounding culture as a whole and cultural appropriation. The elements of horror come alive on the page and can be quite frightening at times. However, toward the middle to end you really have to suspend some disbelief and the story starts to get away from itself. The beginning and the end felt like two different books. If you want an unhinged main character, deep horror elements and are ready to go with the flow of a story, pick this one up.

I don’t think I was the right reader for this one. I found the pacing to be weird, very up and down and I contemplated DNFing. I am glad I continued though because the ending was just so good, but I wish it got there sooner.

this is the type of slow burn story I love! Ji-won and her family were such fascinating characters to follow. although this is marketed as horror, it really reads more as a coming-of-age story for Ji-won with some creepy elements thrown in, the 'dark' things don't really start happening until well into the book. Kim's writing is really the highlight of this novel, I can't wait to read more from her!

The Eyes Are the Best Part is a fun, thrilling read perfect for fans of women's rights and women's wrongs. Ji-won's father has left, and her mom has started dating George, about as lewd, unaware, and fetishizing as they come. The stressors in Ji-won's life lead her to fantasize about and crave eyes. After all, the eyes are the best part of a baked fish and eating them brings good luck! I'd highly recommend this story for anyone who appreciates descriptive horror and feminine rage.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for an advance copy for review.

4.5 ⭐️ Good for her.

This is a book for those who support women’s rights, but also women’s wrongs. When Ji-Won’s father abandons their family, it’s up to her and her sister to pick up the pieces. Their mother Umma is a shell of who she was. One night, she makes fish and insists the sisters eat the eyeballs for good luck. Ji-Won does and from that moment forward she becomes obsessed with eyeballs, especially blue ones. Umma surprises Ji-Won and Ji-Hyun when she introduces them to her new boyfriend, George. George, who is particularly vile, but has the most enchanting pair of blue eyes. Ji-Won begins to have horrible dreams, and soon she can’t tell what’s real and what isn’t.

It’s easy to say this book will be one of my favorite horrors of the year. There are some truly gruesome moments, but also a commentary on men and fetishization of Asian women that is just as gross if not moreso than the bloody bits. It just made my skin crawl.

Thank you to NetGalley and Erewhon for the review copy. I can’t wait to read more from this author.

This was fantastic, go in to it knowing nothing and come out of it feeling, well, you'll see.

This book was an absolute trip. It's somehow delicate and vicious with the writing style where the lines of "okay that's reasonable" to "what the fuck" are blurred.

I am a big fan of Sayaka Murata (Convenience Store Woman etc.) and while I hate to draw comparisons, The Eyes Are the Best Part certainly has similar vibes and writing style and execution.

Monika Kim is a debut author and I will absolutely read anything they write.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Kensington Books for a free e-arc of this title in exchange for a review.

This is described as a feminist, psychological horror and I fully agree. Definitely don’t read this if you’re squeamish about eyes, I’m not but I still found it bordering on too gruesome. That said, I still really enjoying reading this, I finished the entire book in one sitting. It’s fast paced and addictive, all the characters are realistic. I think I’ve met each character in real life at least once. I feel like there may have been a deeper meaning that maybe I wasn’t smart enough to catch but I still think it was a good take on fetishization of BIPOC women and the real struggles that result from it. Overall if you’re looking for your next unhinged hot girl revenge thriller this is it.

Thanks to NetGalley, Monika Kim and Kensington Books for this e-ARC

this book was everything I didn’t know I needed! the details were so incredible; a literal movie playing in my mind. though I was queasy at times, it was enjoyable. the ending left me craving more!

What a roller coaster of a ride. The reader enters the world of a young college student and we have a first class seat as she slowly slips into madness. When the reader thinks they have her figured out, plot twist. If you want horror with beautiful writing, check this book out. You will not regret it.