What a weird, unique, interesting book! Someone on TikTok compared The Eyes Are the Best Part to A Certain Hunger, so I knew I’d be interested in reading it; I love a good feminist psychological thriller/female villain origin story. I breezed through this book and couldn’t put it down. A strong four stars, maybe four and a half. Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced reader copy of The Eyes Are the Best Part.

The amount of chatter I’ve seen about this book has been unreal - and it hasn’t even been released yet. And one peep at the cover and I knew I had to read it.

It starts out like a typical contemporary novel - our protagonist Ji-won is experiencing the hardships of growing - she’s distancing from her friends, college life isn’t as fulfilling as expected, and her father’s affair has just been revealed, as he leaves her, her mother and sister behind to find their path on their own.

Ji-won begins to slip until the lines between reality and make believe blur. From here - the tension escalates as the descent to madness intensifies…Her desires become stronger, her behavior more erratic, her cravings more … eye-ball-y. Oh right, did we mention that all Ji-Won really wants is to consume a shiny, round blue eyeball?

I’m so thrilled to see this upswing of books in the “unhinged women” genre - an underrepresented but intensely common/mildly relatable state of mind for most of us (LOL).

Recommending for those who love unhinged women and don’t shy away from the bizarre (and kind of gross) - think Mona Awad or Catronia Ward, dialed down only to make sure you’re really experiencing the fall along with our MC.

Thank you NetGalley, Monika Kim and Kensington Books for a copy of this incredible debut in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book!
We love a female serial killer origin story. The beginning was slow, but from about the 60% point and on it was really well done. Can't wait to read more from this author!

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this novel.

This was absolutely my kind of horror. I loved this novel so much. It was so weird, gross, and unhinged. I do not like eyeballs and all of the imagery and graphic descriptions of eyes really made me uncomfortable but in the best possible way. I loved this narrator. I loved the turn the story took. I thought the ending was really great. This was such a great and effective horror novel.

Honestly, we get a wonderful dose of tension as a girl's world slowly unravels via yellow fever by men in multiple parts of her life, her mom's new boyfriend being immensely shitty, and a slowly developing taste for cannibalism. Her unraveling is incredibly well written, and I'd definitely read more from Ms. Kim in the future.

Some readers will take a look at the title and cover of this book and take a hard pass. Another kind of reader will see the title and cover of this book and want to devour (HA) it immediately. I am, obviously, of the second (and possibly slightly unhinged) camp.

The Eyes Are the Best Part introduces readers to our narrator, Ji-Won, at a particularly tumultuous time in her life. Her father has just left their family to be with his mistress; she's had a falling out with her high school friends; she's struggling to maintain her grades (and, thus, her scholarship) during her first year of college. It's during this time of upheaval that George, her mother's new boyfriend, enters her life. George is the worst kind of white man. He is obnoxious and condescending and obviously fetishizes Asian women. He does have one good quality, though: his brilliant blue eyes. And Ji-Won wants to eat them.

The Eyes are the Best Part is a gripping novel that explores, in unflinching and violent ways, the intersections of racism and misogyny, the first-generation immigrant experience, and unapologetic female rage. There's gore, murder, and cannibalism -- but there is also a complex, thoughtful, sensitive portrayal of a young Korean-American woman who is struggling with societal and familial pressures and responsibilities. It's brilliantly done social horror. And not since Story of the Eye has an author done such horrifying things with eyeballs.

The ending wrapped things up a bit too conveniently for me, but other than that, The Eyes are the Best Part is fascinating and engrossing and left me salivating (...) for Monika Kim's next book. Recommended to readers who enjoyed Maeve Fly. Thank you to Kensington Books for the early reading opportunity.

A WOMAN SCORNED..... possibly one of the greatest genres. LOVING and devouring this new wave of women of color writing feminist horror!!!! An incredibly gifted author!

The Eyes Are the Best Part follows Ji-won’s journey from college student to serial killer. As her obsession grows with blue eyes, she places her hatred towards her absent father on her mother’s boyfriend. This book was absolutely horrifying in some places and completely entertaining in others.

You know how you want to really like a book, so you persist, and persist and persist and finally you have ended up reading it, but you wish you had DNF’d it way back when? That’s what The Eyes Are The Best Part was for me.

I really wanted to like this book by Monika Kim. However, unfortunately it was like pulling teeth.

The story centres around Ji-won, a young Korean American girl whose life starts unravelling when her father runs off with another woman and abandons the family home. After trying to save her disintegrating family and her fluctuating grades, her life becomes even more complicated when shortly after her parents break up, her mother moves in the odious George, the replacement for her father.

George is a typical middle aged white american man who has a tendency to fetishise young asian women and is basically a creep. In the midst of this there is the seemingly nice Geoffrey who Ji - won befriends at her college who is a misogynistic wolf in a faux feminist sheep's clothing.

Things start going awry when Ji - won begins to dream of eating the perfect blue eyes of George. Things start to spiral further when the bodies start to pile up around campus.

As I said, I really wanted to like this book but it just fell flat. Don’t get me wrong, there are flashes of things that I thought were good, such as some of the characterisation, particularly Ji - won’s mother who is obsequiously manipulative.

However, the sluggish pace that the book moves made this made me feel like I was reading this book for an age, and added to that there was absolutely no connection to the main character (or most of the other characters to be honest) meant there was not that hook to reel me in.

The book makes many statements throughout, particularly in relation to feminism and the treatment of Korean Asians in the US. However, ultimately I found that the mediums that were used just couldn’t get me interested.

Additionally, there was absolutely no feelings of tension within the book, and ultimately when the book moves into darker territory, I found that I couldn’t really care less.

It’s a shame really, because there are some good bits in it, it’s just the execution of the good bits didn’t make up for the rest of the book

A unique Villain Origin Story that didn’t quite deliver for me. While I strongly enjoyed the point of view of a young Korean American Woman, her narrative on feminism, misogyny, fetishism, racism, and generational trauma; I found some characters to be underdeveloped and the overall story lacking in action, while other parts were so on the nose it almost came across as cheesy.

Rating: 4.8⭐️
Pub Date: 6/25

Thank you to NetGalley and Erewhon Books for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

“Feminist psychological horror about the making of a female serial killer from a Korean-American perspective.”

The Eyes are the Best Part is a cautionary tale: eating a fish eye might turn you into a murderer with a literal hunger for blue-irised eye balls.

I could not put this book down. Not only was it an easy-flowing read, but Monika Kim does such an amazing job painting a picture of Ji-won’s life and the events that lead up to her new found hunger. We see her traversing life as an Asian, a woman, and the daughter of an immigrant juxtaposed to three male figures in her life. There are multiple examples of why women would choose the bear (iykyk) and a couple of horror/body gore moments that made me a bit queasy but were perfect. I felt like the end was rushed a tiny bit and wasn’t as satisfying as I was hoping, but, overall, I very much liked this book and even picked it as one of my June picks for Aardvark Book Club.

This one was so good!!! 🙌 I will warn you - if you’re sensitive about anything having to do with your eyes like I am, this book will make you squirm and a bit queasy in parts! 👀🤢

I absolutely loved the FMC and how she slowly became more and more unhinged! Just an excellent read all around and I highly recommend it!! ❤️

Thank you to NetGalley, Kensington Books, and Monika Kim for the opportunity to read the eARC in exchange for my honest review!! Looking forward to reading more from Monika! ❤️

I always tell myself I need to read more horror and this story only reminds me of why. With an interesting take on the serial killer genre, Monika Kim writes an excellent perspective of a young woman struggling after the abandonment of her father as she discovers a hunger hiding inside of her.

The Eyes Are the Best Part has an atmosphere that keeps you unable to look away from Ji-won and the life around her. When I actually sat down to read the book, the short chapters kept me wanting more, reading until I was forced to put the book down.

I look forward to reading more from Monika Kim.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

One of my most anticipated reads of the year and The Eyes Are the Best Part does not disappoint. When eldest daughter Ji-won’s father leaves for another woman, her mother is in shambles and her younger sister Ji-hyun is battling with her own anxiety. Buckling under the pressure of caring for her family and slipping grades, Ji-won is desperate. Enter, George: a white man Ji-won’s mother met at the grocery store. He is very interested in asian restaurants- and especially the waitresses therein. Under the gaze of his mouthwateringly blue eyes, Ji-won begins to unravel.

I cannot believe this is a debut novel. Monika Kim did a stunning job with The Eyes Are the Best Part. It’s a creepy and gross novel that also at the same time feels… Hopeful. I’m tempted to even call this “good for her” horror. Despite Ji-won’s “eccentric” appetites and problematic behavior, I couldn’t help but feel sympathetic toward her as the mounting pressure of caring for her family and enduring the experience of being fetishized by the men around her dissolves her mental state. Ultimately, despite everything, I want her to be happy in the end.

The Eyes Are the Best Part was an awesome read, and I recommend to fans of gore, slow descents into madness, and also A24 films (I think a movie adaptation would be perfect for A24 or even NEON).

Very good, I thought the story was amazingly told and I was easily able to connect with the main character because I just felt like her emotions throughout the book were described very well. Although I will say the ending seemed a little rushed but I did enjoy this story very much.

This was astoundingly good!
A perfect look into the psyche of a dark and unraveling teenage girl. Also loved the characterization of the “man who uses feminism to be misogynist”.
Absolutely brilliant and dark and disgusting; perfection in every way!

This book was not at all what I expected it to be. I knew it was in the horror genre, and the cover really drew me in, but all of the twists and turns in this book were completely unexpected. Some of it, without any spoilers, was hard to read as a woman, but I really felt for the protagonist and her family. The author was amazingly descriptive, and I could feel the despair and dismay in certain parts of this book. I would absolutely read it again and will be recommending it as well. It was a really incredible or novel.

Prepare your stomach; you’ll want to be an adventurous eater for this one. Though on second thought, don’t try this at home. Monika Kim is exploding onto the horror scene with her debut novel The Eyes Are The Best Part. We follow Ji-Won, a Korean-American girl trying her best to adjust to college amidst a tumultuous home life. In the chaos she adopts a fixation from her mother’s cultural lessons: eating fish eyes brings good luck. You can experience the full tale when this arrives from Erewhon Books on June 25th. Read on to figure out why I think you should.

It’s summer. It’s the time for vacation reads. Hear me out, this is a vacation read. It is fast-paced with short chapters, making it ideal for binging or reading in random spots of downtime. It’s a conversation starter, have you seen that cover? But also maybe a deterrent for the wrong company at the beach. Again, have you seen that cover? The only thing really making this not a summer read is how heavy it is. It feels light, I read this so quickly, but it tackles some difficult topics. And I don’t just mean the eyes—we’ll get to those.

Ji-Won’s family is falling apart. Or rather, it has fallen apart. The inciting incident of this novel is the leaving of her father and her mother’s subsequent new boyfriend. Her Appa and this new boyfriend, George, highlight two pervasive cultural hurdles Ji-Won is grappling with as she tries to start her new life. First, from her Appa, we see an unhealthy belief in fate. His basis is the Korean concept of Saju, which tells him he has bad luck. From George, she experiences first hand the fetishization of Asian women, yes. Deeper than that, though, she sees her mother’s fragility and dependence. Combine the two? Ji-Won is struggling.

Which brings us back to the eyes. Her mother is so insistent that eating the fish eye will bring good fortune. And Ji-Won so desperately wants to cheer up her mom after her father leaves that she decides to finally give in. That bite changes everything. If you are squeamish at all about eyes, get ready. The descriptions of eating them, and there are many, are visceral. If you like body horror that has you squirming, this is a must read for those alone. It’s not just eating the eyes, though. Ji-Won starts dreaming about them. Certain eyes in particular. George’s eyes.

I haven’t seen it discussed yet, but this felt very much like a nod to Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart”. George’s eyes are blue, after all. An obsession with a man’s blue eyes? An obsession that grows more and more violent? All-consuming? I hope it was intentional, I believe it was, and I loved it. Because those traits Ji-Won sees in her parents, in George and the men like him—they make her angry. She refuses to accept that her fate is set or that she must be grateful for any male attention. Even more, she is angry to see her mother treated so poorly, her sister treated so poorly.

The Eyes Are The Best Part is a story of rage: feminine rage, cultural rage, obsessive rage. Monika Kim does not shy away from these feelings, just as she does not shy away from her depictions of Ji-Won’s urges. I’ve only scratched the surface here. Kim managed to pack a lot to chew on in this book. And the bites are bloody, delicious, and addictive. Getting to follow this descent into madness, getting to ask if it even qualifies as such, was such a joy. I am truly surprised this was a debut, and cannot wait to see what this author does next.

I recently read The Eyes Are the Best Part by Monika Kim, and it was a harrowing experience. This debut novel dives deep into the
psychological and physical unraveling of its protagonist, Ji-Won. After her father's abandonment, Ji-Won's life spirals into a nightmarish journey filled with grotesque obsessions and violent compulsions, including a chilling fixation on consuming human eyes.

The book's first-person perspective effectively draws you into Ji-Won's disturbed mind, making her actions simultaneously
horrifying and compelling. The satirical edge, particularly in its portrayal of male characters, adds a unique layer to the narrative. Despite some plot holes and tonal inconsistencies, the raw portrayal of Ji-Won's descent into madness is gripping and unforgettable. If you're a fan of psychological horror that pushes boundaries, this book is worth a read.

<i>thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!</i>

wow. this was one of those horror thrillers that just knocked the wind out of me.

we follow ji-won who is in university and trying to keep the remnants of her family together after her father leaves them for another woman, her mother begins dating a man (who is a disgusting pig), her sister coping with the major changes in their lives, and the insatiable hunger she has within her for something sinister. her horrifying nightmares lead her to see nothing but blue eyes everywhere, similar to the ones her moms new boyfriend has, and she decides to do something about it.

this book explored themes of misogyny, racism, and cannibalism in a tasteful way. the body horror scenes in this gave me the creeps which is a telltale sign that it was executed well!

the writing was fantastic! vivid imagery and beautiful prose. the author portrayed the relationship between a first generation child and an immigrant parents, sibling dynamics, and self-discovery perfectly. ji-won is obviously unwell, and the author did such a great job of capturing her slow unravel and descent into chaos.

the ending was so satisfying and i enjoyed spending time with ji-won and her broken messy family! this was a great debut!!