4.5 Stars: Gripping and emotionally charged the beginning of 'The Eyes Are the Best Part' by Monika Kim sets the tone for the rest of the book. There's an air of desperation and finality to Umma's story. I recognize some of my own mother's struggles in Umma. Even the fake marriage proposal to a con man happened to mom. I remember helping her make flower bouquets knowing it would never happen. I identified with Ji-won in everything but her chosen delicacy. Personal struggles aside, the first quarter of the book is a domestic drama with lots of depression and piggish men. The pacing is quick but the subject just didn't hold my interest. There are dream scenes that cause the main character to fixate on eyeballs but other than the eating eyes analogy, as deep as that may be, it didn't feel like a horror story.

My best advice is keep reading. I did like the cultural, and racial juxtaposition with American life and the ugly truths the characters laid bare. I wasn't expecting a modern, American 'Pachinko' -esk horror story. The writing is solid and as the fixation the main character is having starts to take over her life, the horror part of this novel emerges. It reminded me a little of 'Night of the Mannequins' in that the reader experiences the psychosis right along with the mc. Stomach churning at points, I can't say I enjoyed reading this book but it was very successful as a horror novel. I apologize Monika Kim for doubting you. Great writing.

TW for suicidal actions, depression, mental illness, vividly described eating scenes.

Female rage and quirky horror! There were some many disgusting descriptions, and it is not for the weak stomachs. I thought it was good but not the typical horror that I enjoy. Give it a try if you do not get queasy.
3.75/5
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of the e-arc

Delicious! What a delightful and quirky book! It made me queasy, it made me laugh and it made me think. This new horror novel won’t be for everyone but I loved it. If you love weird, gross, creepy books like I do then this one is for you!! Feminist rage with a crunch!

I wasn't sure what to expect from The Eyes Are the Best Part, but I was drawn in by the eye-catching : ) cover art. I really enjoyed this book. The descriptions are so vivid. Monika Kim really knows how to paint a picture.

Thank you to NetGalley for the digital ARC.

The Eyes Are the Best Part is a slow unraveling of a Korean-American young woman who, once cracked from the pressure of her life, transforms into a serial killer with an appetite for eyes.
While the first half the story is more a coming of age tale with commentary on feminism, racism, sexism, etc, it had a constant edge of something sharper buried beneath it all. We watch our main character battle through shifting family dynamics, the unending demands of college, and budding friendships and romantic entanglements knowing that all of it will eventually become too much. The pacing in the beginning of the book is studious and observant and not always as interesting as what I knew we were building towards. Yet, at the 50-60% mark, the story jumps off the tracks and spirals in a delicious tangle of gore and insane choices that are a joy to consume from a safe distance.
Despite the two halves of the story feeling incompatible at times, I found that I couldn't stop reading as soon as the eyes started being swallowed.

I cannot believe this was a debut novel! In the great tradition of unhinged women, this is one that will stick with me for some time to come and offers a lot of additional aspects to set it apart from many of the other novels written in this subgenre. The author has a very distinctive voice that made this one unputdownable from start to finish. This book is equal parts weird and really graphic at times and kind of the perfect combination of everything I love in a book.

Ji-won is such an amazing main character. As a young woman going through a tremendous amount of change at once with her father walking out on her family and dealing with keeping things together for her mother and sister to her mother then meeting someone new who ends up being absolutely ghastly, we really get to examine a women on the verge of a nervous breakdown, who has tried to keep it together for too long and just can’t do it anymore. And things explode in a beautifully horrific fashion as she finds a hunger that can’t be satiated except with eyeballs. Obviously this is where things take a weird turn, but the way that the author blends Ji-won’s rage against not just her situation but against the constant racism and fetishization she sees amongst the white males in her life is just so well-done. I love a revenge story, and in this one, Ji-won’s motivations do not seem that outlandish as you see how men objectify her and treat her as an Asian woman.

This book is definitely not for the faint of heart (especially if you have a thing with eyes) as there are some truly graphic and disturbing scenes where the author goes into excruciating detail. No pun intended, but I devoured these scenes and was in awe of Kim’s descriptive ability to really bring such violence to life. I feel like the ending of this one may be a little divisive, but I really liked it and thought it wrapped things up neatly..

I think I had slightly overhyped this book for myself. While it was still really good, I feel like it took to long to get to where it was going

it’s okay. not my type of book and i basically ran my eyes throught the whole book and don’t remember a thing 🤬

Eyeballs really freak me out (even just thinking about the fact that they exist within my own skull can send me on a spiral) so I was feeling very brave (or dumb) when I decided to pick up this eyeball-centric horror story following a young woman who becomes fixated on eyeballs at a challenging time in her life and then becomes violent.

The most effective parts of this story were how grossed out I was at the depiction of eyeballs, and the realistic portrayal of the challenges of being a young woman, an eldest daughter, a family of immigrants, etc. Overall I found the story a bit predictable and was hoping for more of a shock factor, but the writing was solid and I would check out more from this author in the future.

Thank you to the publisher for granting me access to an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions remain my own.

3.5 Stars
This was an interesting perspective on the serial killer genre. This one is very focused on the Korean American experience. I liked those parts but I have no doubt that ownvoice readers will enjoy those aspects on a whole other level.

This is a well written novel with a heavy character focus. I liked the book but I will admit that I did not love it as much as I expected. I just found myself not connecting enough with the narrative.

Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher

Ji-won is just like any other girl. Doing her best to stay afloat during her first year of college, fighting with her younger sister who shares her bedroom, and hating her mom's new boyfriend. But when she finally tastes fish eyes, at her mother's behest for good luck, she realizes she might have a taste for the bluer things in life. This gory feminist horror was a quick read that really backed a punch.

I loved this book so much. I think the author does an excellent job of writing a narcissistic, unreliable narrator, that you still find yourself cheering on; you know, despite the selective cannibalistic tendencies. I do not recommend, however eating blueberries while reading, unless you enjoy playing chicken with your gag reflex.

I received an early e-copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. That being said I think this will be one of my favorite books of 2024 and already purchased a hard copy.

This was one of the BEST books I've read this year! I absolutely adored the writing style -- it's sleek yet full of tension, understated but evocative, and so uncanny in a subtle way I couldn't quite put my finger on (though it could also be full throated scary at the appropriate times). It's also a brilliant portrayal of Asian family dynamics, racial tension, and the problems women -- especially young women, especially eldest daughters -- face in a diasporic context where racial minoritization compounds the existing baggage inherited through immigration, class struggle, and the breakdown of familial relationships. It's also full of rage, understandably. I rooted for the female heroine all throughout the book, in spite of -- or perhaps because of -- all the terrible things she ended up doing because she had to. It was really hard to put the book down -- it was tightly plotted and full of page-turning, jawdropping moments of escalation, and the voice mesmerized me throughout. Can't recommend this enough.

Ji-won’s life spirals when her father leaves after an affair, causing her to fall from being a straight-A college student to failing. Her dreams, filled with rooms of blue eyes resembling those of George, her mother's racist new boyfriend, become both horrifying and enticing.

As victims start appearing on campus, Ji-won’s hunger and rage intensify.

This book is intense and gripping. One standout element is how the title's meaning is woven throughout the story. Unlike some books where the title feels disconnected, here it's immediately clear and recurrent.

Despite its brevity, it skillfully tackles heavy themes like misogyny, racism, toxic relationships, cannibalism, and violence. This horror story is gory and cringeworthy in the best way—definitely not one to read while eating! The fast pacing hooked me from the start, keeping me engaged until the perfect ending.

An impressive debut, which I wouldn't have guessed until finishing!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

This was a wild story of both female empowerment, generational/cultural trauma, and family bonds. Amazingly written, fantastic characters, and a gripping plot, I couldn't put it down.

The Eyes Are The Best Part was such a fun read. I have been craving for a book that embraces a woman as a serial killer and this book DELIVERS! Ji-Won will stay with me for a while. She loves her family and is completely dedicated to them in her own twisted way. I loved that I found her to be abrasive and unhinged. She doesn't need rescuing. The more she embraces this new part of her, the better it gets. It’s dark, it can be a bit gory I guess but I felt like I could reason this transformation. There are a couple twists that were absolutely delicious. By far one of my favorite reads of 2024 so far. When I say I want to read horror, this is what I mean!!! I hope Monika Kim writes more in this genre. I’m a fan!

I received a free eARC of The Eyes Are The Best Part from NetGalley. However, my opinions are my own.

The story-telling was exceptional, with a well-crafted plot and complex characters. The author brilliantly depicted the protagonist's descent into insanity, making it a thrilling and chilling reading experience.

A psychotic twisted ride from start to finish, and I loved every single minute of it!

Review available at: cthulhuville.com/2024/05/30/the-eyes-are-the-best-part/

Reading this I couldn’t help but liken it to the Japanese and Korean horror movies I grew up watching. Monika Kim took her time setting up the story, building to an eventual tipping point almost halfway into the book where things eventually took a turn and started the descent into the psychological horror story that is this book. In The Eyes are the Best Part we follow Ji-won, a Korean-American college student dealing with her parents’ divorce, navigation through the first year of college, and an ever growing craving to eat eyes.

It starts harmless enough, finally trying a fish eye after being asked to for quite some time by her mother, but grows into an obsession. Ji-won starts to notice peoples’ piercing blue eyes and wonder about how delicious they must taste. As her wonder starts to grow, she begins to have nightmares centered around eyes, wakes up into dreams, and wakes into reality in strange places leaving herself questioning what’s real and what isn’t.

This is such a good read. I can’t recommend it enough. I will say if you get squeamish it may not be for you. While not overly graphic, the occasional gory detail is very vivid and even made my stomach churn a little at one point, and I don’t lose my appetite or get queasy easily. I thought I knew where the story was headed when I approached the last chunk of the book but I’ll admit, while not ultimately too far off, I was pleasantly surprised to find it take a turn that I wasn’t expecting.

While there was the occasional minor spelling or grammatical error, and I think the book could have done wholly without the very final paragraph, it’s a solid 10 stars from me. The book comes out on June 25th, and it’s absolutely worth picking up.

This book is for the girlies who are in their female rage, f*ck the patriarchy (especially white men) era. I love a girl with a gross habit who finally decides to stop suppressing who she is and what she wants to do. I LOVED this and it will be an easy 5 star read and physical book purchase.

A deliciously weird and gross book, where a yearning to eat the eyeballs of prople with blue eyes is somehow not out of place alongside the important but much more mundane issues of grief, feminism, immigration and the fetishism of Asian women by some white men. A heady mix which somehow works well.
Can't wait to read more by this author.
Thank you to netgalley and Kensington Books for an advance copy of this book.

Final Rating: 4.5

Whatever you do, don't read this book while eating! In this book we meet Ji-won who is struggling after the separation of her parents. Her mother finds a new boyfriend who gives Ji-won and her sister the creeps, not to mention her dreams about wanting to eat the new boyfriends' eyeballs. We see Ji-won have to deal with racism and misogyny from those around her and watch her slowly spiral out of control. The horrors of racism and misogyny aren't the only kind of horror though, we also have some good old-fashioned cannibalism, tons of gore, and a serial killer. There were so many good for her revenge moments too, I found myself rooting for Ji-won the more she gave in to her impulses. And the ending will probably stay with me for quite a while! If you enjoyed Maeve Fly like I did, I think you'll definitely enjoy this one as well, and I'm really looking forward to reading more from this author in the future!