THE EYES ARE THE BEST PART is part fever dream, part downwards spiral that masterfully explores the pressures of being an elder sibling, race and misogyny, the turbulence and pain of fractured families, and immigration. It tackles the most difficult parts of trauma and Asian womanhood through a narrative that is messy, complicated, and above all, gut wrenching. Kim written a character who readers will love, hate, and will want to hug tight and never let go.

It's been a while since I've read something that has truly made me tear up and feel such pain for the characters, and feel the resonance of being an elder sibling that always seem to be failing expectations.

There is an unconscious desire to return to the past but denying it because of how painful it is to admit that you wish for what you'd lost that propels Ji-won's narrative. The difficulty in the reality of admitting we need help, that we are not okay, and the way we might push away the only people who would truly understand us most and yet are the same ones we refuse to speak to about our deep thoughts.

If you're looking for a fast paced, yet emotional read—

I loved this book and I'm going to recommend it in all my horror books. Some psychological horror, some body horror... some heartbreak. The dad has left the family and Ji-won and her sister are trying to cope. Ji-won is not dealing with things in a healthy way and is developing an obsession...
The book felt quiet, as we followed Ji-won through her days at school and with her friends and family. I experienced a growing feeling of dread, building up to an inevitable conclusion. Great fun. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

I highly enjoyed reading, “The Eyes Are The Best Part” by Monkia Kim! I loved following Ji-won experiencing many life changes and how she choses to cope with these changes. The abandonment of a father is all too common and disliking a parent’s new partner is as well. I do wish we got see more of ji-wons relationship with her father prior to him leaving to better understand their dynamic. The social commentary on the fetishization of Asian woman really added another later to the story and motive for the main character. I hope that this book can create space for conversation around the issue in the real world. I landed on a 4 star rating because I wish this book was longer and that we got to spend more time with our main character. Im really excited to see what Monika Kim writes next !!

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a review.

You guys. I LOVED this book. It was an easy 5 star from me until the last 10-15 pages, but still ended strong enough for me that I think my final rating is a 4.5.

I had really high expectations going into this book because of the comparison to My Sister, the Serial Killer, which I also adored when I read it years ago. It's a fantastic book in its own right, without the comparison.

The characterizations in the novel are incredible! I was practically begging Ji-won to kill certain characters so that I wouldn't have to read their dialogue anymore - not because it was poorly written, but because they were so well written that I hated them.

What I loved the most about this novel is that it wasn't simply a horror novel or a thriller. There were quick, raw lines that put into words things that I've felt and haven't been able to verbalize. Ji-won is the first born daughter of parents that are at once the source of her pride, embarrassment, suffering, and hatred. At her core, I understood her. (Aside from the eye thing - I don't think I'll be able to eat hard boiled eggs for a long time.)

That was a one day read! You completely immerse yourself in the life of Ji-won and the changes happening in her life, mind and body in a way as well. And the end! Oh my, plot twist after plot twist. Also really enjoyed learning some more about Korean culture, in which I am interested lately. I do recommend with both hands. Thank you NetGalley and Kensington Books for providing me this copy!

A fiercely feminist novel that is - for better or worse - a feast for the senses..

Rating: 3/5 ✰

Summary:
The Eyes are the Best Part is a story about the making of a serial killer. Ji-won starts out not even liking the idea of eating eyes; when their mother suddenly pops a fish eye in her moth, claiming she needs some luck, both Ji-won and her sister are squeamish and get incredibly grossed out. For a while I really didn't know how Ji-won would develop her tastes; obviously she was frustrated with her mom's new boyfriend, or other annoying men around her, but she seemed so normal that it was hard to imagine the change. The cracks in her life start getting worse and worse though, and eventually we see just how brutal and manipulative she can be when she feels like it. The gore and descriptions were all incredibly well done, and the short chapter lengths made this an absolute page-turner.

Unfortunately, the bad guys in her life just felt soooo heavy-handed though, which made it a bit difficult to take seriously sometimes. I don't really need the men to be cartoonishly evil in order to really dislike them, so it was unfortunate just how stereotypically they acted. I do understand that these kinds of men really do exist - I think most women have experienced them firsthand - but I still feel like it's a bit ridiculous when there's too much of those stereotypes in a novel. Like, surely it wasn't really necessary for one of the men to say "I'm a nice guy" in order for him to portray that trope. There's just no way to take that seriously.

Characters:
From the very first page, Ji-won and her family pulled me in. I loved the dynamic between them; with such a chaotic mother and anxious little sister, it's definitely understandable that Ji-won would be so protective over them. She's definitely the rock of the family, and we can really feel her love for them when she's comforting them or trying to do things for them. All the women were just written incredibly well, and I appreciated the nuance in telling their stories. I (obviously) can't say the same for the men, but they do serve their purpose within the novel, even if it's a bit too much.

Closing thoughts:
A fun, easy read - I do recommend this one if you like feminist horror. Women unraveling and female rage will never not be a little interesting, especially when there's cultural connections and wider societal trends involved. While definitely pretty descriptive, the gore (thankfully) didn't feel haunting in any way - it's just kinda gross. Overall, thought it was decent.

3/5

When Ji-won's father leaves and initiates a divorce the nomal stable life she knew implodes. Between starting college, looking out for her little sister and dealing with a severely depressed mother Ji-won is at her limit. When her mom finds herself a boyfriend, a rude white american with a fetish for asian women, she starts to unravel and develop an obsession for eyes. Bright blue eyes specifically. Her hunger grows as her life unravels to the point where she cannot contain the compulsion to possess and devour.

Come for the horror stay for the family drama. A solid debut, the writing shines when focused on the family dynamics. I especially liked the relationship between the two sisters, it rang true and real. The relationship with the mother and the cultural baggage of an immigrant parent came across well, always present without being in your face. The other side characters outside the family needed more fleshing out. Some of the commentary on racism, xenophobia, and fetishization was a bit too on the nose but I understand that some people need to have it spelled out. Plus it is true and happens every day so I don't think there was anything wrong with that.

Now for the horror elements of this story. I didn't like them but I think it's a case of good book wrong reader. Body horror/gore isn't my cup of tea, it doesn't horrify me nor delights me, and that's a huge part of the book. Prepare to read long detailed descriptions of eyes and for cuestionable things to happen to them. This was a quick read that felt rushed at the end. A lot of what happens in the last 20% or so was very clear from the start and the ending itself was wrapped up too neatly and tidy. I thought this book was going for a more open ended finale or more of a downward spiral but it pulled back at the finish line.

I think this is solid, just not for me.

Ji-won’s life tumbles into disarray in the wake of her Appa’s extramarital affair and subsequent departure. Her mother, distraught. Her younger sister, hurt and confused. Her college freshman grades, failing. Her dreams, horrifying… yet enticing.

In them, Ji-won walks through bloody rooms full of eyes. Succulent blue eyes. Salivatingly blue eyes. Eyes the same shape and shade as George’s, who is Umma’s obnoxious new boyfriend. George has already overstayed his welcome in her family’s claustrophobic apartment. He brags about his puffed-up consulting job, ogles Asian waitresses while dining out, and acts condescending toward Ji-won and her sister as if he deserves all of Umma’s fawning adoration. No, George doesn’t deserve anything from her family. Ji-won will make sure of that.

This book is of the horror genre but also highlights racism and mysogynism, which is neatly intwined in the plot. George is a pig. Facts.

Ji-won is a deeply troubled character who takes on the burdens of her family in order love honour their race and gender and therefore creates an anti-hero of her generation.

Basically moral of the story is don't piss off Ji-Won and don't be a racist, sexist pig and your eyes will remain on your face and you'll be all good.

Great plot, great characters, and personally for me a great introduction for Korean-American literature.

𝙃𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙝𝙖𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙮 𝙖 "𝘽𝙡𝙪𝙚 𝙚𝙮𝙚𝙨" 𝙞𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙣𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙨?

Blurb : Ji-won's life has gone from bad to bizarre. Dad's affair throws the family into chaos, college is failing, and her mom's new boyfriend, George, is a walking red flag.

But Ji-won's nightmares offer a horrifying glimpse of a dark desire, fueled by George's unsettling blue eyes. Will she succumb to this twisted craving, or will she find a way to reclaim control from the darkness?
___

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘌𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘈𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘪𝘴 NOT your average horror story. It's a chilling page-turner packed with psychological thrills, feminist power, and a healthy dose of family drama.

Please be prepare to be 𝙪𝙣𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚, 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙜𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙙, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙤𝙩𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙚𝙙 ( i already put a content warning on cover ).

First-person POV lets you crawl right into Ji-won's head, feeling every cringe and rage alongside her.

This book are definitely a fast-paced horror masterpiece, meaning we secretly cheer for Ji-won as she navigates this twisted world
(and maybe gets a little... about blue eyes ourselves? maybe? 😁).

Overall, A true page-turner! I Highly recommend this as i gave 4,5⭐ for it 😍.

And yeah, Thank you @netgalley for giving me the opportunity to be a beta reader of this copy #ARC. Can't wait for the release date on June 25th, 2024

#TheEyesAreTheBestPart #Horror #Feminism #arcbookreviews #MustRead #MonikaKim #bookstagram #dualpovreview2024

A fantastic Gory book that has me hooked from the start!
Follows Ji-Won and her Korean American Family living in California. Her father has an affair and leaves their mother Umma. Umma is devastated, Ji-won and her sister are left to pickup all the pieces while their mother is grieving. With all the sudden changes and trying to move on, Umma meets George and starts a relationship. George a rambunctious man, prays in Asian Women; taking advantage of them. Ji-won starts to experience some unusual urges after meeting George and His beautiful Blue eyes. Horror, Cannibalism, Thrilling and very entertaining! Love it.

Thank you Netgalley and Kensington Books, Erewhon Books for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you netgalley for the ARC copy of this book, it is so up my alley. I loved the build up on this book, a fun unhinged girl whose life is changing rapidly around her. The way her obsession with eyeballs just itches and itches in the back of her brain taking over all rationale. There was a lot of great social commentary as well. I wish the ending could have been more fleshed out in a chapter or two as it felt rushed compared to the build up. I agree with where it was ending and how it got there but wish there was a bit more dialogue in the last few chapters to really hammer it in.
Overall the body horror is fun and its a very easy read.

Obviously we love a horror with plenty of social commentary and gross, gory scenes. If you are ever in the mood for something feminist, cutting, and with a lot to say — and you enjoy the occasional moment of total disgust — this is the book to pick up.

If I were to sum up the plot, it would be "Young Korean woman's mother starts to date a white Republican man. She goes on a killing spree." Understandable, have a nice day.

Not my favourite writing style, though it wasn't unbearable. Not a lot of truly surprising moments, despite the genre, and I think the ending wrapped everything up a bit too nicely, but overall a positive experience. Would read more from this author.

the eyes are the best part has been one of my most anticipated reads of the year, and while it shined in some parts, it fell flat in others.

when ji-won's dad leaves them, her mother falls into a stupor and meets a white man named george, who very obviously has a fetish for asian woman. because of her mother's superstition, ji-won becomes obsessed with the idea of eating eyes for good luck, and we follow her spiral into madness. a fast-paced thriller, monika kim does an excellent job at writing the disgusting, horror-filled journey of ji-won eating eyes.

overall, it's a lovely commentary on the asian-american diaspora. kim does an excellent job of showing what life can be like for many asian immigrants who come to the united states and their families. as an asian american reader, there were many moments of seeing myself on the page in both ji-won and her sister, ji-hyun. there's also a good commentary on the fetishization of asian women, though at many points, it felt very heavy handed and overtly obvious — though, i can maybe assume that it felt that way to me because i have experienced it (and many men like george) before.

i only wish i enjoyed this writing style a bit more, but i think that comes down to personal preference. the pacing was a bit here and there, but the chapters were quick and it was very easy to get sucked into reading this in one sitting. it was a good horror with the perfect amount of disgusting bits.

thank you to NetGalley, Kensington Books, and Erewhon Books for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

okay, i've read a lot of gross books in my years but this was actually nauseating to read but in a good way?

Ji-won is a korean american college freshman who's parents have recently and very suddenly separated. ji-won's mom then starts dating a middle aged white man named George who is very obviously (except to ji-won's mom) a raging fetishist. we start to notice some changes in ji-won's behaviors and can very clearly define it as "before george" and "during george." she starts dreaming, and hallucinating, about eating juicy blue eyeballs.

over the span of a few months we get to see ji-won spiral deeper and deeper until we, the reader, also can't discern real life from delusion. and very quickly we see her turn into someone that actually surprised me.

overall, really enjoyed the writing style and pace of this story. the characters were developed just enough to understand their motivations and drives. the "plot twist" is the only thing i take issue with and the story would've ended much better without it.


thank you to netgalley for providing an eARC for review

I finished "The Eyes Are the Best Part by Monika Kim" in a day.
It was easy with such short chapters!
The horror aspect is what initially had me interested in reading this book but I found myself being just as interested in reading about the family background and dynamics!
The thing that bothered me a little bit was that the writing of the dialogue between the characters felt a little too YA to me,
and that is personally not my preferred genre.
I did however love the writing in the first person narration and the way the gory stuff was described in detail.
It took a bit too long for the horror aspects to come in but when they did I was satisfied with it until the ubrupt ending made me wish for a bit more...
Overal I enjoyed reading this book and
I will probably read another book by this author in the future.

Thanks so much to netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to read an ARC of this.

Ojito, que la reseña de hoy muerde.
He tenido la inmensa suerte de poder leer antes de hora THE EYES ARE THE BEST PART, la novela debut de Monika Kim.
Este libro me llamó la atención por su argumento: cuenta la historia de Ji-won, una joven asiática normal y corriente, que cae en una espiral de obsesión por los ojos humanos, hasta el punto de ansiar comérselos.
¿Qué queréis que os diga? Me flipan las historias sobre asesinas en serie.
Podríamos calificar THE EYES ARE THE BEST PART como historia a caballo entre el thriller y el terror, aunque sin elementos sobrenaturales. Es una novela pausada, que se detiene en los detalles del día a día, en la angustia de Ji-won a medida que su vida se desmorona a su alrededor y la obsesión empieza a ocupar todos y cada uno de los rincones de su cerebro.
No es una novela frenética ni tampoco tiene mucha violencia; es casi una novela cotidiana, con reflexiones sobre la diáspora, las expectativas paternales, el racismo institucional, el fetiche de los hombres blancos por las mujeres asiáticas, el deber para con la familia y, cómo no, las obsesiones psicóticas.
Lo mejor de todo, para mí, ha sido el final: sorprendente, carismático y sin reparos. Obviamente no os voy a desvelar nada, pero tengo ganas de que alguien más lea este libro para poder comentarlo. Así que fichad muy fuerte a Monika Kim y sus ojos, porque es un libro que no deja títere con cabeza (ni con ojos).

thank you netgalley for providing me with an arc!! i LOVED this book so much. this had great commentary on topics such as racism, misogyny, fetishisation etc. you watch the main character, ji-won, become more unhinged as the plot develops. it’s dark and gross and will definitely make you heave like me lmao. if you love female rage or unhinged main characters then this book is perfect for you!!!!

truly nothing better than an unhinged female rage story.

this story follows ji-won a korean american young woman in her first year of college. ji-hyun and her mother live together in a shack of an apartment, with a void left after their father left them for another woman. when one day their mother meets a white man named George with the most beautiful blue eyes and everything goes more downhill from there.

jiwon is such a nice complex character. i really loved how she was so flawed but also so real that she felt like a real person, much like all of the characters in this story did. i had no idea how the story would turn out for her and even though she isnt a good person and shes doing bad things, i was still rooting for her.

i was also rooting for her mom even though she isnt the best and can be mean to her daughters. i just felt so BAD for her :(

jihyun was great too. i love seeing a dynamic sibling relationship.

the horror aspect was actually quite tame for me personally but i know for some the descriptions of the eyeballs could be a bit much so i think its a nice balance of not being TOO crazy but also not too mild. there was a time i was eating cherry tomatoes at just the right unfortunate time…*shudders*

overall, a great book with a great ending and i really cant wait to see what else Monika puts out! will probably get myself a physical copy on release.

oh yes, some good social commentary as well!

thank you for the arc 🩷

Ji-Won has been abandoned by the most important people in her life.
Her group of friends have all gone off to a college where she was not accepted, her father has left the family for another woman and family of their own, and Ji-Won is left to take care of her sister and console her mother, who has fallen to pieces.
Soon, her mother meets a man and brings him home with her to live. George is a white man that openly fetishizes Asian women, including Ji-Won's younger sister. She finds herself mesmerized with the idea of tasting George's eyes. This obsession ignites an unhinged, violent passion in Ji-Won, and we follow her path of revenge blanketed in commentary on the racism and misogyny faced by Asian women. Sprinkle in some body horror, and we have a delightful read.

The title and cover image will completely pull you into this book.

The story is grounded in traditions, expectations and the sometimes super messed up reality of having people put a tad too much interest in you for who you they think you stereotypically are. Gross.

When Ji-won’s father leaves her mother for another younger woman it seems to set off a series of negative changes in her life. Her mother falls apart before her eyes and then pathetically picks up the pieces with a total jack-ass-cringy guy that seems to have a thing for Asians. Ji-won feels all alone until she finds a friend. Turns out he’s a tad off as well. Wow - the men in this story really suck. Don’t worry, they get theirs.

Ji-won is a unique narrator (part victim, part villian) who is unraveling and taking control in the only way she can to the situation around her. Yes, plenty of eyeball madness included.

I really enjoyed reading this unique story and recommend it. An author to watch.