I loved this - it's funny and distinctive and gruesome (I read some pages with my eyes half-closed), fast-paced, immaculately plotted, full of beautifully drawn characters and horrifying decisions. A deep, fun strangeness that absolutely makes sense on its own terms, and its narrator's.

3.75 ⭐️ rounded up. This was such an interesting book. I think the first half was focused on set up and commentary while the second half was the action and meat of the plot. I did have some trouble finishing the first half of the book but once I got to the second half i definitely went flying through! It was tense and gritty. I think how the relationships were written is my favorite part. Her relationship with the men in the book are very well written two sides of the same coin. I enjoyed the subtle commentary of her relationship with friends. Overall, I think the commentary and relationships are well written while the plot did not really seem be to be driven until the second half of the book. I still really enjoyed this book and would recommend to others in the future.

Ji-won, a new college student, is having a tough time this year. Her dad bailed, her mom's a mess, and she's barely scraping by in her classes. Then, from stage left, enters a new man with deliciously icy-blue eyes. Can Ji-won hold it together for her mother and younger sister?

Okay, so here's the thing: the girl definitely has some issues, no denying that. But, you know what? You can't help but feel for her. Monika Kim has, unapologetically, written a beautifully flawed character, in Ji-won, we want to root for. Even as the protagonist is displaying some major sociopathic tendencies you kinda just think 'meh' 🤷🏻‍♀️. Her mom and little sis, they feel so real! The author effortlessly blends in their backstories, making me both rage at them and cry for them.

The story moves along the plot at a fairly quick pace; there were a few sections I felt myself skimming over only because, personally, I believe there are only so many ways you can describe seafood. Anyways, I read this in only two sittings--and that's only because I started it during a drive. Not smart.

I am a sucker for neatly-tied-off -loose-ends and Monika Kim really said "Igotchuboo". The author had me on the proverbial edge of my seat (because I was definitely in fact a burrito on the couch) trying to figure out how Ji-won fix everything 👀 I am still over here just like "WITH ONE PHONE CALL?!?!" 😳 #goals

If you're in the mood for a contemporary take on what happens when you mix generational trauma, feminine-rage, and the patriarchy in a sleep-deprived college student...and you don't mind getting a lil messy? Read this!

A wonderfully satisfying blend of the grotesque and the compelling. Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me with this ARC.

Wow, wow, wow! What a book!

I couldn’t put this down at all! I wanted to keep on reading and at the same time I didn’t want it to end.
I haven’t read a book in a long time that’s made me feel like this.

What a fantastic story, it made me laugh and think what the ???
Ji-Won is a great character you can’t help but love her, even though she is unhinged.
The horror elements were great and for me the gore was perfect, I love how disturbing this book is.

If you love unhinged women who love to eat eyeballs, then this is your book!
The release date is June 2024 and it’s my most anticipated horror book of 2024.

Thank you Netgalley and to Monika Kim for my ARC.

Loved every second of this. Disorienting, infuriating, exciting, funny in places... basically a great all-rounder. Some really great observations on female rage, false "wokeness," racism, and more. The pacing here was perfect, the language was accessible but smart, and it flew by in no time.

Narrator Ji-won Lim, sister Ji-hyun and their parents live in California. Ji-won is in her first year of college. Her father left two weeks ago. Umma, her mother, is distraught, but eats some fish eyes, which are good luck and soon a new man, George enters the picture. Ji-won also makes some friends at school. But Ji-won is suffering. Things are going wrong.

This was a phenomenal book. Life in a traditional Korean-American family is portrayed well, and we see Ji-won and Umma suffering from inequities of power, race and sex throughout. We may not totally understand Ji-won’s disintegration (and the one false note was the potential explanation, perhaps), but I never felt it was anything other than real. I predict this will be very popular. Highly recommended.

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy to read, and review.

I read the title, and saw the cover, and knew I had to read this. Then I read the synopsis, and was even more intrigued. This story was great. It was fun, and wild, and absolutely delicious. The drama, the tension, the way it was crafted was wonderful. I loved the gory bits too. Be sure to read this on your summer cookouts. Depending on how you are about eyes, this may, or may not be the book for you. it may induce some Ommetaphobia. The descriptions are absolutely juicy. Enjoy

I devoured this book in one sitting - Kim's writing style is smooth and keeps you hooked. The pacing isn't necessarily fast, but it never felt like it dragged. Highly recommend this book to anyone who likes a solid horror novel that stays with you long after you finish reading.

An intriguing horror story I’ve been following since the query stage, this is a bold debut. Satirical in style, it isn’t especially subtle - but it isn’t trying to be. Its symbolism and themes are front and centre, inescapable. Protagonist Ji-won can’t escape them either.

Her father has left their family for another woman. Enough to affect anyone; here, it’s the catalyst for her unravelling. What follows is a constant sense of rising pressure. Even the occasional aside to sketch out some previous formative moment - insight into Ji-won’s parents’ histories, or the way she sabotaged her own closest friendships - provides little respite.

A story dealing with themes like these could easily fall into being didactic (and at times dialogue definitely does drift that way), but Ji-won is given depth with her flaws - her jealousy, her guilt, her insecurity. Her neuroses consume her as easily as she consumes eyeballs in surreal dream sequences. This is not a feel-good story. But it’ll stick with you for a while.

oh, wow!

i raced through this one, and my only complaint is that i wish there were more to devour (ha). THE EYES ARE THE BEST PART opens in a broken home: ji-won's father has separated from her mother, leaving ji-won and her sister ji-hyun to rearrange their lives into a shadow of what it once was. but when the girls' mother starts dating a white man with a fetish for asian women, ji-won begins to dream about eating blue eyes that look just like his - and she won't stop until she's had her fill.

monika kim's writing style is hypnotic. every word in every sentence is incredibly deliberate, and i can already tell i'm going to be a huge fan of whatever they produce next. THE EYES ARE THE BEST PART is tense, clever, downright creepy, and surprisingly sincere in its exploration of identity. that last one is an element that i appreciated most about the novel: i often feel that books and authors can struggle to present a proper intersection between race and gender issues - and this honestly reflects reality, in the way that i often feel seen as a 'woman' or a person of colour when i am discriminated against but rarely both - but kim wove both of ji-won's identities together without a hitch, and it results in several storylines that will easily make most readers feel concerned, terrified, furious, and triumphant. most likely in that order. all in one sitting, if you're feeling particularly ravenous.

one of the listed comps for this title is MY SISTER, THE SERIAL KILLER, and i can definitely see why. while kim's sisters aren't exactly linked as perpetrators in the same way as braithwaite's protagonists, THE EYES ARE THE BEST PART definitely hits a very similar niche about the lengths to which two young women will go for their family, and flips korede's perspective as a defensive witness to her sister's crimes on its head through ji-won: at the heart of her decisions is a fierce love for her sister (and mother).

thank you so much to netgalley and kensington books for the gifted copy!

So so good! I couldn't put it down. I love seeing diverse stories like this in the horror/suspense space. More of this!!

3.5 stars rounded up. I wish I had better feedback about this book. I love the whole concept and the cover promises a good, cringy scare. The book starts beautifully with characters I wanted to care about and just the right hints of what's to come. The writing is lovely: easy to follow and engaging. I also enjoyed the cultural perspective, it's so great that we're getting so many more books out with sort of variety.

Here are my issues. First, several things happen in the book that felt contrived or even implausible: a knife conveniently appearing, hospital beds that don't alarm when a patient is out of bed, a student asleep in a doorway and appearing to be an unhomed person, and getting away with violent murder in geographical situations that would .be impossible. Second: Several cliche/stereotypical characters. Third: The protagonists awareness and wisdom about how her mother let herself be treated, yet her own failure to ever stand up for herself in any way but extreme violence. It would have been nice to see a little progression of her character arc in how she dealt with some of the situations--either that or her attempt and failure to do so.

It's difficult to write an unreliable narrator who we bond with, so I get that this was a big risk, and bravo to the author for taking it. I would have felt better about this book if I'd come away feeling that I loved or hated the main character, instead, I didn't care enough or find her believable.

Thank you to Erewhon books and NetGalley for a chance to read this advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Erewhon Books, for this book's ARC.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 rounded up

This was absolutely wild from start to finish and I cannot stop thinking about it. I'm a sucker for a good cover and this one drew me in! I didn't even need to read the synopsis.

We meet Ji-Won, whose life seems to be falling apart, her dad walks out on her family, leaving her to pick up the pieces and comfort her Umma, whilst also starting her first semester of college, stress amiright!? However, her mother starts dating a white guy (relevant) George, who is not only super creepy, seems to have a thing for Asian women, as in any Asian women...

This is were things start to get a little weird, Ji-Won is told by her Umma that fish eyes, are not only the best part, but they can also bring luck. Here sparks an obsession into blue eyes, including those that belong to George, her Umma's new boyfriend.

This was an insanely good and gripping psychological horror (it had me squirming where I sat from the descriptions alone!), but also a brilliant novel about family, feminism and standing up to those around you who do things you just don't like.

<i>I would like to thank Netgalley for the opportunity to read this advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review! All opinions expressed are my own.</i>

I was first drawn to this book by the cover. I had to read it. It did not disappoint. I was hooked and the slow development of Ji-won from daughter to ki!!er was really good. Yet, it was not just about her killing, there was a deeper meaning behind the ki!!ings. To be I thought that the reason Ji-won was attracted to "eyes" is because they are the windows to the soul.

I don't blame Ji-won for her resentment towards her mother, Umma new man, George. George is despicable, crude towards Ji-won and her sister, Ji-hyun and other cultures. Every time that he opened his mouth I wanted to st@b him with a fork. The way that he did not even want to take the time to learn how to properly pronounce Ji-won and Ji-hyun but call them JW and JH had me seeing red. As an Asian myself, this really pissed me off.

Let's just say that it almost was like I could hear the squish and taste the saltiness of the "eyes. This is how great the author was at writing this story. Giving my really good, descriptions to conjure visual and sensory images. This book needs to be on your must-read list for 2024!

Thank you to NetGalley & Kensington Books for an ARC copy of 'The Eyes Are the Best Part', in exchange for my honest review!
This book wasn't really what I expected it to be, but it was still okay.
It follows FMC (Ji-Won) as she struggles with her father's affair, and then continues to struggle with his absence.
While it definitely had horror elements, it wasn't at all what I was expecting.

Ji-won is Korean-American and this story's main character. Her mother barely speaks English but makes mouthwatering Korean dishes. During one such meal she offers Ji-won and her sister the eyeballs of the fish. While her sister refuses, Ji-won takes the risk. This releases a hunger inside Ji-won. A disgusting, barely satisfied hunger.

Kim's writing was captivating. Even in the slower parts of this story I was still dying to know what would happen. This is a dramatic, compelling thriller with a dark edge. Tension and pressure mounted steadily to the jaw dropping climax. An impressive and haunting debut.

3.5/5

This book started off strong, a family is torn apart, a mother who is unable to cope, a sister who is too young to deal with it and a main character who is stuck between it all on top of trying to keep afloat at school. The setup and the slow descent of Ji-won as the situation around her crumbles and her mother continues to make poor decisions felt so real. The anxiety I felt as things just kept getting worse and nobody was willing or able to do anything about it was so well done.

I think the book did a great job with the premise and slow descent, but it also began to lose itself a bit. There were too many dream sequences that didn’t really add much to the story, the subjects it touched were many and I wish it had just picked a few and focused more on them, and the ending felt far too rushed. I wished we spent more time exploring the ideas it presented and the characters.

Overall I think it was a good read, the descent into madness and anxiety was wonderfully done but it also needed a bit more to it in the end.

The Eyes Are The Best Part is full of food descriptions. Monika Kim delivers artful descriptions of Korean food from soy marinated soft tofu steamed egg, braised beef short ribs to all the variety of banchan, from how they look, taste and smell.

The food are not just for the stomach and tongue though; they are also memories of our protagonist, Jiwon. Which fish dish Jiwon's errant father had loved to what they had eaten the day he left his wife and two daughters for another woman.

You meet Jiwon in this part of her life. Her mother inconsolable, hurriedly slurping up fish eyes in hopes they bring her good luck, desperately wishing her husband back. Jiwon, the oldest daughter, witnesses her mother fall apart in the wake of her father's betrayal along with her sister. When Jiwon finally learns to eat fish eyes, her mother, in an effort to move on from her separated husband brings a white man in to their lives. A man whose yellow fever is incredibly clear to Jiwon. Soon after, Jiwon dreams of eating eyes—thick, blue, human eyes.

Kim's writing is arresting more than atmospheric; it doesn't evoke a memory but refuses to let you look away from the unfolding narrative, layered and emotional. You don't hear her telling you about what happened. You are there in Jiwon's head as she empties plate of food she has no heart to eat, not after what it signified.

Following Jiwon to her new university, she makes a friend, or more accurately, he forces his way into her life. Him and his desire to be smart, to be one of the good white men, to impress her with how much he cares about liberation, theory and what not buzzword that is currently trending in white liberal circles. Sounds familiar? This is one of Kim's strengths, to deliver critique without softening it or caricaturising it.

With pressure mounting from all sides of her life, Jiwon descends into her urges. The dream sequences used here were a tad overdone though. What was skin crawling at first turned repetitive at points. But overall, Jiwon's descent into becoming a serial killer was written very well.

Where Kim truly shines is her interweaving. From her insightful commentary on food, culture and heritage, the emotional weight of dealing with an father who left, to the social commentary on "nice guys", yellow fever, failure of white liberalism, there is never a moment it feels like a lesson. She's a deft hand at this.

It is an impressive debut and I will be looking out for more from the author. The Eyes are The Best Part is disturbing, horrifying yet appetizing and will leave you hungry for more.

I liked the tone of this story and the overall character of the narrator, Ji-Won. Her emotional detachment and tendency towards cold psychopathy was the kind of thing I love to read about, and you rarely find it in a young woman character. This was definitely a "Good for her" kind of story. I also liked the relationship between the two sisters, and the complicated dynamic between the sisters and their mother. There was definitely a weird factor to the story, also, with Ji-Won's obsession with eyes, and that was my favorite part of the whole thing. All that being said, some major suspension of disbelief is required throughout the book and I had a few other issues, also.

The action seemed very dragged out; there was a lot of build up to the third act and things got repetitive. Ji-Won talked a lot about what she was planning to do, and I found myself just wanting the narrative to pick up the pace. (I was thinking, "Get on with it!" after a while.) The author also made it apparent what was likely to happen with some of these characters, so knowing only made it more frustrating when I had to keep waiting. Geoffrey was so cringe and George was very gross. This was the point; they were written this way on purpose and quite realistically, almost to the point of being caricatures but not quite. There are indeed people exactly like them everywhere. It wasn't difficult to figure out what was going on and where the narrative was heading.

There was some awkward writing here and there, such as “I screw my eyes shut.” It wasn't prominent enough to mess up the book for me but it felt worth mentioning. Also, I am not opposed to using dream sequences in books and I actually like that as a device, but there were too many in this story. They became annoying after a while. And so many passages or chapters began as dream sequences that I couldn't tell whether or not this was supposed to be a real scene or a crazy dream that Ji-Won was having. It broke the trust between me and the author. Might be silly or dramatic to say, but I felt like I lost my footing in the story. A few of these sequences are fine, but they were constant in this book. If the character had been someone that relied on dreams to live her life somehow, for example, I might be a bit more forgiving. But that was not the case here.

Regarding the ending, I HAVE to bring up a few things: (view spoiler) (***NOT INCLUDING THIS PART ON NETGALLEY*** Spoiler is hidden behind a tag on Goodreads.)

I think this book could be so great after some editing. It feels like a very solid first draft that needs a bit of work, but there's a lot of potential. I realize this review sounds very critical, but I enjoyed the book for the most part. I give it 3.5 stars out of 5. It has some important things to say about Racism and how women are treated in society, and I liked the creep factor and the violence that went along with it. The story just needs to be tighter with a more believable ending. (But also, WTF do I know?) Ji-Won is a great character, also!

Thanks so much to Netgalley and to the publisher for allowing me to read an ARC of this so early before publication!

TW: Racism, fetishization of Asian Women, stalking, cannibalism