Female rage in this book is GOREgeous!
"...the eyes in the pile of rice. The irises, still blue, watch me."
I knew before starting that there would be some uncomfortable scenes with eyes being eaten, fish and human, but it all was so disgusting and beautiful I couldn't stop reading. Right away it starts with a shudder, there's couple scenes that made me uneasy, and I was tearing up and crying by chapter 5. Describing fish eyes as food, and most of the food scenes weren't easy to read. But I was brave, and then it started getting really, really interesting. I was infuriated and sad for her umma, and I wanted to shake her several times when she kept doing things that made her daughters uncomfortable. And the way she was enamoured with that white guy and turned blind eye to everything and he kept being disgusting and a creep and I I wanted his eyes to be on the dinner menu.
"The eye on the plate looked exactly like George’s eyes. Blue. A blazing, luminous blue."
✨female rage✨🤝🏻✨literary cannibalism✨
👁️👄👁️🤌🏻
I was obsessed months ago even before I knew what the book was about, and now that I've read it I know it'll be living rent-free in my brain.
And that ending! Delicious ending! Perfect! No notes! Something in me healed while I was reading the ending.

Following Ji-won’s descent from struggling teen to (minor spoiler, but likely no surprise) eyeball chomping serial killer, Monika Kim’s truly original debut, The Eyes Are the Best Part, takes bloody aim at racism and misogyny.

From Geoffrey’s “nice guy” antics, to George’s vile fetishism, to Ji-won’s father’s sudden, painful absence, men are constantly letting Ji-won, her sister Ji-hyun, and their mother down. And Ji-won, carrying her desperately lonely mother and trying to protect her younger sister, is bearing the brunt of it, pushed devastatingly close to breaking point time and time again. And when she breaks, she BREAKS.

A “good for her” horror will always find its audience, and despite its flaws, The Eyes Are the Best Part is no exception. The gore is rich and, in the best way, often hard to stomach, and it’s satisfying watching horrid men meet horrid ends. But a truly tantalising premise was let down by a certain shallowness to its characters and general proceedings, turning what could have been a genuinely engaging examination of micro-aggressions and feminine rage into a novel that just misses the mark. It’s strong nonetheless, but - as Ji-won herself might attest - sometimes you just want a little taste of something more.

I really wasn't a fan of this one. It was just really gorey without any suspense. There weren't any twists. The commentary on family and belonging was lacking. Not for me.

Overall, "The Eyes are the Best Part" is a poignant and thought-provoking debut that lingers in the mind long after the final page. Monika Kim's storytelling prowess and her ability to delve into the complexities of identity and history make this novel a compelling read for anyone interested in narratives that blend the personal and the universal with grace and insight.

Thanks to Kensington Books and Monika Kim for the chance to read ‘The Eyes Are the Best Part’! The cover is striking, especially if you have an eyeball fear like I do (never let your 7 year olds see a movie where a character gets their eyes taken by a mummy, people). I'm a huge fan of how certain aspects of this character were revealed throughout the book. I hope that readers are able to see how the author is layering these hints to then come to a head in the end. I wish that there was just a bit more though. It left me kind of unsatisfied.

Not for the squeamish nor the faint of heart, The Eyes are the Best Part draws us into Ji-Won’s downward spiral from a floundering student with family troubles to a full-on psychotic murderous madwoman by journey’s end. It’s very satisfying, and I found myself rooting for Ji-Won even as her psyche unravels. The more she indulges in her worst impulses, the stronger her will becomes.
The ending left me wanting more, though. There was more to explore I think. But overall a very different and fun read.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC! 🔪👁️🍽️

I loved this so much!

The chapters are rather short and the writing was accessible, which made this a quick and easy read, although at times I found some of the dialogue to be a little awkward.

I am not easily grossed out, but the writing and the descriptions of some of the gory bits were legit gruesome, but also impossible to look away from.

I loved how Ji-Won's descent into madness/cannibalism/serial killing was portrayed. The way her internal narration was written, of growing obsession and paranoia and justification of her actions, paired with the dream sequences, creates an immersive atmosphere of unreality that was unnerving to read.

I found myself relating a lot with Ji-Won's struggles to make and maintain friendships, as well as her struggles to handle all the changes in her life. Although she's manipulative and does some truly awful things (outside of murder), I can't help rooting for her.

I wished Ji-Won's attraction to Alexis was explored more. Given how much the book focuses on male entitlement and the fetishisation of East Asian women, I think it would have been interesting to see how Ji-Won navigates her own feelings of attraction towards women (or just one particular woman) as well as how this attraction affects the way she is viewed by men/society. But I understand that this is not the focus of the book so its fine.

The way the different elements of the story come together and culminates in that ending was sooo satisfying to read.

I know this book is a standalone, and I am not one to advocate for sequels to things that wraps up by itself, but I would LOVE to read a sequel to this.

This is wicked and I see why it is getting all the buzz it is. Definitely a horror but comes across in tone and character development as general fiction. A little bit twisted and centered around revenge. All the men in J-won's life are disappointments. So she falls back into herself and loses as she obsesses about eating eyeballs.

Part a commentary on society, pitting the eastern versus western values, and part a psychological horror story like none other I've read.

If you like horror, I'd skip reading too much about this one and just let it take you on it's wild ride.

What can I say about this book? I hope you don't like to snack while you read!! :)

The Eyes Are the Best Part is a horror book worth devouring. A tantalizing, juicy little horror story about Ji-won and the instability within her family. Her father left. Her mother is devastated. Yet she one day has a new boyfriend, and Ji-won and her sister do NOT approve.

There's a twist at the end that I literally gasped at. Totally binge-worthy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington for this arc in return for my honest review.

Pub Date: 25 June 2024

Actual Rating 3.5

Well. I’ve never read anything quite like this before. The work starts off slowly, allowing us to get situated in Ji-won’s life and her family. Things slowly begin to unravel as we follow Ji-won’s personal struggles relating to friendships, college, her relationship with her mother and sister, and her insomnia. I do love a good psychological unraveling, and I felt like the author did a good job incorporating that aspect into this book.

The characters were okay. They mostly felt somewhat one-dimensional and more like caricatures than real people. This wasn’t the case for all of them (specifically Alexis and Ji-won), but it was for most, especially the antagonists. However, they were written well enough to not detract majorly from the experience. Part of what contributed to the simplistic/caricature-like feeling was that the author spelled out the messages/themes very plainly without any subtlety; I think a more subtle approach would have been much better for this genre.

This book isn’t a scary horror, it’s a graphic and disgusting horror. There are some scenes in this one that are not for the faint of heart. I literally started squinting and squirming while reading those scenes and had to skim, which I guess speaks to the author’s ability to write immersive and descriptive moments. Aside from those few disgusting parts, I wouldn’t really classify this as a work of horror, which was a little disappointing.

If you’re interested in a psychological suspense with some disgusting moments, then you’ll want to read this. This was a strong debut work, and I’ll certainly read more from this author. My thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for allowing me to read this work. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

As someone who is really grossed out by eyes I thought this book would be too much for me but I'm so glad I gave it a chance. It was absolutely fantastic! I'm so impressed that this is Monika Kim’s debut novel.
I've been very into "good for her” books and movies lately, and I'll forever be rooting for Ji-won.
The gore is top notch disgusting- I literally gagged and had to put the book down a few times, yet finished in two days. The sense of dread built up slowly and steadily. But this book also had a lot to say and Ji-won’s experience is one of the best examples of intersectionality I've ever read.

I'd highly recommend to fans of body horror, feminine rage, and poc/immigrant experience stories.

Thank you netgalley for this ARC
4.5 stars i can't describe what exactly was so good about this i don't think it will be for everyone especially as there's not a lot of action in the first half but something about the writing and Ji-won's story kept me heavily invested. highly recommend if you want a feminist revenge story and you're not squeamish about eye gore because there's a lot

I really enjoyed this book, this is def a body horror thriller. Will defiantly recommend this book for horror/thriller lovers.

Thank you Netgalley for the arc!

This book is the definition of "I support women's rights, but I also support women's wrongs" This book did a great job at mixing the real life horrors of misogyny & racism and having really great commentary while working alongside a really thrilling and horrifying plot which included really gross scenes with eyeballs. I'm a seasoned horror reader/watcher, so most scenes that are supposed to be gross don't tend to bother me, however there were a few scenes in this book that left me feeling a bit squeamish. I also really loved how this book ended. Watching it unfold and realizing what was happening was really entertaining.

5 stars

If you like books about unhinged women who have had enough with racist White men who fetishize Asian women, then this book is for you. Ji-won's father has recently left the family and it has destroyed her mother. Ji-won and her sister, Ji-hyun, see their mother crumbling and slowly falling into the conservative conspiracy rabbit hole. One day, she tells her daughters that she read a study that Korean men are the worst daters and White men are the best. Not long after, Ji-won's mother comes home with news that she's dating a White man. George is terrible. He fetishized every Asian woman he came into contact with, leered at underage children, was a conservative freak, and misogynistic. I don't blame Ji-won for becoming obsessed with his blue eyes and wanting to eat them. This is a well-done extreme horror debut that tackles themes of racism, reality, generational trauma, and despair. I appreciated how well Ji-won was characterized. I would go several chapters rooting for her and then a major plot point about her personality would be revealed and I would be shocked. It's giving Maeve Fly, but not as deranged and cruel. Definitely cruel, but sometimes justified. I honestly hope there is a sequel.

Ji-won is thrown into a life of chaos when her Appa abandons Umma for another woman, shattering the family. It's up to Ji-won now to make sure her younger sister, Ji-hyun, and Umma are well taken care of, while maintaining her college grades too — but heartbroken Umma latches herself quickly to another man, George.

In a downward spiral, Ji-won struggles to grapple with reality and is often overwhelmed. Instead of focusing on college, she instead starts salivating over a pair of blue eyes, George's. The same blue eyes that invade her space and peace of mind, the same that ogle other Asian women while he's out on a date with Umma. Ji-won's dreams and hallucinations start taking over her mind in the real world, and soon enough she finds a tangible need to satiate her strange desires. I've always loved body horror manifesting as a result of messed up family dynamics, and these two aspects are constantly intertwined throughout the books. The very systems that marginalized groups abide by to achieve the American Dream, are actively harmful, as Ji-won and her family are expected to be submissive, tolerate fetishization and microaggressions, all the while sticking to patriarchal values that both pervade in the Western world and Korean culture. It's also interesting to see allies like Ji-won's friend, Geoffrey, perform in order to get brownie points, only to disguise his same bigoted views as pretentious allyship.

Monica Kim is very heavy-handed in exemplifying these points; we're entrenched in her thoughts that frequently turn into a polemic to remind us of her Asian American struggles. While I adore the way body horror seeps into Ji-won's mind as well as the themes that are conveyed through the book, I do wish that there was more subtlety. I think at some points it felt a bit ranty, and the themes are spelled out too much as if to make sure that the audience understands what Ji-won is going through. Based on the horror aspects, it's clear that Monica Kim is super talented in showcasing the dilemma caused by Ji-won's family dynamics that are emblematic of a much bigger societal issue. But unfortunately, the more drama/literary elements fall short for me. It's a shame that a lot of the horror parts also take place in Ji-won's head, leaving certain action scenes that happen underwhelming.

This is overall an entertaining and fun read with the kind of gore and motifs I look for in horror and I appreciate the grisly combo of food that's supposed to be like comfort food in a way, turned into an obsession that haunts Ji-won. It just slightly missed the mark for me personally as it's too on the nose. Thank you NetGalley and Erewhon Books for the eARC, all opinions are my own.

This book creeps into you and doesnt let go. Ji-won is such a compelling main character and the narrative is very strong. Initially, I thought it was a little slow but I just needed to trust the process. Will be reading more of Kim's work.

It's been awhile since any book has given me the 'squick' factor, where I've had to pause before continuing to read, but The Eyes Are the Best Part certainly delivered that. Don't get me wrong -- I mean that as a compliment. It's refreshing to read something that surprised and generated such a visceral reaction. The rage author Monika Kim imbues in her protagonist is palpable.

Phenomenal work! Completely addictive. Highly recommend and will be purchasing for my libraries. Can't wait to read what comes next!

Euuuugh this made me feel so slimy! Ji-won's slow spiral from tightly-wound, uber-responsible daughter to serial killing eyeball cannibal is weirdly relatable and far, far too detailed for comfort. We watch Ji-won's grip on sanity slip while juggling her mother's willful blindness to her racist and objectifying boyfriend, her hyper-cognizant little sister watching everything, and the friend who, well, may or may not be a friend. And then that ending!!!!! Hooo, that was a ride.

Thanks to NetGallley, the author, and the publisher for providing a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.