I knew I was going to love this book going into it, but this turned out to be so much better than I even anticipated. This book touches on racism, misogyny, family trauma, toxic relationships, obsession, grief, and a favourite of mine ✨️cannibalism✨️ I really enjoyed the authors writing, easy to follow and a total page turner.

This was such a wild ride where I found myself rooting for Ji-won right until the very last page 🫶🏻

Read this if you enjoy unhinged women and revenge.
If you loved Maeve Fly by CJ Leede, you'll likely love The Eyes Are The Best Part.

I know I say this kinda often, but omg, someone make this into a movie. Pls. LOL. this would be such a good movie!

Anyway, enough of reading my ramblings, go read this book instead 👌🏻💖

Thank you so much to Kensington publishing & Erewhon for sending me an ARC and Netgalley for sharing a digital arc. As always, opinions are my own 🤘🏻💀🤘🏻

Female rage for the win. I absolutely devoured this debut novelist's book. I love a good horror novel laced with poignant social commentary. I love an unhinged woman that takes revenge on the society that has harmed her.

The speed at which I requested this months ago and it delivered!!

When I tell you this one isn’t for the faint of heart, trust me… I don’t know that I’ve read much eye horror but this was truly grotesque in the best way. I was cringing, trying not to gag but simultaneously couldn’t look away.

Hard to believe it’s a debut, because monika kim nails the story, it’s not only well-written, but ties up all ends in such a satisfying way. The pacing was excellent and I don’t think I’d change a thing in that regard. And I love that she balanced the body horror with the occasional snark.

The story centers around a Korean-American family living in LA, but not the kind we’re usually seeing in TV and movies, the middle-class. We have family trauma and family drama, a truly unhinged FMC who I really felt for–sharing a small apartment with her mom and sister, after her dad’s departure, she is unraveling and it comes to a head when her mom starts dating a white man. This guy is vile, laced with misogyny and an obnoxious fetish for Asian women, I’ve never rooted harder for women’s wrongs than reading this book.

I absolutely inhaled it, it’s not just a quick read but it was engaging and ticked all the boxes for me–feminist horror, psychological thriller, feminine (justifiable) rage. And the cover is everything!

3 Stars ~

I don’t really know what I missed. But I am probably the odd one out that didn’t love this one. Don’t get me wrong I enjoyed it, but I didn’t think it was amazing, just good.

Ji-won is living at home with her sister and mum, after their father left them one day and never came back. Ji-won’s mum had been trying to get the girls to try the fish eye as ‘the eye is the best part’, finally one day Ji-won decides to give it a go. And hasn’t stopped thinking about eyes since and what it would be like to eat an eye that is blue…

Cue scene: blue eyed George comes into mums life and Ji-won hates him but his eyes are so beautiful and sky blue.

A horrific story of a female serial killer enacting what she sees as divine retribution on an unassuming populace, all while she slides further and further into madness. Ji-won as the main character serves as a narrator that becomes more and more unreliable as the story goes. This is not just because of the strange dreams and visions she enters into when she consumes the titular fish eyes, but because of the parts of her personality and past that are revealed. Nothing in this book is as it seems, and the self image Ji-won has projected of herself onto the reader - the poor, down-on-her-luck, friendless outcast - begins to corrode quite early on.
When the horror begins and Ji-won sets down on her path of murder, the story grips you until its blistering climax. I couldn’t look away.

5/5. TW for cannibalism. If you are squeamish about visceral descriptions of gore (particularly around eyes), I would recommend staying away. For everyone else, I would fully recommend this.

3.5 stars-Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book, releasing today!

Holy body horror batman! I should have expected it from the cover, so that one's on me. I enjoyed a lot of this debut novel, about a Korean-American college student dealing with the aftermath of her parent's divorce, her new extremely awful stepfather-to-be, and life as a young Asian woman in college and elsewhere. The pacing was uneven (sort of a slow starter and then a LOT happening in the last third of the book), the repeated dream sequences sometimes felt a bit incongruous, and our protagonist Ji-won is the only one who really gets significant character development, but overall I enjoyed this one! I wish there was a bit more horror to be honest...but the eyeball-crunching descriptions almost make up for it.

Horror fans are going to love this debut! I love a great story about a female serial killer and this one did not disappoint. Ji-won’s life begins to spiral out of control when her father has an affair and leaves the family. Her mother begins to date misogynistic and racist George and he quickly wears out his welcome around their home. With all the upheaval, Ji-won’s grades in college plummet and she is plagued every night by visions of eyeballs; specifically blue eyes that resemble George’s. This book begins with a bang with Ji-won’s mom demonstrating how to eat fish eyeballs to her two daughters and never lets up till that fantastic ending. This story is extremely graphic, disturbing, and very well written. For such a short book, it covers a lot of themes and packs a big punch.

There's main characters that are morally grey and then there's main characters that are just pieces of shit and this main character falls into the later. She's going through a rough time, but she takes it out on absolutely everyone around here. Her sister is trying to be there for her and she's so mean to her and she's horrible to her friends because they have the absolute audacity of having a functional family. She's completely mental, and not in the fun way. I was hate-reading this book by 40% and that's without getting into the ridiculousness of her obsession with her mom's boyfriends eyeballs. Gonna be a no from me dawg.

"Fish eyes are good luck."

Things are tough for Ji-won. Despite her good grades in high school, all of her friends got into Berkeley but she didn't, having instead to settle for another college. Her father has walked out on their family. Her mother is inconsolable; her younger sister is unhappy and hurt. And then her mother attaches herself to the first man to show her any interest, George. George just so happens to be a first-class creep, ogling young Asian waitresses as well as the two young girls. Things get worse when he "temporarily" moves in while his apartment is fixed, and he proposes to their mother.

In the meantime, Ji-won is having odd dreams of eyeballs. Rooms of eyeballs. Eating eyeballs. Eyeballs everywhere. And she is feeling the urge to eat them like the fish eyes...

YIKES.

Honestly, this was great. I enjoy Asian horror, due in part to the culture it brings to the story. And this was no different. I liked this whole story except for one thing - at one point, the story went way into a short feminist tirade - an all men are evil kind of thing - and I completely came out of it. The sentiment was prevalent throughout the story - Appa is bad, George is bad, Geoffrey despite his "I love all women and all cultures" attitude is bad, but the in-your-face part removed me from the story. Before that, I was at a hard 5 stars, but that short part just messed things up for me. I don't like to be beaten over the head with messages, and I feel like that's what was going on. Otherwise, the story was terrific. I look forward to seeing what the author publishes next.

I did not finish because the story was grossing me out, which I assume other people would love. I should have realized this book wouldn't be for me. It is totally the fault of me not the author. I got through 47% and couldn't read anymore. I didn't review because I didn't think it would be fair.

I support women's wrongs!
In this book we are following Ji-won, her life is slowly falling apart and she is starting to fall down a dark dark hole. All she can think about are eyes...beautiful blue eyes. This books is a serial killer origin story, we get to watch Ji-won unravel and go down the rabbit hole with her
I loved this book so so much, I had a hard time putting it down.
This is was an arc sent to me in exchange for my honest review.

I couldn’t support women’s wrongs any harder!!!! The Eyes Are the Best Part is giving Promising Young Woman x You x Dexter x Yellowface x Saltburn.

This was an IMMEDIATE 2024 NetGalley request, and I had to Marshmallow Test myself to not read it until closer to pub date so I’d have people to scream about it with. THE EYES is about a lot of things, but when a book centers around two sisters, it’s gotta go in the TBR.

This was my vacation meal read, and it had me questioning my own reality and constantly wanting to throw up my breakfast. Monika Kim slays the pacing - there’s Chlorine-level thriller and body horror vibes with notes of Natural Beauty’s painfully accurate satire.

One of THE EYES’ biggest strengths is its read on family dynamics, fetishization, and the isolating and deceiving dangers of too much interiority. Your immigrant mom dating a Trumper? Canon event. Your hyper-vigilant younger sister sensing your menty b from a distance? Canon event. Some “post-racist” white dude monologuing at you about not having yellow fever? Canon event. Bi panic? Canon event.

I was attracted to the Emerald Fennell of it all - the cringe, ick, suspense, philosophical grappling. Does unhinged vengeance justify the means? Are we wired not okay, or are we a product of the horrors?

Monika Kim, you’re wild for this one! There are a bajillion great books out this year, and I kind of want to drop everything and re-read The Eyes are the Best Part just to feel something.

I haven't read many stories like this. This was gruesome, but compelling. I found myself both grossed out and needing to keep reading. Also, like, I know that it's probably just like the blue eyes are the best because that's the brand of crazy her brain is subscribing to, but like....do they taste better? I want to know but I also don't want to know. I loved the writing and I loved all the dynamics of the different characters and the ways they interacted. While this was gross and at times I had to look away, I would absolutely read more from this author in a heartbeat. Blech but also this was great.

I've got a question for all serial killer/cannibals out there . . . how do you know the eyes are the best part if that's all of your victim you ever eat?

Seems a bit wasteful to me . . .

I guess I just prefer more frugal cannibals who use EVERY part of the corpse.

Ji-won has discovered she has a taste for eyes . . . blue eyes, anyway. I would feel a bit more sympathetic to her if she chose her victims Dexter-style: only those deserving of having their lives cut short, and their eyeballs devoured, but our heroine is a picky eater - blue eyes are the tastiest, and the ONLY eyes on the menu.

This certainly held my interest while it turned my stomach. I enjoyed Ji-won's family dynamics, and, honestly, I wouldn't mind reading a continuation of their adventures. Who knows . . . maybe our girl will develop a taste for liver with fava beans . . .

During dinner, Umma tells Ji-won that the eyes are the best part of the fish because they are not only delicious but bring good luck too. After always declining, she decides to try it out and realizes that her mother has been correct this whole time. When the family learns of Appa’s marital affair, he immediately abandons the entire family.

Her Umma and younger sister are devastated and heartbroken, leaving it up to Ji-won to take care of them both. In a few months, Umma begins dating a man called George with beautiful blue eyes. He is condescending, offensive, racist, misogynistic and in no time at all, Ji-won and her sister grow to hate him. He fetishes them and blatantly watches other Asian women, making for a hostile and uncomfortable environment. Umma is obsessed with George and doesn’t take much notice of his horrible behavior or her daughter’s discomfort.

On top of this, Ji-won grapples with the struggles of friendship and failing school. Her dreams become vivid and violent. In them, she sees beautiful blue eyes that follow her around. She walks into rooms that are full of delicious bloody eyes, good enough to eat and look just like George’s. Soon, the fascination of blue eyes takes Ji-won over and it becomes all she can think about. She begins to spiral and decides that maybe her dreams should become a reality because she deserves to do something about it and save her family from George. After all, Umma did say eating eyes will bring good luck and they could use a lot of that at a time like this.

I loved the Korean-American representation with a complex, family dynamic. The depiction of the culture and food was very well done. There is a lot of profound commentary on racial and gender discrimination but also how Asian women in particular are treated. The unraveling of Ji-won is fascinating and watching her become unhinged and fully commit to her rage was delightful. She may be slowly descending into madness but you can’t help but to cheer her on.

A brilliant, feminist horror novel is perfect for the summer and just what I was looking for! I can’t recommend this enough as it is such a strong debut. Monika Kim is an upcoming author that we should be sure to keep an eye out for! Thank you to Netgalley and Kensington Books for an advanced copy of this!

There are many levels of horror in this quick, dark read.

The horror of the way men treat women, even worse the fetishization of Asian women, the ways in which our parents fail us and even put us in harm's way, and then of course the hunger to remove and devour eyeballs. Specifically, very blue eyeballs.

The build up to the murder takes a bit, but by then you're already so horrified by the actions that put Ji-won in this position, many of them not her own, you kind of get why she goes down this path. She has every reason in the world to be angry and want some piece of power for herself.

She's also a master manipulator and an expert at sabotage. The way everything lines up in the end is nearly delightful in it's intricacy. Ji-won is terrifying, and she's only going to become more powerful.

If you've ever been an angry woman, this will feel good.

Thank you NetGalley for this incredible arc ❤️

This was a phenomenal debut about a girl dealing with the trauma and also eating eyeballs.

The writing was so good and visceral, I can't believe this is Kim's first book! The descent into madness was so well done that by the end you wanted Ji-won to get whatever she wanted- mostly George's eyeballs.

My only complaint was the ending. It seemed so lackluster and hurried compared to the rest of the book. I wanted an A24 ending where Ji-won finally got a taste of what she's been craving and what the whole story has been leading up to. I wanted blood dripping down in an empty field. It felt too neatly wrapped up compared to the rest of the book.

Still, the rest of the book made up for the ending and I will recommend this to everyone!!

“I’m certain that blue eyes would taste amazing, much better than brown ones.”

When her father leaves their family for another woman, Jiwon’s life is upturned. Her mother inconsolable, her college grades slipping, her younger sister confused–and the dreams about the eyes. When her mother brings her new boyfriend George into the picture, Jiwon’s hunger grows–she knows those blue eyes will be delicious.

I support women’s rights…but more importantly… I support women’s wrongs.

What a punchy, gorey novel with a delightfully unhinged narrator! I was immediately hooked into Jiwon’s life as she descends into this frenzy of wanting to eat eyes as her life falls apart. What can I say, folks? Cannibalism for the WIN! (Okay, also, I want to warn some people that it may make you queasy).

But on the deeper level: this book addresses East Asian women fetishization and objectification and racism, but also explores the complex relationships of a family that has fallen apart. Jiwon may be a master manipulator, but she also deeply cares about her mother and sister; she carries a lot of responsibility. I found the struggle that Jiwon has with her mother–the resentment of her mother’s powerlessness and her struggle to understand her mother, but ultimately, still wanting to protect her–to be very compelling.

While sometimes we may struggle with Jiwon’s choices, HOW CAN WE BLAME HER WHEN SHE IS THE ELDEST DAUGHTER??? (and her mother is dating George–the absolute worst type of white man).

The eye horror part was so well done, I sort of wish she ate more eyes. Anyways.

Very focused on the Korean-American experience; I enjoyed how the novel was laden with Korean myth.

Definitely worth checking out if you’re a fan of horror or if you enjoyed the snappy tone of Yellowface, the themes of Disorientation, & the blurring of reality/dreams in Rouge. Go forth and read about eating eyes.

Thank you to Netgalley for the arc!

This was so wild. I had no idea where it was going for a majority of the book. I really enjoyed how feral and just unhinged it was, it's truly a 'I support women's wrongs' book.

While this was quite slow to build up to anything, it did really allow you to sit with the character and her madness? If that's what you would call it. It was interesting to see how she dealt with the situations thrown at her, including one's full of racist and misogynist assholes. It was so satisfying to see her mess with people and build up to her final moments.

As I said earlier, it was quite a slow beginning, but when it started it really didn't stop. This was disturbing, feral and gross, but also somewhat satisfying and very entertaining.

I'm not sure if it was intentional, but it was quite queer coded as well. There was some underlying sapphic moments and I really saw a lot of parallels with a queer identity.

This is an outrageous, feminist serial killer that truly pulls no punches. I'm excited to see where Kim goes from here.

MUST-READ HORROR.

"The Eyes Are the Best Part" is the new rage-fuelled body horror from author Monika Kim.

This is Kim's first novel, and it centres around Korean-American college student Ji-Won, whose life unravels when her Appa (father) abandons their family for a younger woman. Ji-Won's Umma (mother) fills this void with a new boyfriend, who fetishizes Ji-Won's family and overstays his welcome in their cramped apartment. As the tension builds, Ji-Won unexpectedly develops a craving for eyeballs that spirals into a full-blown, all-consuming, revenge-filled obsession.

TEATBP is a visceral take on feminine rage and the birth of a serial killer. It's well written and well paced, and depictions of body horror are graphic enough to leave you squirming (TW if you're squeamish). All of the characters are developed with complexity, and Kim blurs the line between reality and madness in a way that has you questioning your own understanding of events as they're unfolding.

I also really enjoyed the intersection of themes (cultural assimilation, sexism, fetishism, family dynamics, sisterhood, and gender roles) and the social commentary around these themes, which I thought was excellently done.

I had so much fun with this. It was an excellent read and a phenomenal debut. I especially recommend it to fans of Eliza Clark and C.J. Leede.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Review will be posted to @girlsinpaperback (instagram) on publication day - June 25.