Ji-won is going through a lot of changes. Her father just moved out of their apartment leaving behind her devastated mom and her little sister. She’s already struggling in college and having wild nightmares in the bed she sleeps in with her sister. Then her mom’s creepy boyfriend, George, moves into their already small place with them. He’s inappropriate to the girls and not even nice to their mom who is too distracted by having a new man that she doesn’t even notice. Ji-won is overcome with a passionate fury that moves her to do things she never would have imagined before. This book was a wild ride in all the best ways. If you like weird books, you will love this. Check the content warnings as there are some graphic depictions in some scenes. Thank you Kensington for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

There have been quite a few unhinged female serial killer books published in the past few years but this one was unique. Such a fresh take on female rage, grief, loss, and dismantling the patriarchy. I really enjoyed this one!! Thanks so much for the opportunity!!

Thanks to NetGalley for my ARC

I've never been so happy to have brown eyes.

This book brought out so many emotions from me. It started with a lifechanging event for the family and became something completely wild. The characters were all dealing with such huge emotions in their own ways. I loved all of that development. It felt very real. I also loved the creeping feeling of dread building up...little by little. When I discovered the direction this was going, it was so much fun to just hold on tight and take the ride. It was so much more than a horror novel.

*I will add that this is a violent/gory book and deals heavily with racism and fetishizing of Asian women.*

This book was a gruesome fever dream that had me absolutely mesmerized from start to finish. Because of the trigger warnings at the beginning of the book, I knew exactly where this story was headed and was dreading it from the very first page. I'll never look at eyes again without feeling that same sense of dread. The pacing and build-up were perfect. I was so thoroughly absorbed in finding out what happened next that I devoured this book in a single sitting. I read a lot of horror and much of it ends up blending together, but this truly original work stands alone in my mind and will likely linger there, haunting me forever. All in all, an absolutely fantastic debut from Monika Kim and I can't wait to see what she comes up with next.

Thanks so much to Netgalley & Kensington Publishing for the ARC!

This was such a strange read! I really enjoyed it and couldn't stop reading. It was a quick read that really held my attention. Though the body horror was pretty gross, I found the deeper themes of the story compelling and the relationships interesting.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

3.5 stars: I went into this book thinking it would be much more intense than it was, more like an extreme thriller. The first half feels like a fiction novel, which I actually really liked! I loved reading about Ji-won and her family as they deal with their mother’s new boyfriend. Some of the food imagery near the beginning was particularly good. As the story progresses you really feel for the character and side with her in her actions.

The action really picks up in the last third of the book, and it was pretty fun. I especially liked the last little bit and the thoughtfulness behind it.

I didn’t care for all the dream (well, nightmare) scenes that took place. As we got closer to the end there were more and more, and they kind of took me out of the story and left me a little confused on if it was really happening.

The writing is really good and immersive, I’m excited to read more from this author!

I feel very privileged to have been able to read this early. What a book! I really loved the build up. The writing was excellent and I didn’t want to put it down. I ended up reading it in a day.

I love feminine rage and spiraling, out of control women, and boy was Ji-Won PERFECT. She was manipulative, intelligent and cunning. Her rage was palpable and I was on the edge of my seat waiting for her to snap. This one deserves all the early hype it’s getting, I really enjoyed it!

“The Eyes Are the Best Part" is a contemporary horror novel that delves into the dark psyche of a Korean-American woman who harbors a gruesome secret – she is becoming a serial killer who consumes the eyeballs of her victims. Written by Monika Kim, this novel pushes the boundaries of horror and psychological suspense, while giving commentary on Korean-American household dynamics and Asian fetishization.

While I read this book back in January, it creeps back into my thoughts regularly. Kim’s writing style is amazing. She crafts scenes that are so descriptive I couldn’t tear my eyes from the page, despite cringing as I read about the taste of eyeballs. This novel is fast paced, and as Ji-won spirals and loses her grip on reality, I found myself flying through the pages alongside her.

"The Eyes Are the Best Part" is recommended for fans of psychological horror and female rage who are looking for a truly unsettling read. It is not for the faint of heart, but those who dare to venture into its dark depths will be rewarded with a chilling and unforgettable experience.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Huge thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

I couldn’t put this down! This was such a great horror novel. I love following an unhinged main character, but this story was especially satisfying because you get to feel what she feels as she’s driven further and further past the point of no return.

Ji-Won and her family have faced blow after blow and, for better or for worse, she decides it’s up to her to step up and make things…right? She was such a strong lead to follow but the thing that really took it over the top for me was the context offered on her family. Her mother’s heartbreaking backstory really helps you understand how Ji-Won could take things so far.

This wasn’t a horror story that had violence and gore just for the sake of violence and gore. The story was there, the characters were there and it all served the story very well.

I can’t believe this was a debut. I can’t wait to read more from Monika Kim!

Well-written slow burn horror illustrating a young woman’s gradual unraveling into madness and murder, as reality shifts under her fingers, and stress fuels obsession. This novel has a keen angle on the Korean American experience, and a feminist tone that I appreciated very much. I particularly enjoyed the depth of detail in place and character, the overall intimate feel of the narrative.

I sadly did not enjoy this book very much, but I am glad to have been given the opportunity to review it. It wasn't horrific enough for me, and I thought it tread a lot of territory I've read in other books, and the treatment of some of the content wasn't the best or most cohesive when set against the rest.

Thanks again for letting me read it, greatly appreciate it.

Ji-Won, the protagonist of Monika Kim’s upcoming The Eyes are the Best Part, joins a slew of recent horror protagonists who push the boundaries of the “good for her” trope and rely more on just the absolute unhinged spectacle of a woman come undone, slipping into madness and violence (I’m looking at you, Maeve Fly). And, honestly, I’m here for it.

Ji-Won is a freshman college student living with her mother and her younger sister, just after their father’s sudden abandonment. He has, of course, met another woman, and the family his instantly forgotten.

This inciting event starts Ji-Won’s descent into a murderous rampage that looks less like rage than a terrifying compulsion. She kills a homeless man and, yes, eats his eyeballs. These descriptions are rendered in ways that are simultaneously grotesque and semi-erotic, and maybe it’s that feeling, or maybe it’s Ji-Won’s barely repressed romantic feelings for her female classmate, or maybe it’s George, her mother’s new boyfriend, or maybe it’s the blinding headaches, but now Ji-Won is driven by a near addictive need for eyes.

Almost without noticing, Ji-Won has become L.A.’s latest serial killer, but it’s a testament to the power of the novel’s first person POV that as readers we’re less concerned with Ji-Won’s mounting body count than we are with what’s going on with George. The new man in the family is a ridiculous caricature of the Ugly American with an Asian fetish and a self-professed knowledge of Asian food culture. George is so cartoonishly lecherous and awful, that we’re more than ready for Ji-Won to give him what he deserves, a payoff the book withholds masterfully.

The other key male character, is similarly ludicrous: a loose satire of the proverbial “nice guy,” who proclaims not only his niceness but his feminist bonafides every chance he gets, all the while refusing to take the hint from Ji-Won that she’s just not into him.

What works in The Eyes are the Best Part has everything to do with Ji-Won’s unique perspective, and the scenes with her mother and sister are fun, sad, and harrowing by turn. There’s also a brief fake out near the end that lands remarkably well.

There is a slight confusion of tone here, always edging toward satire, but not quite crossing over, so we’re still left to view the events through something like a realistic lens, and I’d almost prefer to see the book break free of that constraint.

In the end, the plot kind of gets away from itself, with a few too many holes to ignore, but we’re not here for plot. We’re here for a portrait of an unhinged woman who just might get revenge, get the girl, and get away with it all.

Things get gory as Ji-won serves misogynistic and racist men what she thinks they deserve. They think she's obedient and submissive as all Asian women should be. They will not see her coming...

Thank you Netgalley/publishers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this, it's simultaneously a story of a young woman's undoing and rebirth. I read most of this in one sitting and it flew by, holding my attention the whole time. All I keep thinking is good for her (Ji-won).

4 stars

"How do I explain to her that the home I miss isn't a place? It's a time when my life made sense. When things made sense. I bite my tongue."

What a creepy, grotesque, weird ride of a story! I'm not sure how to even begin to describe my feelings after finishing this book. Following from the POV from the main character Ji-won was so interesting. The way the author carried us through this story was so effective. Just when I thought I understood what was happening, something would change. This story did not end where I expected and the character of Ji-won was so much more than I'd thought she was.

The family dynamics and dysfunction were so relatable. Seeing everyone through Ji-won's eyes (no pun intended), her mother, sister, friends, and enemies, seemed familiar in the beginning. Ji-won's father has left her mother and she's not taking it well. As the sisters try to adapt to the new situation, Ji-won's mother meets someone at work and a relationship develops. Ji-won finally makes two new friends at university, but at least one of them isn't who they appear to be on the surface. Things just get more and more unhinged. And OMG eyeballs!

If you can handle the intense eyeball action, I highly recommend this book. It's original, horrifying, and is sure to make you squirm, at least a little.

I would really love give an actual review of this book, but the formatting on the e-file makes it basically impossible to read.

I absolutely devoured this book in no time at all. “The eyes are the best part” is a uniquely thrilling, slow descent into madness thriller that will have you hooked! Horror fans will LOVE this.

The Eyes Are the Best Part is an excellent commentary on racism and misogyny in the horror sphere. The horror in this novel is not for the faint of heart. Unhinged female characters have a strong presence in horror right now, and this book is the perfect addition.

This kind of book is normally NOT my thing, but so many people said it was good, I had to give it a shot.

Monika Kim writes compelling prose. Even when you're reading about characters you do not like, you want to read on because you're fully immersed in the story. The female rage in this book was fantastic, and if you can get past the gore, it's a very worthwhile read. 5 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and Erewhon Books for this ARC. It was a great delve into some messed up family dynamics, trauma and a great dash of horror. So grateful I got to read an advanced copy of this book!