I received this as an ARC from Netgalley and I couldn’t be happier.

I’m going in to this knowing I’m gonna get creeped out at some point, eye stuff freaks me out, but the story sounds so good and I could do with a good squirm.

I have an eye thing so I know this one would hit hard, but my goodness the descriptions of Jo-won enjoying the best parts give you a good squirm.

The eye room was so creepy too.

Umma’s back story is just heartbreaking and shows why she is the way she is with her own family.

An obsessive spiral down into a dark madness. The sheer devious cunning of Jo-win at the end.

This was excellent! I loved the short chapters and the slow build of tension and anxiety. It was a real page turner that I blew through very quickly. The only elements that stuck out to me were that the shift into very extreme behavior happened quite abruptly, and the brain tumor reveal didn't make much sense or advance the plot. I did really love how the creepy college guy's stalking set him up for his own downfall.

The Eyes Are the Best Part by Monika Kim

Expected publication date: June 25, 2024

SPOILERS AHEAD

Upon first review when pursuing NetGalley (thanks for the ARC btw), as one does, This book had me intrigued based off the cover provided and of course the description. The Eyes Are the Best Part is marketed as a psychological thriller, where the main character devolves into a serial killer by the end of the novel.

The story opens up with our main character who appears to be a freshman at an American college. (I personally feel the story would’ve pulled me in a little bit more and held my interested if it opened up mis story arc then backtracked, but that’s just me). She is fatherless, and her mother is distraught because of the loss. A new man enters their lives where Ji-Won begins to suffer from stress induced nightmares and/or psychosis. 50% into the novel and NOTHING HAS HAPPENED. We barely get information on the type of person that Ji-Won is and what sets her off right at the halfway mark into this story. Our first dead body doesn’t appear until about 60%-65% in and I can’t quite wrap my head around how our main character is supposed to fit the definition of a (sociopathic) serial killer with 25% left in the book. (Spree killer vibes anyone?)

I found our main character annoying and the story lacked what drew me in in the initial synopsis read through. TBH, I could say a whole lot more about this book and how I didn’t enjoy it but I don’t see anyone sitting down and reading EVERYTHING I’ve written here.

If I were to give this book an official rating (due to my no rating system set place in 2024; this is purely for NetGalley purposes) I’d have to give it 2 stars. I did finish the book so there was something in me that needed to see what happened at the end. I see this being a good starterfor someone looking to get into the genre that isn’t afraid of a little body horror, but this just wasn’t for me unfortunately.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an arc. This story is about a young Korean American girl named Ji-Won whose father has left her mother and their entire family. Not too long after her father left her mother met a white American man named George who very obviously fetishizes Asian women. While neither Ji-Won nor her sister dislikes George's presence in their lives, she becomes obsessed with blue eyes. The shocking thriller had me thinking WTF as the story progressed and had me not wanting to put the book down for one second. I highly recommend this book to everyone and to support this release date for Monika Kim's debut novel! :)

The worst thing about this book is that I had to read it with my eyeballs. They may never recover from this targeted horror.

The Eyes Are the Best Part (aptly named, in more ways than one) is a fast paced, quick read that will leave you feeling sick even as you desperately turn the next page. It’s fun and horrible all at once!

To be honest, the writing is this book’s weak spot. It’s very basic and heavy-handed, with dialogue that doesn’t feel real. I wish the characters had stronger development. But sometimes a book has such an intriguing plot that you just keep obsessively reading to find out what happens.

So gross and deliciously evil - <i>The Eyes are the Best Part</i> is a wild ride. The B-movie flavoured serial killer coming of age I never knew I needed, and a worthy addition to the “good for her” cannon. The first-person POV is especially effective, because the narrator is so unreliable, that the line between real and nightmare blurs early and often. Did things really end the way the book tells us it did? I can’t wait to hear everyone’s thoughts as more people read this!

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher, for providing the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is a strong debut! I was lucky enough to be granted an ARC by Kensington Books on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Ji-won is a classic anti-hero. She sabotages all of her relationships, gaslights friends/family she thinks are good people, and commits several truly heinous crimes, but most importantly, she is a agent to deliver some absolutely scathing, undiluted rage. And Ji-won serves as a foil to her Umma.

There is one scene in the beginning of the book Ji-won's Umma dramatically proclaims that she is a terrible mother, and may as well go into a hole and die. (I am paraphrasing here, since this is an ARC, actual quotes may change). Welp, I almost threw myself on the ground! If you've grown up with a narcissistic parent, and it seems like a lot of us millennials did, you've heard this before and it has a triggering but purgative effect. Unlike what much of narrative fiction tells us, survivors of complex trauma are not always saintly- they can be insecure and borderline insufferable in their victimhood. The reader, like Ji-won, desperately want her to be free from the grip of predatory and disappointing men.

Other than our protagonist and her mother, the characters felt very one-dimensional to me. Their racism, misogyny and naivety are overt and linear. Because of this, the way many scenes play out lack subtlety and come off cartoonish.

Maybe this is my fault- the title, synopsis and cover all tell you to expect eyeball horror, and while it WAS well done, I got a little bored with it and found it grating after a while. I wish that other body horror/gore was sprinkled throughout. Or, maybe preferably, if there were significantly less dream sequences, this would have solved that issue for me. I felt myself glazing over dream sequences because they were obvious at the very beginning of each one. More impact with the actual punch, if you will.

Now the ending was *chefs kiss*. I don't want to spoil it here, but it is very satisfying, which can feel like a rarity in horror. I look forward to reading more of Monika Kim's work in the future, even if I am pretty sure she eats eyeballs for breakfast.

The Eyes Are the Best Part is a quick and unique read that touches on some really important deep topics such as generational trauma. This had me hooked almost immediately as I just loved the writing style as everything felt so crazy I just didn't know what was going to happen next. This book was a wild ride in the best way and I recommend to any fans of horror.

if you support women’s rights, and their wrongs this is definitely the book for you! i will say one of my favorite thriller subgenres is women avenging themselves due to the actions of men and boy did this succeed!

the cover and synopsis drew me in but monika kim’s writing kept me hooked!! i particularly found the parallels and descriptions between cultural elements of food and ji-won’s hyperfixation on eyes something i didn’t think possible but wholeheartedly enjoyed😅.

ji-won isn’t an extremely likable character, and yet you find yourself justifying her actions due to the various forms of systemic prejudice in place. viewing the creation of a serial killer, and a criminal mastermind, from the lens of a korean-american adds an intersectional element to thrillers that often fall short in other pieces of literature within the same genre.

everyone definitely support monika kim’s brilliant debut! i can’t wait to read any other books they publish in the future.

For me, everything about this novel was so relatable. Very reminiscent of struggling through my parents’ divorce and my mother’s new boyfriend/husband. So much in fact, that now I’m wondering how eyes taste….

Holy what did I just read???? The beginning do this book had me thinking ….oh what a nice story about a mother and her two daughters dealing with divorce. Then BAM…..here comes the eyes!
To be fair, I chose this as my (didn’t read the blurb) book for a book club challenge. So just by the title I got there was going to be some ickyness.
This book definitely did the female serial killer well. And the ending?? Well I was not ready!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book is the most perfect insanity. The most perfect intense insanity. Insane intensity. Intensely good, perfectly written, and insanely awesome.
The book is fascinating. Unique. Weird.
The ending. THE ENDING. It got me grinning like a crazy person. The ultra-satisfying ending, it almost made me cry how good it was. I finished reading it last night, and I’m still grinning as I think of this book’s ending. This book and its ending now live in my head rent-free.
Ji-won, my love. My unhinged book love. She is the best. I may finally have a book crush.
This is the next-level thriller, next-level horror, next-level feminist rage, next-level everything. This book is everything. Next-level everything. The world desperately needs more books like this one. Although there most definitely is no book shortage out there, nope, the opposite is in fact true, books are everywhere, they are in huge abundance, yet somehow there are so, so very few books like this one. I cannot believe this book is the author’s debut. It does not read like someone’s first book. What it does feel like though is this – whatever Monika Kim ever writes next, I will be there for it. I will be the first one in line to get it and read it. to devour it. With my eyes. Because, after all, the eyes ARE the best part.
The book’s pub date is set to… June. JUNE. That’s like a lifetime away. I feel like when this June comes, this book will be everywhere. I feel like this book is going to be so big. So big and such a big deal, there is just no other way for a book like this one.

As a whole, I really did enjoy this novel as it not only was short with short chapters, but it also presented multiple important themes such as generational trauma and racism in a cohesive manner that allowed the story to keep its own proper flow. My only critique would be that I felt as though there was a somewhat lack of danger or threat of getting caught nearing the end of the novel. Overall, I was hooked from the beginning pretty quickly and felt that the pacing was great as it did not feel rushed or too slow that it became a slog to read.

What an unhinged master piece!
Such an original concept!
The eyes are the best part, tells the story of Ji-Won and her family after her father leaves. Lots happen but to not bury the lead here, she becomes obsessed with eating blue eyes.

I know I sound like a broken record, but this is yet another reason to continue promoting and uplifting women in horror, especially diverse women in horror!

The uncomfortability that Monika Kim is able to portray through scenes with Geoffrey and George, the lens of the female experience and further the Asian American experience is as beautiful as it is devastating. All paired with just the right amount of body horror, and fantastic ending.

Read this - you will not be disappointed

And again more female more diverse more queer horror always!

I was so excited to receive an arc of this book. Every booktuber I subscribe to and every booktoker I follow had also received an arc of this book. I thought this was completely unhinged in the best way. The ending was perfection.

First, I would like to thank NetGalley and the book’s kind publisher for approving me for an ARC of this book. This book immediately captures attention with it’s beautifully designed cover. I knew from that moment that whatever laid between was going to be deliciously horrifying, and then I read the description. The part that grabbed me was, “For no matter how many victims accumulate around her campus or how many people she must deceive and manipulate, Ji-won’s hunger and her rage deserve to be sated.” What woman doesn’t want the chance to tear apart our patriarchal world every once awhile? Honestly, I love this era of feminine rage literature, it’s quite soothing to my soul.

What I Liked:

-The general premise, of course. Like I said, I enjoy a good dose of female rage, and they can be tricky to do. It’s like those “girl boss” moments in Hollywood films. Do I want strong female characters? Yes! Do I still roll my eyes 90% of the time Hollywood attempts it? Also, yes. I think it comes from a lack of authenticity, which is not a problem this book suffers. It’s clear that the author has felt or been adjacent to this anger, as many women have, and in a world that judges female emotions, there is something deeply satisfying about being angry and forcing the world to take it seriously. Though, to be clear, I don’t actually condone murder.

-Moments of Ji-won’s relationship with her mother. I say moments because I think her Umma cuts a tragic figure and I found it hard to share Ji-won’s anger at times. One moment, I thought was particularly strong was when she was taking care of her mother and noticed the role reversal of the daughter now parenting the parent. It made me recall The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui. Though the previous book is a memoir, I still felt there was a bit of a juxtaposition between the two. Thi Bui had to give up the role of “child” to find peace with her parents as people while Ji-won is that raw anger. Which I certainly believe there is a place for in these kinds of dynamics. Anger is not inherently negative and it deserves to be recognized and in the scope of fiction an ode to that anger is intriguing and captivating.

-I loved Alexis’ character and I think she was criminally underused. I honestly think that this book had the room to make their relationship a sub-plot. I also think that had we delved deeper into that subplot it would have made Geoffrey so much more interesting, because we could’ve seen his charade slowly fall apart as he forces his proximity to Ji-won and the damage to his ego as Alexis is able to see and relate to Ji-won in a way he can’t. I would’ve highly enjoyed watching him fall apart, but a lot of it happens off screen.

Which leads to the few things I didn’t like/could’ve been better. The pacing felt off to me. I think it was a good 40% of the book before the “action” begins. Which had we focused on Alexis, Ji-won, and Geoffrey wouldn’t be so bad, because we could still have had that psychological tug of war between the three which would devolve into the action of the last half of the book.

I also wish the villains or racists or misogynist characters where a bit more subtle. Of course, there are people who are cartoonishly evil, just turn on Fox News, but I think the true insidiousness comes from the subtle ways it is expressed. Which would pair nicely with the psychological aspect of this psychological horror. It requires readers to think deeper and evaluate themselves more, in my opinion. I think one good example of this was Geoffrey’s gift to Ji-won. When I first read it, I thought to myself, “I would love that gift. I’ve been looking for a nice pair so I can stop using disposables.” Then he mentioned the alternative gift and I immediately went, “Oh, hell no!” Which made me pause and think about the context, intention, and identities of each of the characters and my own personal context.

The ending also killed me for two reasons. One, was, what I think, was a slight error. Without spoilers, all I can say is, as a child of chronically ill parents, I feel like the author forgot that patients are usually hooked up to some kind of monitoring that is accessible by the nurses’ station. However, I am also not a medical professional, so maybe I am wrong. The second, is because just when I’m hyped up and ready for Ji-won’s revenge extravaganza, the book just ends. Leaving me without what would’ve been the most satisfying part of the book! I was nearly rabid when I saw that 100% completed on my kindle. Please, Ms. Kim, where is the rest of the book?!? I need to know how it plays out!

All in all, it was an enjoyable book and a solid debut for the author.

I am usually down for whatever in prose but ohhh man did this one have me skimming in some of the more balls-to-the-wall gross parts. And I thought I had a pretty high tolerance for cannibalism!! This was a weird, dark, unusual take on body horror, madness, and obsession anchored by a fantastically intriguing main character.

Given the squishy chaos of a lot of the narration I thought that the ending wrapped things up a bit too neatly, while also leaving some plot threads dangling that I would have liked to see a little more expansion on. I think the structure of this book would work specifically for a (very gross) TV show, as I don't necessarily need a follow-up novel here, but I do think there's a lot of very rich material to expand on and I'd like to know more about these characters and what they get up to from here. HBO Max given Monika Kim a call, please!

My thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

4.5 ⭐️ Okay, wow. I’m obsessed with this book. It may be one of my new favorite horror novels! The Eyes are the Best Part is such a unique story. The ending was soo satisfying and I was actually surprised with how it ended! This book is UNHINGED, raw, emotional, and sometimes a little gross (which I think we all love a bit).

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review! Pub date 6-25-2024

The Eyes are the Best Part follows two sisters and their mother in the wake of their father leaving them in an extra-marital affair. With their mother crushed and hollowed out inside, Jiwon our main character starts her freshman year at college. The first half of the book is really important to character building and learning the intricacies of the family dynamics, and the relationships between mother and daughters, and the sisters.

Things take a turn when their mother brings home a man named George, a messy racist Asian fetishist white man who takes an interest not only in their mother, but in them, and their Asian waitresses when they go out to eat.

Around this time Jiwon begins to form an obsession with blue eyes, and realizes she has a hunger for eyeballs.

The entire book was a wild ride, I flew through the entire thing. Rooting for Jiwon, disgusted by the sexism and the comments that came from George’s mouth, anticipating what would happen next. If you can make it through the build up (slow but interesting) you’re in for the ride of your life through the next half.

Feminist horror has to be one of my favorite things these days. New authors with fresh perspectives and ideas in fiction, I’d read anything Kim published after this. I need a copy of this on my shelves.

The trigger warnings I gathered include: abandonment, infidelity, cannibalism, racism, fetishism, misogyny, body horror, stalking, and pedophilia

The Eyes are the Best Part by Monika Kim comes out June 25, 2024.

I’d like to thank NetGalley, Monika Kim and Kensington Books for allowing me the pleasure of reading this eARC version of The Eyes are the Best Part in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for providing me with this ARC. This was a fun, fast read! Unhinged female main character, female rage, unfair expectations placed on daughters, racism, sexism, fetishization, performative activism – this book covers A LOT, and it does so succinctly. I enjoyed reading the gory parts; they were detailed and gross in the best way. I felt for our female characters, particularly Ji-hyun, and felt like I got to know them all well. I understood each of their motivations, strengths, and weaknesses. Ji-won, our protagonist and the queen of gaslighting, was entertaining, making the short book unexpectedly funny.

Do note that the book is heavy-handed at times, and the antagonists in the story are very unlikeable, to the point that it's almost too much at times. I wish that either of the main antagonists had a bit more nuance. One antagonist, who I think the reader was supposed to like at first, was a blaringly obvious walking red flag. The other antagonist was dumb and did not challenge the main character as much as I would have expected. This inevitably caused the book to lack the tension it needed to make it more high-stakes for Ji-Won. I never thought she was in danger of getting caught for her ... questionable actions, and the ending only reinforced that. Besides an unnecessary reveal in the final chapters, I liked how the book ended though (see: gaslighting queen).

This is a 3.5 for me, but I'm rounding it up to a 4.

I'm so grateful to have been able to read this ARC, and I'm excited to see what Monika Kim writes in the future!