What immediately caught my attention in this book was its title and cover. It caught me off guard as it seemed to be something I had never read about before which instantly peaked my interest. I could not begin to image what I was about to encounter.

The Eyes Are the Best Part follows our main character Ji-won, an 18-year-old college student living with her mother and younger sister. After her father leaves the home to be with his new love affair, the entire family is left to deal with their emotions and the feeling of being abandoned. Each of them handles this differently, but the following unfolding of events takes Ji-won to the extreme.

Exploring themes of sexism, racism, female rage, and losing control, this book does an amazing job at depicting strong emotions, taking the reader in an absurd and extreme journey of what can make us tick after a traumatic experience. I felt a turmoil of emotions: compassion, disgust, surprise, and revolt, all the while being deeply engulfed in the story, the main character's inner struggles and experiences.

This is one of the best books I have ever read and I can't wait to read more of Monica Kim's work.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys dark books with some insanity, as well as a wild ride. I would not recommend this book to someone who is squeamish and is looking for a relaxing read.

Thank you NetGalley and Erewhon Books for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Four stars rounded down to a solid 3.5. When I saw the cover and read the blurb, I immediately requested it, and then crossed my fingers and toes it would be approved 😂

Deranged in the best way, the story follows 18-year-old Ji-won and her Korean-American family. Touching on topics of race, misogyny, generational trauma, as well as the pressures that come with being an immigrant family and the oldest sibling, this book explores it all. I enjoyed Ji-won's slow descent into madness, and loved seeing a female serial killer for once! There's obviously body horror and gore (I mean, just look at the cover), but it's relevant to the story and not too over-the-top. The chapters are short, and I felt like I flew through it. The one thing I was a little disappointed in was the quick resolution -- I wanted a bit more there.

Overall though, an excellent female rage horror read! This book comes out June 25, 2024, so make sure to add it to your list!

"The Eyes Are The Best Part" manages the one-two punch, in equal parts, against your heart strings and gag reflex. From one page to the next, Monika Kim somehow leaves you hungry for more after rolling your stomach like wet rice paper. Fans of Agustina Bazterrica's "Tender Is The Flesh" should skip lunch and feast on this, the best gross out good read of 2024.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!
I loved this book. It’s very readable, I couldn’t put it down. Nothing too crazy happens until 60% of the way through, but I wasn’t bored for a second. I would call it anticipation with a side of dread.
I enjoyed the substitute for the MC’s desires in similarly textured foods and her slow decent into temptation.
I was fooled into thinking there was going to be a tired ending, only to have it wrapped up perfectly.
I will say that body horror isn’t always my thing. If it’s yours there are some parts of this book you’re going to love. It’s done well and in small doses that have a bigger impact for their brevity. It’s deliciously gory, no pun intended.
I think this would be a good choice for fans of Maeve Fly.

January 12, 2024 - 5 Stars!
Thank you so much Net Galley for the advanced reader copy! This incredible book comes out in late June, 2024, and the hype surrounding it already is well deserved. 5/5 stars. I'm calling it now, this book is going to win awards.

For the lovers of the unhinged, angry, "good for her", and "I support women's wrongs", this fever dream of a book is for you. "The Eyes Are The Best Part" is fast paced, but the characters are incredibly well developed. You sit down to eat with and sleep next to this family in their apartment, feeling the claustrophobia, grief, frustration, and love between them.

Ji-won is struggling with things most young women have to face: sexism, performative activism, the pressures of university, and navigating friendships and potential romance. But she also has to deal with racism, white saviorism, Asian fetishization, and the hardships of supporting her mother/Umma after her father's/Appa's swift departure from their lives. As she descends further into anxiety and anger, her mother then begins to date George, an insufferable manipulator. It all becomes too much for Ji-Won, and the tension builds from there.

I love books with sister relationships. The body horror was foul but so necessary. And I was surprised at how much this book made me laugh. A tender yet twisted masterpiece.

18 year old Ji-Won is a Korean American college student living with her family when suddenly her father leaves and her life changes. The story follows through her eyes as she heads toward becoming a killer. I really enjoyed this one, the plot moved forward quickly as she changed. Some of the descriptions were gory enough to make me squirm but never enough that I wanted to put the book down. I feel like reading this one again will bring it all kinds of hidden clues and Easter eggs, leading to the surprising finale. I will definitely be looking for more by this author!

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the chance to read the advanced copy.

This has an interesting premise but I ultimately found it lacking, I felt there wasn’t enough motivation for the main character and plot points that would have added a lot of context were skimmed over. The ending felt rushed and way too convenient.

Oh my gosh— how creepy and wonderful. For all the fans of “i support women’s wrongs” (think A Certain Hunger, Blood Sugar, My Year of Rest & Relaxation). This is just an absolutely pleasure to read.

🖤👁| REVIEW: The Eyes Are The Best Part by Monika Kim 👁

Digital ARC from Netgalley, releases 25/06/24

Themes: Feminist rage, fever dream aspects, gore, psychological, unsettling aspects.

The Eyes Are The Best Part is about the making of a serial killer, featuring lots of feminine rage (and eyeballs).
 
My Thoughts:
I LOVED this book so much. I love reading about an unhinged woman MC and hearing Ji-won’s thoughts and feelings really solidified that for me. The psychological making of a serial killer will always be fascinating to me, and this book depicted that well. The descent into madness was portrayed in full, with the dream sequences adding a fantastic layer of ambiguity that had me re-reading sections to discern reality.

The examination of relationships, particularly Ji-won’s dynamics with her mother and friend Geoffrey, was intriguing. I could see elements of Ji-won within these characters throughout the narrative. The connections with her other friend and sister showcased the positive aspects of Ji-won, contrasting with the darker themes. The portrayal of ‘George’ shed light on issues surrounding the fetishization of Asian women, particularly by white men.

I know I will be thinking of this book for a while.

 
For fans of: American Psycho, Maeve Fly, Boy Parts 💖🔪😡🪰💓

The great thing about this book is that the cover art and title perfectly convey what to expect. There is no real surprise that "Eyes" is gory, twisted, and disturbing. I don't read much horror, but I found this to be an absolute page-turner with just the right amount of shock. Set in California, we meet Ji-Won, a Korean-American college student whose mother has started dating a creepy, racist man named George. Her anger towards George transforms into an obsession with his blue eyes, and fantasies of cutting them out and eating them. The lines between reality and fantasy start to blur, as her fixation with the possibility of eating human eyes becomes overwhelming.

This book is not going to be for everyone: it is weird, very fast paced, and may trigger your gag reflex. Eyes are described with the most precise sensory details that may be too much for some: chewy, moist, bursting, popping, salty, etc. The story is very much driven by its themes of culture, racism, and performative allyship. It is dark and unconcerned with readers' notion of justice, and therefore, sure to be divisive. This was a completely novel reading experience for me and I'm so glad I picked it up.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

Thanks to NetGalley, the publishers as well as Monika Kim for the ARC!
4.75⭐️ rounded up. This is exactly the type of unhinged crazy girl book that I love, and damn! Monika Kim ATE and left no crumbs. This was a delicious, fast-read book with short chapters!! And the ending was immaculate! Can’t wait to read more from Monika Kim in the future!!

Gripping from page one! Had me squirming, cheering, and also learning some new things about Korean culture. I think the comps are on point, though I could have used a touch more introspection and description (a la H-Mart) at times; the thriller-like pace was sometimes too zippy for me, who wanted to linger a bit more in this world. The ending was ok, but overall the book is still definitely worth the read.

This book!! There is a lot going on in one short book, and I devoured it in two sittings. This is an angry story, about female suppression and female rage and I really, really loved it. The protagonist is delightfully morally ambiguous, sometimes in the wrong, but always totally relatable (apart from the longing to eat eyeballs, but maybe that's just me!).

The prose is beautiful, and the juxtaposition of the text with the gory horror is exquisite.

This is a weird, weird book, but in the best way possible.

✰ 4.5 stars! ✰
I was definitely captivated by this book the moment I saw the cover! Ji-won was such an interesting character to read about, and I liked how unhinged things got. The dream scenes were great to read, and I also loved the descriptions of food (and eyeballs).
This had the perfect amount of horror and social commentary for me, and I devoured it in one sitting.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely flew through The Eyes Are the Best Part. I’m sure the short chapters had a lot to do with that, but it was also down to being drawn into Ji-won’s unhinged descent into eyeball obsession. Even at the beginning of the book—before the psychological horror really took off—I constantly wanted to know what was going to happen next. Ji-won was just such an interesting character and I liked that the story delved into complicated family dynamics and Asian fetishization. As expected, the descriptions of eyes were suitably grotesque and squirm-inducing. I do think that the ending was a little rushed though, I would have happily read a few more chapters to pad out the finale!

I was instantly drawn to this deliciously grotesque book by the cover and the description of it being a female serial killer from a korean-american perspective. The book gives all that is promised and then some!
I’m not sure I should be delighted or scared that I enjoyed every part of Ji-won’s mischievous nature (minus the eye-eating, you’re on your own on that one girl). Gaslighting everyone that crosses her was such a thrilling secret to be in on. I laughed out loud and I cheered for this villainous protagonist.
The only issue I had was that her ultimate big boss to defeat - her mothers boyfriend - was a bit too perfect as the antagonist. Not only was he a republican asian fetish serial dater - he fell for her every little trick, walked right into all her traps and had absolutely no redeeming qualities. It didn’t really feel like he was a challenge, just that she was biding her time, savoring him almost.

I also saw absolutely no connection with Crying in H mart and this book, I don’t know why they are trying to market it as that. It definitely has some things in common with my sister, the serial killer though. That is a much better comparison.
I’m also not really sure that it’s adult horror, it felt more like YA horror with the protagonist being at school and having issues with grades, friend groups etc.

All in all, it was easy to read, short chapters, the writing flows well, the story moves along nicely and there’s fun filled horror around every folded corner. I loved it.

Ji-Won is a first generation Korean-American, struggling with the resposibility of being the eldest daughter in a traditional Korean family; the stress of college study and the separation of her parents. When her mother starts seeing a new boyfriend, the Trump-esque George, Ji-Won beings to have vivid, grotesque dreams involving the consumption of eyeballs. These dreams open a part of Ji-Won that she wilfully indulges, and she soon realises that she will do anything it takes to protect her family (and sate her ocular desires).

I requested this book on NetGalley immediately after seeing the cover and blurb. I saw it described as a cross between Crying In H-mart, and My Sister the Serial Killer, two of my favourite books from recent years, and I would agree, but would also add the books of Sayaka Murata to those comparisons.

It touches on some heavy topics including the fetishisation of Asian women, extra-marital affairs, generational trauma, racism, classism and sexism. However, I saw it as a black comedy, and it is this humour that enables the book to not feel so heavy.

Ji-Won is a prime example of an anti-hero - she is a person who treats her friends badly without cause; commits atrocities on (mostly) innocent victims, and eventually becomes a cold-blooded killer, yet somehow you still root for her.

Monika Kim shows excellent restraint in her writing - it is a relatively short book, yet manages to pack a lot in. It is punchy, clever and well-paced, however I feel there were places where the characters or relationships could have been fleshed out more. My biggest gripe is that a particular part towards the end made me cringe with its use of a very trite trope. Sometimes, the unexplained in books is really annoying for a reader, but this is one case where it would have been better if it was left out. For such an original, interesting work, I wondered why this unnecessary detail was even included.

This complaint aside, I really enjoyed The Eyes Are The Best Part, and Monika Kim is definitely an author to watch.

"Fate can bring you together, but it can just as easily tear you apart. All I can do is accept my palja, in the same way my father had to accept his."

Ji-won Lim is a first-year college student who's been having a rough year. In a matter of weeks she lost her friends and support group, her father leaves, and her mother begins dating a white man. While she knows she has responsibility to look after her sister, Ji-won finds herself continually drawn to the bright blue eyes of her mother's suitor. What follows is a series of psychological tricks that would leave even Sherlock Holmes astonished.

I was initially drawn to the cover and title of this work, as I've been reading more horror over the past couple of years. What is especially unique about Kim's work is her inclusion of a modern Korean-American heritage. Ji-won's parents are the result of a rough and impoverished life in South Korea, having to run to America to keep a roof over their heads. Their resulting trauma trickles down to Ji-won and her sister Ji-hyun, a fact that is not lost on Ji-won.

As a main character, she does well with being observant and intelligent without being too good. While some circumstances come up that are too easily brushed aside, Ji-won does show her teeth when it comes to gaslighting the men who abuse her family and that she's not afraid to retaliate. She is complex and constantly fighting against a system that she sees as oppressive. Her relationships with George and Geoffrey show this dynamic and how capable she is of taking control of the wheel.

This book is not for the faint of heart or weak of stomach. There is extensive body horror and gore, but I found it to be important to the storyline and Ji-won's character. So many horror books will focus on gore until it becomes extraneous, but Kim does a good job of walking the line. Ji-won's obsession with blue eyes is integral to her struggle against white oppression.

I chose the quote above because I especially found Kim's themes of fate, fortune, or "palja" interesting to the story. Are our actions based on the alignment of stars? Are we destined to hit major milestones no matter what we do with the little moments? Ji-won's father seemed to think so, and I think leaving us to ponder these questions was a great end to the story overall.

a delightful, terrifying story. fast-paced and can be devoured (🌝) quickly. I love the pacing of this novel, and it was just "scary" enough.

Wow! Monika Kim did it again!
I really enjoyed this novel.
This was such a good horror novel due to the complex feelings I had for the main character. I felt disgust, but also curiosity and understanding as she was sucked in by her desires. I would absolutely recommend this to anyone who wants a horror novel with a female lead who learns her confidence.
I am so grateful to get the chance to read an advance reading copy from NetGalley.