LemomeGrid Paper Notebook Hardcover Classic Notebook with Pen Holder - Page Dividers Presents 8.4 x 5.7 in

I bought this to use as a bullet journal as regular planners weren't flexible or spacious enough for me. I needed a place where I could have total free reign to write down all my tasks, notes, and such. After trying the Moleskine and Leuchtturum in the past, I was not amazed by them with the thin paper quality and constant ghosting from using a standard gel pen. So I decided to look elsewhere and stumbled upon this journal, and let me say, I am SO happy I bought this!This journal is nothing short of amazing. Firstly, it is half the price of Moleskin's and Leuchtturums and has all the same features, but better. The journal is overall pleasing to the eye with a leather cover and the pen loop which is really nice as I can just attach my pen instead of carrying it on me all the time. It also has an expandable pocket in the back and a single bookmark. There is a band to wrap around the journal too. The paper is SUPER thick, almost like cardstock, and can withstand a lot of different pens. I've used brush pens, gel pens, fountain pens and there is NO bleed through or ghosting at all. You can't even tell on the back of the page. The paper is also super smooth and feels great to write on (it makes my handwriting look great too!) The grid is a light grey color and decently sized. The book opens completely flat as well.As for the questionable reviews about the binding, I haven't noticed anything wrong with the binding so far. It seems sturdy and in tact.

***2nd update: It's been several months and this notebook is still going strong! No bleed-through or cracked spine. My only complaint is that I'm close to filling this one up and would like to buy more, but it only comes in one color. I wish the colors they offered for their other types of notebooks were available for the lined grid as well. (Still going to buy it again, but would probably be more tempted to buy in bulk if there were more colors.)***Update: it's only been about a week, but I've been opening it and closing it a lot and it seems to be holding up great! Also, I have been using paper mate felt tip pens and haven't had any bleeding. I've even used the darkest colors, and have had to go over some lines multiple times and still nothing!!****If you've ever opened a new hardcover book, you know the spines are usually pretty stiff. When it comes to lay-flat books and notebooks, unfortunately the spine has to be thinner and more flexible to actually lay flat. It's just the way it is. When reading the reviews for this notebook, the only real problem people seemed to encounter was the spine cracking. This seemed like the perfect journal for my needs though, so I decided to risk it and take preventative measures when I got it to keep the spine strong.First off, I received this at the end of December, which means the package was cold when it got to me. I took it out of the box and let it sit for a bit before attempting to open it. I figured it being cold for a long period of time would make the glue a little more brittle. Once it was room temperature, I followed the steps in the diagram I've included. (I did it one page at a time instead of a few pages at a time though, and smoothed my finger along the inner edge for each one to make sure it was laying flat.) Once I did this, I repeated it in reverse when closing it. After I repeated that a couple of times, I flipped through the pages in both directions a few times. It might seem like a pain, but it only took me about ten minutes, and is completely worth it in my opinion. After I was done, the spine felt much more flexible. I will probable do this occasionally to keep it nice and limber. Honestly, lay-flat spines are never going to be as durable as normal ones. I hate writing in notebooks that barely open though, so this little bit of extra work wasn't really a hardship for me.The pen holder got a little squished in the box, but holds my pens just fine. The pages are nice and thick, and the grid isn't skewed at all. I will try and update this review once I've used it a bit to show how it has held up.

Spent many hours looking for a good journal/notebook to use. Had tried Rhodia, Amazon's, etc. They were all good in their own right, but I had very specific requirements in mind:- Very rigid binder/cover so that I did not have to worry about the pages getting torn or the notebook getting warped.What they use is a faux leather type of material which is attractive and has a nice texture- Grid (graph paper) design so that I could align my content in an orderly and consistent fashionJust the right size grid (at least for me) so that I can easily write in the rows and works well for the boxes you use with bulleting- Small enough to be portable and fit into my favorite shoulder bag (Vanquest)I do like the size and it works for me but I would LOVE if it would just be 1-inch longer and wider so that I could include more content- Durable spine that would not result in pages being easily tornNo complaints. As you lay it flat, you can barely see the stitching which is GOOD to see because it means it is more than an adhesive- Designed to be written on fronts and backs of pages ("lie flat")I am halfway through the pages on my first one and it is easy to write on both - will get easier as I move to the back- Has enough pages to make it useful for a longer period of time (longer being somewhat arbitrary in terms of what others might think)I thought the pen holder on the exterior of the spine was a silly gimmick when reading reviews and seeing pictures, but I actually use it regularly. I now expect to always have a pen because I store it there. It does not hurt the pages the way I would have expected.I also thought the elastic loop to keep it closed was gimmicky and would just be in the way. It does not get in the way and I use it regularly. It keeps the book from opening needlessly and potentially getting the pages damaged.I don't think I noticed in the description or reviews that there is a small pocket on the back cover. Turns out to be very helpful. I keep a small, thin Westcott ruler in their to help me with some of the diagramming I sometimes need to do.What I also love is that the price is reasonable and sustainable in terms of my buying these in the future. This is my first time to really try using the "bullet" method for journaling and so it is a relief to not be looking anymore and wasting money and time on returns for notebooks that don't work. The only negative I can call out (see above) is a size 1 inch longer and wider - but I can live with this size and it is easy to carry with me.