I know, I know you read this title and thought, “but the Goalbook is not new” … So, I am late to the game! I was lucky enough to be gifted the Rhodia Goalbook from J. B. Welly at the end of 2017 and immediately began planning out how I would use my new notebook. Unfortunately, I had already started a new journal for my regular planning, collections, and lists for 2018, so I decided that my new Goalbook would be used for blog-related planning outside of my daily planning bullet journal. This is my review of the Rhodia Goalbook for Bullet Journaling.
What drew me to the Rhodia Goalbook was the excellent reviews that I read. Everyone was raving about it. However, I had not yet taken the leap to spend money on a good quality notebook. When I got in touch with J. B. Welly, they offered it to me, and I jumped at the opportunity!
Rhodia Goalbook Specs
- 8 x 8.3 inches
- 90gsm ivory brushed vellum paper made in Étival-Clairefontaine, France
- 6-page index or table of contents
- 4-pages for annual planning
- 4-pages for monthly planning
- 240 pages (224 dot grit numbered sheets)
- Pocket inside the back cover
- Elastic closure band
- 2 ribbon markers
- Flexible binding
- Softcover (16 available colors!)
- Available at J*B Welly
First Impressions
So, when the Rhodia Goalbook first arrived I was blown away! It was beautifully packed and included a very nice little card from J. B. Welly. Immediately I took pictures and swooned over the notebook. I love the feel of the cover and indented details on the front cover. Additionally, the pages feel lovely and are numbered! I have never used a notebook that was already numbered before!
While the Goalbook comes in various colors, I chose raspberry because it seemed like a beautiful red-ish-pink color, and it is! Once I realized that the inside covers, elastic, and ribbons were orange (a color I don’t particularly care for), I decided to change that. One of the first things I did with my notebook (other than ogle at it), was to dye the ribbons and elastic with a black sharpie. I enjoy neutral colors, and I just happened to have a black sharpie on hand.
Next, I had to do something about my orange inside covers. I decided to cover the orange with gold washi tape!
Pros & Cons of the Rhodia Goalbook
Like any other notebook or products, there are pros and cons. This section will focus on my personal pros and cons for the Rhodia Goalbook after three months of use.
Pros:
- The flexible soft faux leather cover is excellent. Make using the notebook pleasant
- Elastic band keeps the notebook from getting damaged and bent
- Pocket in the back is a great place to store loose notes
- Beautiful colors to choose from
- Thick, smooth pages make ink look vibrant and write smooth
- Pages are numbered
Cons:
- There is a Logo on the cover. This one isn’t a big deal, I just like sleek plan covers.
- Off-white pages make it difficult to fix mistakes. I generally use white-out to cover my mistakes, but the whiteout makes an error look worse on the off-white pages
- Orange inside cover and ribbons (but I fixed this DIY style)
Final Impression
After having used the Rhodia Goalbook for three months, I’d say that I love the notebook and I don’t love it. I absolutely adore the cover and quality of the pages. The dots and numbered pages are great, and the elastic band, ribbons, and back pocket are immensely useful! The most significant downside to this notebook is the off-white pages. But page color is entirely up to user preference, I just happen to prefer white pages.
Do I recommend this notebook? YES, 100% yes. If you don’t like off-white pages this notebook might not be for you, but considering all the other great qualities it has, you might be able to overlook the page color. Other than the page color, the notebook is fantastic! Head over to J.B. Welly to get the Rhodia Goalbook and other amazing bullet journaling supplies!
Check out more notebooks that we recommend and have reviewed in our complete list of bullet journal notebooks reviewed!
