When I spied The Grievance Journal ($28) in my Instagram stream, I was in a particularly salty mood and was getting a little fed up with all the toxic-level positivity surrounding the ad. You know what I’m talking about… Instagram influencers all shiny and happy and healthy. Hell yeah, I clicked on the link and hit BUY IT NOW faster than you can say, “Wednesday Addams is my spirit animal.”
Just reading the description on the order page tapped into my long-buried teen angsty Goth girl:
Who is this grievance journal for?
Humans! Particularly humans who like to write things on paper and vent about all the ways in which the world has wronged them. It’s cheaper than therapy and less dangerous than the incarceration that would surely result if you acted on your darkest impulses instead of just jotting them down in this sweet journal for sourpusses.
Ah, the gratitude journal made for dark souls!
The journal is hardcover with a matte finish. Inside is about 214 pages that features prompts and quotes to. inspire your own complaints and grumblings.
The book features two types of page spreads: one is a prompt at the top of the page followed by two pages of lined paper for a response. The second is a 2-page spread on blank paper with a decoratively framed quote on the left had page and a full blank page on the right that can be used to comment on the quote of freeform write or doodle.
I spent an inordinate amount of time reading out the prompts and quotes to my knitters, my dark-hearted friends and my patient spouse. I found them to be inspired and delightful.
Of course, with a “novelty” product (for lack of a better word), the paper quality was going to be immediately called into question. This is a book made for its message, not for the exacting standards of the picky-ass fountain pen community.
Truly, the Grievance Journal lives up to the hype, at least for me.
Anger management journal for venting about life’s annoyances.
If you have friends, family or children who need a good place to revel in their dark thoughts, this journal is the place. Would I love it even more if the paper was truly fountain pen friendly? Yes. But do I love it in spite of its short comings? Yes. We all have our flaws, mine are just written down in this journal now.
PS: If you see a Grievance Journal on Amazon, its not the “real deal”. There’s a note in the description page on Bored Walk that they don’t sell on Amazon so beware of fakes.
DISCLAIMER: Some items included in this review were provided free of charge for the purpose of review. Some items were purchased with funds from our amazing Patrons. You can help support this blog by joining our Patreon. Please see the About page for more details.
This is just too funny… and helpful…. and true… I need to buy a bunch of these as gifts!
I bought this when I saw it too! Gratitude journals have never attracted me but this looked like fun. The paper was acceptable. I keep forgetting to write in it, though…