Is a 'genuine leather' journal actually high quality?

Specialist communities like r/fountainpens repeatedly point out that 'genuine leather' is technically the lowest grade of real leather and won't necessarily last a lifetime. For true buy-it-for-life durability, full-grain or top-grain leather is the term to look for. Many sub-$20 'genuine leather' Amazon journals still look and feel good, but treat the marketing term skeptically.