At a Glance
- Book influencer Brielle Persun lost her husband Tyler to pancreatitis complications in January 2025
- The couple welcomed their son Colby just four months before Tyler’s death
- Persun has since evolved her 23,700-follower platform from book recommendations to include grief, single motherhood, and lifestyle content
- Why it matters: Her transparent approach is helping others navigate loss while building a more authentic online community
Brielle Persun’s life changed forever at 12:34 p.m. on January 10, 2025, when her husband Tyler died from pancreatitis complications. Just four months earlier, the couple had celebrated the birth of their first child, Colby, and their first wedding anniversary.
From Bookstagram to Life Documentary
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Persun had built a dedicated following of 23,700 Instagram followers through her @BookswithBrielle account, where she recommended and discussed literature. The platform became her refuge after Tyler’s death, though returning to purely book-focused content no longer felt authentic.
“I didn’t feel like I had a shift of people being like, ‘We no longer want to be around for this. We came here for book recs and book recs only,'” Persun told News Of Losangeles in June. Her content naturally expanded to include day-in-the-life vlogs, outfit posts, grief discussions, and skincare updates alongside book recommendations.
Navigating Widowhood in the Digital Age
Persun approaches her expanded content strategy with careful consideration, aware that social media captures only fragments of her daily reality. “You walk a fine line being a widow,” she notes. “They don’t realize that, yeah, I’m still having a rough day. But I can’t always come on here and just be the Debbie Downer that is all the time.”
Her transparency about grief has resonated with followers experiencing similar losses. “Being really transparent about my journey with grief allowed people to finally be like, ‘Wait, somebody else is going through this, it’s not just me. And she’s kind of living her life, not just dwelling in the grief of it, but really trying to find healthy ways to go through my grief journey,'” she explains.
Finding Joy Through Defiance
Earlier in her grief journey, Persun embraced what she calls “defiant joy” – actively seeking happiness amid pain. As time passes, she finds joy with less defiance but remains committed to sharing this philosophy with her online community.
“I really want to be able to reach out to way more people through my platforms because I think it’s helpful. I know it’s helpful for me to be able to talk to other people,” she says.
Looking Ahead to Healing
As she approaches her second year without Tyler, Persun envisions a peaceful future focused on small moments with Colby. “I don’t need something big to happen to me. I don’t need big moments. I just want to grow with my son and celebrate really small moments, because they’re big anyway,” she tells News Of Losangeles.
Her goal for 2026 is simple: “I want to tiptoe into 2026, and I just want to live and breathe easier than 2025 was.”
Key Takeaways:
- Persun’s platform evolution demonstrates how digital creators can authentically adapt their content during life transitions
- Her approach to discussing grief openly is helping others feel less isolated in their own loss experiences
- The balance between sharing authentic struggles and maintaining audience engagement requires careful navigation
- Small moments of joy become significant milestones in the grieving process
