At a Glance
- Book influencer Brielle Persun lost her husband Tyler on January 10, 2025, four months after their son Colby was born
- She transformed her @BookswithBrielle account into a chronicle of single motherhood, grief, and self-care
- A nightly skincare ritual replaced the silence she once shared with her husband
- Why it matters: Her 23,000 followers now witness how small routines can anchor someone through devastating loss
Brielle Persun built her online persona around books, but after the sudden death of her husband Tyler, she expanded her content to include the raw reality of life as a grieving single mother. The shift began when she discovered that a simple skincare routine could fill the quiet hours that once belonged to their shared evenings.
From Bookstagram to Lifeline
Persun’s husband died on January 10, 2025, leaving her to raise their infant son Colby alone. The couple had welcomed Colby just four months earlier. Overnight, her Instagram and TikTok feeds evolved from literary commentary and recommendations to snapshots of survival.
She began posting day-in-the-life vlogs, outfit-of-the-day clips, and candid updates about grief and single motherhood. The change wasn’t calculated; it was necessary. “I literally used to just throw water on my face and call it a day with skincare,” she tells News Of Los Angeles. “I just never felt like I had enough time or things like that.”
The 7 p.m. Ritual
Every evening, after Colby falls asleep around 7 p.m., Persun faces the same void. That hour once belonged to conversations with Tyler. Rather than escape into another novel, she reached for cleanser, serum, and moisturizer.
“I really needed to throw myself into a routine that I stick to, because it’s really helping with just getting through those really quiet moments,” she explains. She pairs each step with an audiobook, merging her old passion with her new coping mechanism.
The ritual grew into get-ready-with-me videos. She filmed herself making her bed, styling her hair, and applying makeup-even when she had no plans to leave the house. “It starts your day off in such a different way,” she says.
A Face Transformed by Grief and Care
Followers noticed the shift before she did. “From the Christmas when Tyler was still alive to this Christmas, it’s a different face,” she observes. The change isn’t merely cosmetic; it’s evidence of survival.
“It sounds trivial when I’m saying it, I get that, but it became much more than just the skincare,” Persun says. “It then became taking care of myself, caring about how I put together what’s going on. Feeling better about yourself helps just start your day when you’re not doing great.”
Community of 23,000 Witnesses
Her audience of 23,000 now receives dual narratives: book recommendations and real-time documentation of rebuilding a life. Comments flood in from viewers who lost spouses, single parents juggling grief and toddlers, and readers who simply appreciate the honesty.
No expert commentary or mental-health statistics appear in her posts-just one woman’s daily proof that small, repeatable actions can counter crushing loss. The skincare journey, she insists, is not about vanity. It’s about control.
Key Takeaways
- Routine as remedy: A nightly 10-step skincare ritual gives structure to hours that once felt endless
- Content evolution: Persun’s platform now blends Bookstagram with grief memoir, attracting a wider, more engaged audience
- Visible resilience: Followers watch her face reflect healing, one serum at a time, offering hope that tiny habits can carry anyone through the worst year of their life
