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In January 2025, Brielle Persun’s husband Tyler died about four months after they welcomed their first child, Colby
As she adjusted to widowhood and newly single motherhood, she leaned into her social media, which she originally built to focus on books, then expanded into broader lifestyle content
One year after Tyler’s death, the “Bookstagram” influencer tells PEOPLE how her tastes in literature also changed with the rest of her life
Brielle Persun built a following on social media discussing, recommending and reviewing books on a niche corner of the internet fondly dubbed “Bookstagram.” When tragedy forever altered the trajectory of her life, reading never wavered as a much-needed means of escapism.
On Jan. 10, 2025, her husband, Tyler, died due to complications of pancreatitis. He left behind Persun and their then-4-month-old son, Colby. As a new widow and first-time mother, Persun struggled to keep posting the same type of content on her @BookswithBrielle pages on Instagram and TikTok.
She wanted to continue sharing online, but going back to regular content didn’t feel right anymore. Instead, the influencer opted to expand her social media presence in a broader lifestyle category, making her profile a far more authentic reflection of her new normal.
Brielle Persun.
Brielle Persun
In addition to Bookstagram posts, she shared day-in-the-life vlogs, outfit-of-the-day posts, open discussions about grief and skincare content. However, Persun tells PEOPLE she hardly shied away from her love of literature.
In the immediate aftermath of losing Tyler, she paged through fantasy books, relishing the escapism of unfathomable worlds. She needed a break from the plausible, and she continues to appreciate that sentiment one year later. Lately, Persun says she’s “really into the dystopian stuff,” like Shield His Sparrows by Devney Perry and Conform by Ariel Sullivan.
“It’s all not realistic. So it’s just easier for me to read and enjoy it,” she adds. However, on the other side of the unrealistic spectrum, Persun notes that she tended to reject romance novels even before Tyler’s death.
“I know it’s not supposed to be reality, but I can’t get around my head around the fact that this is a happily ever after, and it always ends up that way,” says the content creator.
In June 2025, Persun told PEOPLE that she felt somewhat averse to the type of books you’d find if you were to search online for what to read while grieving: self-help suggestions, reflective memoirs or stories that grapple with death and dying.
“Some stuff is just too real,” she said six months after Tyler’s death. “I needed to [be] disassociated, is the best way to say it.”
Brielle Persun.
Brielle Persun
Today, Persun says she’s since crossed over into “more stories that have big themes of grief in it.” In fact, when she posted about those types of books, there were times when people in her Bookstagram audience would check in to make sure she was aware of the “trigger warnings.”
“One of the first books I really read and loved right after I had talked to you was The Measure by Nikki Erlick, and that really touches on just grief,” she shares. “It’s a hard subject matter. There’s people who pass away in it and things like that. I felt really seen, is the best way to say it. And I was glad I picked it up.”
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In addition to touting meaningful reads on her social media pages, Persun says she’s also reached out to the authors to express her gratitude directly.
“I would tell them I really appreciate the way that they wrote grief in such a way that isn’t platitudes or Instagram quotes: ‘Time heals all wounds,’ things like that,” says the book lover. “They were writing about grief in such a realistic way. I can relate to that, and I feel that so deeply.”
Read the original article on People
