What you need to know
The trajectory of Brielle Persson’s life took two sharp turns in the space of a few months. In August 2024, she and her husband, Tyler, became parents. In January of the following year, Persun became a single mother.
At 12:34 p.m. on January 10, 2025, Tyler passed away due to complications from pancreatitis. The couple was just beginning to build a life together before falling apart. They had just recently celebrated their first wedding anniversary. Their young son Colby was not even 5 months old.
At the time of her husband’s death, Parson was just beginning her chapter as a mother, but her career as a Bookstagram influencer was well underway. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, she has been building a digital community of readers, recommending and discussing literature through her @BookswithBrielle page on Instagram and TikTok.
Brielle Persson
Books provided solace in the aftermath of her family’s tragedy. Persun told PEOPLE in June that she leafed through fantasy books, enjoying the escapism of the unfathomable world. Although she wanted to continue sharing online, she felt it was no longer appropriate to return to regular content. It wasn’t just because I was close enough to my friends on Bookstagram to talk about Tyler’s death.
Persun decided to expand her social media presence. It became a more authentic reflection of what her life looked like after Tyler’s death, focusing not just on the book, but also on grief and being a single parent. Her work became fuller and evolved into a broader lifestyle category, welcoming everyone to her audience: literary lovers, widows, mothers, and more.
A year after Tyler’s death, Persson told PEOPLE that she hadn’t noticed any backlash about the change in content. In addition to book talks, it now includes daily video blogs, outfit posts of the day, and open discussions about grief and skin care.
“I didn’t see a shift in people saying, ‘We don’t want to be here for this anymore. We’re only here for book recs and book recs,'” says the creator, who has more than 23,700 followers on Instagram. “I always wanted it to feel natural even if I started working with a certain brand or thing.”
Every step of her foray beyond mere bookstagram was colored by the death of her husband. Persson says she was especially cautious about recognition. “Being a widow is a fine line,” she says. Although she shares only about five minutes of her day on social media, the bookworm is well aware that some viewers are piecing together short snippets of her life and calling it the whole picture.
“They don’t realize, yeah, I still have tough days, but I can’t just come in here and be the usual Debbie Downer all the time,” she recalls.
Brielle Persson
The snap judgment may come at the cost of her new online presence, but mostly Persun sees it as a small tax on a larger good. By openly addressing the topic of mourning and its various nuances, she has had the gratifying experience of connecting with people experiencing all types of loss, including widows.
“Being really transparent about my grief journey is finally making people realize, ‘Wait, someone else is going through this, I’m not the only one. And she’s like living her life and really trying to find a healthy way to move through my grief journey instead of just staying in it,'” she observes.
As she prepares for her second year without Tyler, Person hopes to further build a network of followers, friends and supporters. Early on in her grief journey, Persun took refuge in what she calls “rebellious joy.” She defines it as a way of determinedly seeking a sliver of happiness amid all the pain. The mother said that as she continues through her grief journey, she has become less defiant and has found joy, which she is eager to continue sharing in her online community.
“I really want to reach out to more people through my platform because I think it’s helpful. I know it’s helpful for me to be able to talk to other people,” she says.
Although it may sound contradictory to her concept of rebellion: fighting for joy and fighting pain, Persson also envisions a “peaceful” new year for herself and Colby.
“I don’t need anything big to happen. I don’t need big moments. I just want to grow up with my son and celebrate the really small moments, because they’re big moments anyway,” Persun told PEOPLE. “I just want to tiptoe into 2026 and live and breathe easier than I did in 2025.”
