I'll second your second. Great little pistol. I am not a fan of the manual safety but on this gun, it was placed just right for my smaller/medium hand. I also like the fact that it accepts Sig P226 mags.
I own the Smith M&P 9c. Love it. I carry the M&P Shield simply because it's thinner and lighter (in a G-Code INCOG, BTW). Obviously there are many choices. She just needs to handle and shoot everything she can get her hands on.
If you're looking for a double stack, I've fallen in love with Springfield's XDm and so has my wife. My wife has smaller hands, so the Glocks quickly lose luster with her. She's not tried an M&P, but those seem to be a little jerky and a bit of a heavy trigger pull for her IMO. Anyway, she loves it, and if it ain't broke don't fix it, right?