"She's looking to move up in power to another semi-auto that she can also bring to range and shoot. She wants it to be fun with the least amount of recoil, which I think she is a little concerned about."
re: moving up, any centerfire caliber, size and weight is her friend, not her enemy... in any style handgun, but pistol is specified here, and Grizz hunting is not at issue
small can be "cute", but cute doesn't get it done in handguns
although the 9mm is obvious choice for lowest cost store bought ammo,
if the recoil concern is paramount, the lightest recoil may well be a "full size" 380acp... like a Beretta, for example (the Bersas are a tad light to be truly called "full size" IMO).. some part of recoil, like all aspects of handgun shooting, is psychological, and new shooters may well find the 380 to be less "intimidating".. they get over it real quick, but she may never get over it if you don't start somewhere that you at least feel mentally "comfortable"..
sometimes it is best to work up the food chain a step at a time
that can get expensive, buying another, then yet another, but worth the price of the trip
(was for me, re: milady.. 22 rimfire to 32 S&W to 357, whoops, back it down, 32 S&W, 38 wadcutters, 38 sp, 380 acp, 9mm, 357 and/or 45 acp.. that 2nd jump was her choice, by the way, not mine, but no regrets, still own 'em all, though she found her favorite comfort zone w/ the 357 and it only took a few months)
many/most full size centerfires, being double stack, you may need to look harder for some single stacks.. at least consider them... because the grip shift from 22 pistol to centerfire could be a transition issue...when all is said done, parsed, sliced and diced, the key word in "felt recoil" is felt
"felt" is enormously influenced by how it fits the individual hand
and there is nothing gender specific about it
many people consider a full size all steel 45acp to be a much "softer'" shooter than "snappier" 9s and 40s.. IMO it is neither more nor less soft or harsh, but different, and different is all about "felt"
mostly, there is no predicting it, for any one individual
shooting a few rounds (make/model/caliber x/y/z) 1st person trumps all else
but if no can do that, at least start with a large and heavy a pistol as feels good in hand, and specific caliber is really not likely to be the big factor that too many people assume it is
in the end, ammo cost is going to run so much higher than rimfire, that cost of ammo caliber A vs Z really should not be the dominant decision factor at this point
(ammo cost is near zero if she doesn't enjoy shooting it)
good luck !
PS
sure everybody says "rental range", must be lots of city folks, 'cause rental ranges are about as common as hens teeth around here
