I have the S&W Shield,9MM first & only pistol I've owned. Shot about a 1/2 dozen others including Glock, Berretta,Sig Sauer & Ruger. I like the Shield, nice trigger, decent sights,minimal recoil, conceals well and not to bad to carry all day.
My wife owns a S&W Bodyguard .380. Pleasure to carry! Very long trigger pull, takes some getting use to but with practice can be mastered. Sites SUCK all black hard to pick-up! Easily fixed with Testors model paint. Painted the rear white the front flo-orange.1000% better, cost $2.00.
There's a lot of nice guns out there handle as many as you can see what feels nice to you.
If you're getting a carry permit size, weight, style (auto or revolver) type of holster are a things to take onto consideration.