Two simple words.
Sirantha Jax. ^_^ The six-book series is written by Ann Aguirre, who's popular in urban fantasy and paranormal romance genres. Fabulous, highly accessible, complex but not overly complicated. I often say that Aguirre writes science fiction for those not used to reading science fiction. HIGHLY recommend this for your friend.
The Sirantha Jax series:
Grimspace
Wanderlust
Doubleblind
Killbox
Aftermath
Engame
A different suggestion:
If she's coming from literary fiction, then Margaret Atwood's
A Handmaid's Tale is a classic and great place to start. Meaty, but not so deeply sci-fi that it would lose a reader not used to the genre.
And one more for kicks:
The Diamond Age: Or, a Young Lady's Illustrated Primer
by Neal Stephenson. Because it has a female protagonist and tackles some fascinating issues. All while being entertaining.