Is there a way to get Apple mail to display like gmail?
No, Apple Mail has only classic layout on or off mode. 

You can compensate it by turning off the classic layout, making the mail list super wide &amp; use double click to open a mail window &amp; close it with the shortcut. 


Mojave: Mail → Preferences → Viewing → Use classic layout checkbox.
Catalina: Show the message list in column layout: Choose View > Use Column Layout (a tick indicates the layout is in use).


https://support.apple.com/en-in/guide/mail/mlhl7fa3a90d/13.0/mac/10.15

However, if you're looking for alternatives, Edison Mail's GUI is heavily influenced by Gmail's web version. (That was one of the reasons I deleted it.)