Underused in SF is the idea of magnetic breaking.
I recall reading about the math of a Bussard ramjet that it can't work because the drag is greater than the energy produced.
But, instead of tweeking it as much as possible to reduce drag, turn the problem on its head: optimize it to maximize drag, and you have an excellent brake.
I planned on using that in a story, but lost track of the notes I took at the time. Google shows some suggestive topics, though.
Robert L. Forward wrote about lightsails. in Flight of the Dragonfly/Rocheworld, he used a detachable ring for the main part of the sail. The earth-based laser reflects off the sail and back to the craft with its much smaller piece of the sail, slowing it down.